The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 48

CAULDER

The more Harper and I made out, the harder it became to stop. Her taste, her sounds, her touches, everything was perfect and set my entire body ablaze. With all of the other girls I had been with, it had never felt this amazing. It had felt good and had been a great way to bypass time, but it was nothing compared to Harper. Every cell in my body was energized, and I felt stronger when I was next to her.

I wanted to continue and go all of the way with her, but I found myself stopping before we were completely naked. My breath was ragged, and my body grew frustrated with my actions, but it didn't feel like the right moment. I didn't want to go all of the way before Harper's mate bond was awakened. It wasn't fair to her. She deserved to feel what I was feeling and so much more.

Harper looked up at me with big eyes that made it even more difficult not to completely devour her. I took a moment to slow my breath and calm my body.

"Is everything okay?" Harper asked, propping herself up on her elbows to close the distance between us a little.

I kept my arms straight as I hovered above her. I wanted to lean in and close the distance against us again, but my gut was telling me this wasn't the right time for this. I smiled at her and said, "Everything is perfect."

I moved off of her and sat at her side. I pulled her in for one final kiss, and I could feel her entire body melt into mine. When I pulled away again, Harper sat up and bit her lip. She pulled the blanket up to cover her torso.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, watching me search for my shirt before pulling it back on.

As I looked at her, I could see the insecurities filling her. "Not at all. Why would you think that?"

Harper looked down as she twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers. "You just stopped so suddenly."

As I watched her shrink into herself, I realized she wasn't on the same page as me. She was ready to go much further. I sat back down and pulled her into my lap, trying to avoid her feeling just how hard I was.

"I just want the moment to be perfect with you. I don't want it to be rushed. You deserve better than that." I kissed her cheek and tightened my grip around her waist. I let my head fall into the crook of her neck, and I inhaled her scent. I felt relaxed when she was in my arms, and the rest of the world melted away when it was just her and me together.

Harper reached up and ran her fingers through my hair. Her heart calmed as we sat there, and I could feel her worry diminish.

"I don't need it to be perfect," she said quietly. I could practically feel the heat radiating off of her from her blush. "I just need you."

I stroked her hair and smiled. As much as I wanted to give her what she wanted, the timing still felt off. "You were ready to break up with me yesterday. I don't want us to get caught up in the moment, leading you to regret anything."

Harper sighed. "I know. You're right. It's just hard to resist you sometimes. And about yesterday-"

I quickly pressed my lips against hers to quiet her. "We don't have to talk about that. I understand why you said what you said."

She cupped my cheeks and smiled, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Maybe we should talk about it, though. We haven't really had a chance to figure everything out." I gave her a confused look, so she continued talking. "If I'm your mate, that means so much more than for other werewolves. You're destined to be alpha, which would make me luna, and that's a lot to think about. That's a lot of responsibility."

This was part of the reason I had wanted to wait to tell Harper that she was my mate. I didn't want her to worry about the responsibilities that would come with being my mate in the beginning of our relationship. I wanted her to just enjoy us before the responsibilities fell onto her shoulders, but there was no going back now.

"It is a lot of responsibility." I knew more than anyone how much pressure came with having a future in leadership. There were days where I still didn't want to be the alpha. "But it'll be years before you have to worry about that. There's already too much going on right now, and that's the last thing you need to worry about."

"Yeah," she said, but her voice was quiet. I could tell her not to worry about it all I wanted to, but that wouldn't stop her from worrying about it.

"Okay, how about this," I started, knowing I couldn't leave the conversation like that. "Once we officially tell everyone we're mates after your birthday, we can set up some meetings with my mother. I'm sure she would be happy to have you as an apprentice to show you the ropes. I know this is a lot, but there will also be a lot of help within the pack. We won't be doing this on our own."

Harper nodded, but I still wasn't sure if that helped her or not. She suddenly smiled and pulled away. "We should get ready for tonight if we are going to get Blade in here safely. You also need your mom to look at your ribs. That bruise still looks nasty."

-

I found my mother by Remy's bedside. She had been spending more time in the medical wing than anywhere else since the accident. I knew she would be the biggest hurdle to get Blade in here safely. We needed the area to be completely empty, so there were no chances of him getting caught.

When my mother saw me, she jumped up and wrapped me in her arms. She was much shorter than me, and her arms ended up around my ribs. As she squeezed, my body winced automatically.

"Caulder. I'm so happy to see you." Her voice was hoarse, and I knew she had been crying. I was sure it was even harder for her to see Remy in this condition than it was for me.

"Hey, Mom. How are you holding up?" I looked over at Remy, and she reminded me of sleeping beauty. She was so calm, that it made me want to believe that she was only sleeping and not in some sort of coma.

"I should be asking you that," she said with a slight chuckle. When she pulled away, she looked me up and down. "What's wrong with your chest?"

I ran my fingers through my hair and looked away. "That's what I was actually coming to see you for. I got injured during the attack."

"Lift your shirt now," she said, her mood completely shifting. I did as she said, and her frown only deepened. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? I could have healed you."

I looked back at Remy and frowned. "Because it's not that bad of a wound, and others needed the attention more."

"Honey, you need to make sure you are getting yourself taken care of, too. You are essential for the future of this pack, and you are the one who can't heal as quickly, which means you need to be more careful." She motioned for me to sit down, and then she placed her hands on my ribs. Her hands glowed as her magic started to work. I instantly felt relief as her healing magic started to repair my ribs. It became easier to breathe, and some of the pressure on my chest was alleviated.

When she was done, I let my shirt fall, and then I turned my attention back to Remy. "She almost died."

My mother looked at Remy and sat back down in the chair. She looked completely exhausted, and I was sure she had slept even less than me. "I know."

"How are we going to stop that thing from breaking free? Has Winslow even addressed the situation?" I asked. Winslow was still waiting for my answer about his offer to train me. I had already decided I wanted to take him up on that offer, but it felt like the timing wasn't right. After the attack, I couldn't bring myself to leave Remy here when she was actively in danger. She needed the protection.

"Winslow hasn't shown up because he's afraid of me. He's failing his end of the bargain, and he doesn't want me to threaten him." She looked over at Remy to make sure she was still asleep. This wasn't information my mother wanted to share with her, but she also didn't want to leave Remy alone.

"We have to do something. We can't afford to let this happen again. Next time could be worse." I couldn't stand the thought of Remy or anyone else in the pack dying because of this creature.

"We are doing something. Your father and I were going to fill you in on the details later, but we are making a plan to go after the vampires. We won't let them release that creature again, no matter what it takes." There was a fury in my mother's eyes. She was determined and enraged, despite her exhaustion.

If we were going to go after the vampires, I knew Blade's training would help immensely. Even just the little bit of training with him showed me vampires fought very differently from what I was used to, and I didn't want our pack getting hurt. He could give us the edge we needed.

"What do we know about vampires?" I asked. I wanted to test the waters to see if my mother would be open to Blade's help.

"Not as much as I would like," she admitted. "Daniel is still working on replaceing out more information, but it's hard to replace details without a source."

Blade could be that source, and he could make the pack stronger, but I didn't know how to bring him up without completely giving him away. "What if we found a vampire who was willing to help us?"

My mother's face hardened. "Do you already know someone? Because if there is a vampire in our territory, you need to tell me right now." Her entire energy shifted, and she felt even more hostile.

I lifted my hands up. "No, no. I don't know anyone. I was just thinking it would help."

She relaxed as I told my lie. "Sorry about that. There were several mentions of a strange man at the scene of the attack, and I've been worried it was one of the vampires controlling the creatures."

She was half right. It was a vampire, but he had nothing to do with the attack, as far as I knew and believed. I had a feeling she wouldn't see reason if I brought it up, though. "There was a lot going on, and people were scared. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I didn't see anyone I didn't know there." Only a half lie, but I couldn't bring up Blade now, not while Remy was in this condition. My gut was telling me Blade would end up getting blamed.

My mother nodded, taking her hands off the wound. "There. You should be good as new. Don't wait so long to tell me about any injuries next time."

"Understood," I said. "I have some things to do, but let me know if there are any changes with Remy." If my mother was suspicious of Blade's presence already, it would only make our plan more complicated tonight, and I had to figure out what to do as soon as possible.