Falling For Storm
Chapter 15

Storm

I was prepared to watch Amara walk away or run for the hills the moment she saw me shift into my wolf form, but she surprised me when she didn’t go ballistic over it. Well, she kind of did, but not as much as I expected her to. She took everything like a champ, and that made me feel a lot better despite everything that happened. She was reluctant to stay with me in the pack house, but when we explained that the rogues could go after her, she didn’t put up a fight anymore. I had Dakota and Wyatt get her stuff earlier from their dorm while Hunter went back to the lake to retrieve her painting, which thankfully remained untouched and undamaged because it would be a waste for her to redo or paint a new one. I mean, it was the least of our worries, but I could just imagine how hard she worked for it.

I led her inside my room and placed her bags by the door before closing it.

“I’m going to sleep here?” She asked, looking everywhere but me.

“I was hoping you would,” I answered.

“Are you going to sleep here too?” She shyly asked, blushing a bit.

I trapped my lips in between my teeth to stop a smile from spreading.

“I was hoping I would, but if you feel uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor or somewhere else.”

That was a lie, of course; I didn’t want to sleep anywhere else but beside her, only if she’d let me. She simply nodded in response and sat at the foot of the bed.

I raked my hand a few times through my hair, wondering whether this was the right moment to let her know of the possibility that could arise from the bite she got. I had just dropped a bombshell on her, and now I was about to drop a nuclear bomb, so this was really a tough call to make. She was going to flip, for sure. I might even get sucker punched for putting her through this, deliberately or not. My inner wolf kept telling me to just rip the bandage off, but the human side of me couldn’t do that to her. So, in the end, I stood there just staring at her for a time, and just when I was about to say something, she beat me to it.

“There’s something wrong, isn’t it?” She looked at me with worry etched in her eyes.

I sat beside her, wanting so much to hold her, but I didn’t because I’m still unsure whether she was okay with me being a wolf or not.

“I don’t know where to begin or how to say this, but wolves, whether they belong to a pack or they’re rogues, are either born the way they are or they’re turned.” I paused to make sure she was listening.

“Turned?” she asked, and I nodded.

“Yes. Turned. A person can turn by getting bitten. Your bite isn’t too deep, but there’s a fifty-fifty chance.” I explained, looking down at the floor.

I was ashamed for not being fast enough to get to her in time, for not thinking things through, and for knowing that I couldn’t undo things if and when she turned.

She stood up quickly and looked down at me, teary-eyed and with her mouth hanging open.

“You mean I’m going to turn into a huge dog too?”

I know that this was a serious matter and that I should feel remorseful, but the way she said things and how she looked were so adorable that it made me chuckle.

“Storm! This isn’t funny!” She exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips.

She was cute even when she was mad, but she had every right to reprimand me for laughing. Yes, the entire situation wasn’t funny at all.

“I’m sorry, you’re right, but we’re not dogs. We’re wolves. Still humans, but we shift into wolves and not dogs. And yes, that may or may not happen.”

She suddenly sat on the floor and started rubbing her hands over her face in frustration.

“I wish I could take it all back. I wish there was something I could do to stop it from happening, but there’s still a chance that it won’t. I don’t know yet; that’s why you have to be here.”

I sat next to her, gathering her in my arms.

“I’m truly sorry, Amara. I’m so so sorry. It was all my fault, I know, but please don’t hate me. I’m really sorry.” I whispered, rubbing my hands up and down her back.

She kept silent for a long time, her hands covering her face. The only good thing about this was that she didn’t move out of my embrace. That somehow made me feel hopeful.

“What’s going to happen if I do turn?” She finally asked.

“Then you’ll be like me. You can shift from human to wolf and vice versa. You’ll be a lot stronger and faster. Basically, all your senses will be heightened.”

She nodded at my answer. “What’s a mate?”

Okay, I didn’t expect that question. Change of topic; it was then. This was a thing I noticed about Amara: her brain and emotions somehow worked differently. Our conversations and moments often progress so quickly that I sometimes have a hard time keeping up, instead of the other way around.

“Well, a mate is the one who’s destined to be with a certain wolf. It’s the lifetime partner, soul mate, and lifetime love of a wolf. It’s more than just a husband and wife,” I answered truthfully.

She looked into my eyes as if she were searching for something else.

“So, I’m your mate, how?”

I nodded once.

“I can’t explain that exactly. We’re just built to have mates. When wolves replace their mates, they sense them and smell them. Mates have a distinct scent; it’s the most enticing and sweetest smell in the world that others don’t have. Wolves can’t live without or go far without their mates. They have to be close to each other all the time. I sensed all of that the moment I saw you.”

She leaned the side of her head against my chest and exhaled slowly. I guess she was trying to process my words on top of the events that took place. I relished the feeling of her closeness and thanked the heavens because she was taking this really well, so I hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head to let her know that I wasn’t going anywhere.

“So what now?” She asked, looking at me again.

“Now, you have to rest. We’ll talk about this some more tomorrow if you want,” I answered.

She stood up, walked over to my bed, and pulled the covers off before climbing in. I stood there, uncertain of what I was supposed to do or where I should park myself, even though it was my damn room, and that made her giggle.

“What?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor, you know. Besides, you have a really huge bed,” she said, making me grin like a fool.

I didn’t have to be told twice, so I quickly and happily laid down next to her and pulled her closer to me. My hands snagged around her waist, her back to my front, and then I kissed the back of her neck twice before inhaling her scent. I can’t believe how lucky I am right now because she was not attempting to run away and was doing things calmly. She was pure perfection, and I couldn’t help but utter the words that I had been wanting to say since the day we met.

“I love you, Amara. I love you with every fiber of my being. I will serve, protect, and stand by you even through hell.”