Chapter 40

Chapter 40 – Intruder

Ella

“What?” I squeak, my voice catching in my throat. The moment the words left Sinclair’s mouth I felt myblood run cold, and now I feel as though I might topple over with the shock of it. I must have misheardhim, surely he doesn’ mean what I think he does.

“That night you heard someone growling in your bathroom?” Sinclair explains, stepping forward asthough he wants to reach for me, but stopping himself short when I flinch away. “I told you I didn’t smellanything… but I lied. There was someone in your rooms, I just didn’t want to scare you.”

“And you let me go back there, knowing there’d been an intruder?” I demand, indignation swirling to lifeamidst my fear, surprise and sorrow.

“Sweetheart, I had the guards do a thorough search of the grounds then and there. They were longgone, and I’ve had you sleeping in my rooms ever since. I also increased the guards during the daywhen I knew you’d be back there.” He shares. “Trust me, I’ve done everything possible to ensure yoursafety.”

“Except tell me that I was in danger!” I cry. “It’s no wonder you flipped out the way you did when I wentto see your father! And you blamed me like I was supposed to know about the threat!”

“Ella –” He begins in a placating tone.

“No!” I cut him off, stomping my foot out of pure wrath. “How am I supposed to know it’s dangerous ifyou don’t tell me, Dominic?” I exclaim. “You didn’t even tell me about the rogue attack and that hadnothing to do with me! All this time I thought you were being overbearing and overprotective, but I justdidn’t have a clue what was happening in my own life!” Too late I realize my earlier desire to leave

before I start crying is now a lost cause. Tears are sliding down my cheeks as I continue. “How couldyou do that! You know what I went through with Mike. I spent years thinking I knew my situation when itwas all lies – and you turned around and did the exact same thing!”

Dominic’s usually golden skin goes very pale, “Goddess Ella, I never even thought about it that way.”He admits. “I was just trying to protect you and the pup. I didn’t want you to be afraid.”

“Well all you actually did was make a fool of me.” I inform him stiffly. “And for the record, you also mademe more vulnerable to danger. Do you think I would have ever considered sneaking away withoutguards if I knew someone might actually be after me?! Do you believe I would ever risk my baby thatway?”

“Ella, I’m sorry.” Sinclair professes, and I’m amazed to see how earnest he looks. Gone is the bossyAlpha who orders everyone about and lays down the law when they defy him, replaced by a man whohas been truly humbled. “I’m truly, truly sorry. I was inconsiderate and patronizing – I assumed I knewwhat was best and never consulted you… I’ve been a hypocrite, I’ve been going on about being a teambut I’ve been acting like a tyrant.” He continues. “You were right, and that’s not the kind of parent I wantto be.”

Despite my simmering anger, I’m completely agog. I never expected a man as powerful as Sinclair toadmit a mistake – or any fault for that matter. I thoroughly believed that people of his ilk never tookresponsibility for their actions, because they have the privilege of passing it off onto someone else.Even men without means, like Mike, often can’t admit when they’re wrong. In fact, as a woman, thenumber of times I’ve heard any man tell me that I’m right in a disagreement is… well, I think this is thefirst time.

“Can you ever forgive me?” Sinclair is still going, coming forward to brush the hair back from my face,and looking deep into my eyes.

I cross my arms over my chest, tilting my chin up and giving him a haughty sniff to hide myamazement. “As long as you promise never to do it again.”

“I promise that I’ll try to do better.” Sinclair vows, taking hold of my arms. “I’m still an Alpha, andhopefully a King. It’s in my nature to protect at all costs, and those instincts are strongest when itcomes to she-wolves and pups. When I think about you in danger my wolf fairly loses his mind, and Ireally am concerned about this pregnancy. You’re high risk as a human, and the longer your bloodpressure stays elevated, the more likely you are to become high risk in shifter terms too.”

His words send a frisson of fear through my nerves. I’ve been trying to tell myself all this worry is hisoverprotectiveness gone mad, but when he puts it in these terms I realize my baby and I might have aharder road ahead of us than I realized. I hadn’t considered myself high risk simply because I’m ahuman carrying a shifter pup, but it makes sense. Again I recall the doctor’s warnings about the size ofthe fetus, the spotting incident and now my persistent stress. I really don’t mind if I suffer, but the ideaof my baby being at risk is enough to bowl me over.

“So I can’t say for certain that I’ll never slip up again,” Sinclair forges ahead, massaging my arms withthe pads of his thumbs, “but I promise to always consider your perspective, and consult you whenever Ican.”

“Thank you.” I murmur, leaning into his warmth.

He nods and kisses the top of my head, wrapping his strong arms around me. “Do you still want tosleep in your rooms?”

“Would you let me?” I inquire, already testing his resolve.

Sinclair offers me a wolfish grin. “As long as you let me post enough guards at the door.”

I chuckle, and shake my head. “I want to stay with you.”

His muscles untense slightly, and he purrs in contentment. “Good. It’s been a very long night.”

“You can say that again.” I agree, wriggling out of his hold so I can retrieve a night dress from mydesignated drawer in his dresser.

A little while later we’re curled beneath the plush covers of his king sized bed. Sinclair always sleepsshirtless– not that I’m complaining – so he’s stretched out on his back as I rest my uninjured cheek onhis bare pec, immediately soothed by his intoxicating scent. I once asked him why I replace smelling himso soothing, and he explained that it’s just the pup. Still I can’t help thinking that I would have loved hisscent even if I weren’t ‘breeding’ as he calls it.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sinclair asks, tracing his fingers in soothing patterns down my back.“After the attack, I mean.”

I nod, brushing my cheek over the fine hairs of his chest and landing myself with a tickle in my nose. “Itwas nothing.”

A loud rumble vibrates against my cheek. “Not to me.” Sinclair growls.

My hand has been resting on the hard contours of his abs, and I replace myself caressing his soft skin,hoping to soothe him the way he so often soothes me. “Honestly the most shocking part of the wholeordeal was seeing them shift… I’ve never seen anything like it. I still can’t believe it.” In fact that mightgo a long way to explaining why the entire ordeal still doesn’t quite feel real to me.

“Were you very afraid?” Sinclair presses, taking advantage of my sudden willingness to talk.

“I was more afraid for the baby than anything else.” I confess. “That’s what hurt more than anything,when I thought that my brashness might have cost it, instead of just me.”

A low purr rolls to life in Sinclair’s chest. “Nothing they did or would have done was caused by you,Ella.”

I huff out a laugh. “It seems like there are an awful lot of people telling me things aren’t my fault lately.” Imuse aloud. “But at a certain point one has to think the common denominator is common for a reason.”

“Who else?” Sinclair probes. “About what?”

That’s not a conversation I plan on having with Sinclair anytime soon. We might be on better terms,and he might make me feel safe, but I vowed not to make the mistake of trusting another man, and Imeant it. Sinclair has already proven himself unreliable on that front. “What does your wolf look like?” Iask, instead of answering his question.

He chuckles, clearly not missing my less-than-smooth transition. “It’s black.” He says simply, “Pitch asthe night, with my same colored eyes.”

“Can I see it sometime?” I ask, not quite understanding why I’m so interested in meeting the beast.

“If you like.” He agrees. “But not tonight. Tonight we sleep – and tomorrow we start with a clean slate.Deal?”

For a moment I wonder if such a thing is really possible – part of me thinks it’s too late to stop what’salready begun. Still I have to try, for the sake of my pup if not myself. “Deal.”

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