Wild at Heart
Chapter 35

I gently closed the door to my house, not knowing if Nick was still awake. He left before sunrise this morning and told me it was a simple pack matter, he would handle. I stayed in bed until I was ready to meet with Chloe. I kicked my shoes off and gently placed them on the shoe rack by the door. I shuffled to the bedroom, but the closer I got to the door, the more I smelled blood. I pushed the door open, but I didn’t replace Nick. I rushed to the closed bathroom door and didn’t bother knocking. I found Nick sitting on the side of the tub, his torso exposed and a bloodied washcloth in his hands. His chest was ripped open and he had teeth marks on his side.

“Nick, what the hell happened?” I asked as I approached him to get a closer look.

“I’m fine.” He waved me off like he wasn’t currently bleeding.

“That’s not what I asked.” I took the washcloth from his hand as he grinned up at me.

“A few rogues were spotted by the border.” He didn’t take his eyes off me as he spoke. I tried to clean the blood from his chest so I could see how bad his wounds were.

“A few rogues did this?” I didn’t need him to answer my question for me to know the truth. Nick could easily kill a few rogues with no injuries. This was a small pack of rogues.

“Maybe a little more than a few.” He said with a chuckle.

“That was the business you had to take care of this morning?” I questioned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It really was a few rogues.” He said. “I told Daniel not to go, he’s getting married in a few weeks. He has more important things to worry about.” Nick winced as I wiped at a tender spot. “A few rogues were spotted by the border and I told him I’d go check it out.” He winced again which told me the claw marks were deep. “When I got there Sophia—”

“Sophia?” I interrupted.

“Yeah,” Nick raised a concerning brow to me. “She was there with a couple Omegas patrolling.” I nodded but stayed silent. “Sophia was fighting off a few as were the others and more kept coming.”

“You didn’t call for backup?” I asked.

“I was the backup.” I sighed and stood to rinse the blood from the washcloth, but Nick reached out and stopped me. “Emma,” he pulled me back down to him. “I’ve been hurt much worse than this before. I know it pains you to see it, but I promise you I will heal, and I will replace out why our pack was attacked.”

“I know you will, Nick.” I responded. “I don’t doubt for a second that you will.” I brushed the back of my fingers over his cheek. He wasn’t wrong. Although it didn’t happen often; I hated seeing him hurt. His wolf purred under my touch and he leaned in for a kiss that I denied. “Let me get you fixed up first.” He nodded in agreement and I went back to the sink. I cleaned the blood from him as best I could, but he was still bleeding. “You need stitches.” I noted. “We should call Dr. Morris.” He instantly shook his head.

“She’s busy with the rest of the pack.” He said. “I wasn’t the only one wounded today.”

“Is everyone okay?” I asked.

“They will be after she’s done with them.”

“It’ll heal faster with stitches.”

“I don’t need fast. I’m a patient wolf.” The smile he gave me had my own lips curling at the corners. I grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink and pulled out the gauze, knowing that he’ll need pressure on the wound to help slow the bleeding. I began taping the gauze pad to his skin, outlining each ripple of muscle as I pressed the tape to his skin. “Deja vu.” He muttered.

“What?” I questioned.

“We did this the night of the Mating Ritual.” He winced again as I pressed the gauze to his oblique. “You cleaned me up after the fight.”

“You would have dirtied the sheets.” I said with a grin.

“May they rest in peace, but those wolves were fools to willingly step out of that ring.” I wonder if they knew Nick was going to fight for me if they still would have fought. “You’re wild at heart, Emma Rose, but I wouldn’t change this life with you for anything in the world.”

“I think that qualifies you for a mad man.”

“Then mad I shall be.” I shook my head as I finished wrapping up his wounds. “Thank you, little wolf.” He caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. “May I kiss you now?” I grinned again and he didn’t wait for an answer from me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, careful of his wounds as I deepened the kiss tenderly. He growled and picked me up from the floor, I instantly wrapped my legs around his waist to support myself.

“Careful, Nick.” I muttered against his lips.

“Don’t worry about me, little wolf.” He walked me to the bedroom next door and gently laid me down on the bed. He traced the hem of my shirt teasingly. I bit my lower lip until I could taste the copper of my blood. Nick gently slid his hand under my shirt and lifted my body slightly so he could pull my shirt over my head. He laid me back down and reached to my jeans, now impatient over the clothes that covered our skin. He assisted me by tugging my pants off and throwing them in the distance. My fingers were on his belt before my own pants even hit the floor. I didn’t want to wait one more second for him to be inside me. I felt the hardness of his erection almost as instantly as our eyes met. His wolf growled at me as his canines grew in size. He tilted his head and trailed his hand down my right side until his thumb stopped at the ink on my ribs. He rubbed me gently as he stared just below my breast. His wolf purred. I ran my hands from his biceps up to his face. I gently pulled him down to me until his lips reached my own. I felt my breasts release as his hand unsnapped my bra in one swift movement. My panties were lost somewhere along the way with his own. I rolled my head back and arched my back as his erection finally entered me. I wanted to release right then and there, but I held back and rocked my hips against his. Nick thrust his hips into mine, gliding his erection inside me deeper and deeper. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to focus on something other than the pure ecstasy and sounds of my moans. If I couldn’t get my mind right, I was going to tire myself too soon, and I wanted this to last forever. I reached behind me and grabbed the headboard to steady it from hitting the wall repeatedly, but I had to release it before I broke it into tiny splinters. I lifted my leg slightly and I felt him go in me deeper than before. Oh, sweet Moon Goddess, I wasn’t going to last. I gripped the sheets tightly and let the orgasm spread throughout my body. Nick lowered himself down to me again and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. “I love you.” He whispered to me. I whispered it right back to him before cuddling up to his shoulder and letting the night take my body to sleep.

I tossed a dirty glass into the bin behind me and reached to the shelf for the gin. I picked up a shift at the bar to keep myself busy while Nick tended to matters with Daniel. I didn’t know if that meant it had to do with the pack or if it was about the wedding, either way I was glad I could take a break from both. I had about an hour left before Lucas and I shut down the bar, and it couldn’t come any faster. My time away has made my patience for the drunken wolves of the pack wear thin. Money was no longer a factor for me, so the tips weren’t making up for it. Maybe I could buy something for Daniel and Alex’s wedding with my tips? Suddenly, I felt a cold chill run down my spine and instantly my hair stood up on its ends. My wolf inside me stirred and growled. I turned to the door as a large man entered my bar. He locked eyes with me and grinned the same exact grin I’ve seen on someone else before. The wolves around me at the bar felt the energy the man was giving off and they shuffled and fidgeted in their stools. The man walked up to the stool directly across from me and I couldn’t turn away. The man was tall and bulging with muscles, his salt and pepper hair on his head and his beard told me he had some age to him. His eyes a smokey gray that brought back so many memories I’ve been working hard on hiding. I stared at this man like I was staring at a ghost. He was the spitting image of his son and he didn’t have to open his mouth for me to know that the Alpha of the South pack was sitting in my bar right across from me.

“Stefan.”