. Sky’s POV
I was very concerned as I moved back and forth outside Harley’s bedroom.
After explaining what mates meant, she silently stood up and went to her bedroom, locking it.
At first, I knocked like crazy, apologizing if I had offended her in any way. When minutes went by without her response, I considered checking in just in case she wanted to eat or talk to someone. One was to stand guard while the other rested; if the one on guard got tired, the one resting would come and take over.
And so, I went back to my office to look at my files until it was past midnight. When I checked on her, the Omega confirmed that she was still inside her room. I decided to rest, so I went back to my room and slept. When I woke up, I took a bath, and here I was at her door, debating whether to knock or not.
“Alpha, the whole night I could hear soft sobs coming from her bedroom. I wanted to walk in, but I didn’t know if that would be a bother to her or not,” the female Omega who was assigned to stay guard said.
I sighed heavily and then moved closer to the door and knocked.
When no response came through, I opened it.
“It’s me; I’m coming in,” I said, and then walked in and closed the door behind me.
Harley was lying on the bed with her knees pulled close to her stomach.
I took off my shoes and slowly got on the bed with a rapidly beating heart.
I had no idea if she was going to yell at me or not, or if she would even look at me. All I knew was that my wolf and I felt bad seeing our mate like this.
I lay down facing her; her hair was a little scruffy, and her eyes were red. She looked pale, and the area under her eyes was swollen.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered softly.
I understood how she felt, and I wanted to do my best to make her feel better. The first step was to apologize.
“I know I scared you after showing you my wolf form, and I might have said a few things you didn’t like, so please forgive me,” I said, then moved my hand to the side of her cheek, carefully paying attention to her facial expression.
When she frowned deeply, I dropped it.
“Can someone bring me a large bowl of warm water and a clean face cloth? I’m in my mate’s room,” I said through the pack’s mind-link, then sat upright.
“I know you may not like to hear this, but you need to eat something,” I said softly, then looked at the open wardrobe, which had a dress in there.
“You know, I know so little about my mother. You see, my father usually avoids the topic. All I know is that she died and that he raised me all by himself. Growing up was very hard for me because I envied other pups who had mothers that adored them. You know, whenever the other pups ate something and made their clothes or hands dirty, their mothers were right there to clean their mouths and give them a kiss as if it were the reward for being naughty,” I said, then smiled when she laughed softly.
“When a few pups my age helped their mothers wash clothes and bake outside their houses, I stood from afar, observing and admiring. Telling my father was out of the question because he would make one of the elderly omegas or healers do that with me. He never understood that what I wanted was a mother and not just some stranger who filled in her spot for a second and then left,” I said sadly, then tensed when she touched my arm.
She sat upright and rubbed her eyes gently with her hand.
“I understand how you felt because that’s exactly how I felt at the orphanage. I had no one I could rely on, and all I can remember is a woman in a cloak telling me how much she loved me before leaving me at the doorstep of the orphanage. I never fit in, and I was bullied badly for years,” she said as I held in a growl.
I felt like burning the damn place down, wherever it was, and killing each and every bastard that ever made her go through pain.
“Whenever they were kind, it was because they needed help with something or were planning something. Later, they would backstab me, and I got used to it. But one day, I had enough and decided to just leave… I’m lying to you; I didn’t leave. When I turned eighteen and started manipulating fire, they chased me out and hunted me down like a damn animal,” she said in a cracked voice.
I moved my hands to my knees and pierced my skin with my claws to fight the anger and urge to find out which orphanage it was.
“If not for Glen giving me a job, I would have nowhere to go. I know he did that to save face, but he saved me that day. That’s why I… I…,”
“You have feelings for him,” I finished for her.
“I understand, so there is no need to feel bad,” I whispered when I looked at her and noticed how sad she looked.
“Come in,” I said loudly before a knock could be heard. I knew someone was standing there.
The door opened, and the Omega on guard walked in with a large bowl in one of her hands.
“Give me that,” I said, and then moved my hands to grab the bowl when a loud gasp came from Harley and the Omega. The Omega quickly put the bowl on the ground with a shocked expression on her face.
“Sky, your hands!” Harley screamed.
“It’s nothing,” I said softly.
“It’s not nothing, Alpha; your knees are bleeding and…,”
She cut her sentence short when I looked at her coldly.
She lowered her gaze to the ground and bared her neck.
Harley moved and pressed her fingers on the bloody cut that was healing.
“Sky, take your trousers off,” she said as I raised a brow.
“What?” I asked huskily.
“Take your trousers off; I want to see the cut,” she said firmly.
I looked at the Omega, who was gazing at me with widened eyes.
When I looked at the door, she quickly turned and left the room.
“It’s not that bad; I can heal in no time,” I answered, then held my breath when her hands went to my zip.
“Wait, please! I’ll take them off myself,” I said loudly, knowing very well how I could easily lose control if she was the one to do it.
I stood up, unbuttoned the bottom of my trousers, and then pulled the zip down.
When I took them off, I looked at her seriously.
Her eyes were fixed on the already healed cut I had made.
She moved and touched it as if to make sure that it was healed.
“How?” she asked in a surprised tone.
“Have you forgotten what I told you before? Werewolves heal at a rather fast speed,” I said softly and then swallowed hard when she brushed her fingers back and forth on the spot.
“Don’t get hard, damn it, don’t get hard,” I said to myself silently over and over again as I felt myself react to her touch.
When she dropped her hand and widened her eyes, I frowned.
“What?” I asked.
She quickly covered her eyes and shifted to the other side.
“What?” I asked as I looked at myself.
“Oh, fuck,” I said loudly and quickly grabbed my trousers on the ground, putting them on quickly.
I was aroused and hard even when I did my best not to be.
“Please excuse me,” I said loudly, feeling uncomfortable, and then quickly rushed out of her room to go to mine to relieve myself.