C16 ESCAPING AGAIN

The house was dark, and I could hear the wind howling outside. It took a moment for me to realize something was moving me, and then I realized it was Alpha Raymond. Stupidly, I moved closer to him, resting my cheek against his chest as he walked me up the stairs, "I'm going to put you in a guest room." Raymond said as he opened the door, lightning filled the night sky, letting me get a glimpse of his hard face. He looked irritated and lonely. He placed me on the bed very slowly and stood up.

Thunder rolled and shook the house slightly. My hand reached out and grabbed Raymond’s arm. Slowly, I sat up in the bed and looked towards the shadow in front of me. I let my hand fall to his and slightly tugged him closer to me. Raymond didn't ask questions as he sat on the bed. I moved and wrapped the black blanket around my body as he pulled the comforter away and slid into the bed beside me. I hated that this felt right, I hated that I didn't hate it. My lip curled up a few times as I listened to the howl outside the room.

We lay awkwardly for a moment until I turned towards his body and pushed my face into his neck, taking in a deep breath. He didn't smell like anyone but himself now. His scent was intoxicating and calming. My hand fell on his chest as I rested on his arm. He wrapped that arm around my back as I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall asleep.

When I woke up, the room was bright, sunlight pooling in front of me, showing dust that was in the air. My hand reached to grab it, and I watched as the warmth hit my fingertips.

Slowly, I pulled my hand away and turned to see Raymond watching me. His hand was behind his head as he smiled towards me, "Good morning." He whispered. I allowed a smile to fall on my lips as I slightly moved away from him on the bed. Last night was the first night I didn't have nightmares. I felt energized yet weak as I sat up in bed. Raymond groaned as he slowly sat up and looked at me.

'I think he had enough time to think about his actions. The mate bond is so strong that three days of silence is almost like three months!' Liya said. 'It serves him right, I would say, give him more days, but he did comfort us last night.' She added. I nodded along with her as I pushed my hair away from my face and turned towards him. He was scratching the back of his head as he stretched his body.

"G-g-goo-" I sighed, frustrated as I said the word multiple times in my head. "Gg-ood Mor-mor-n-nn-ning." I said slowly and looked at Aeron as he smiled towards me.

"Good morning." He repeated and looked at me.

"G-good mor-orning," I repeated back.

"You are close." Raymond said and pushed my hair back as he stared at me, "Does this mean you have forgiven me?" He asked. I shook my head rather quickly, "Then, I guess we have to change that." He said and grabbed my hand. I could feel the stinging sensation that caused Liya to purr as I stared at him. He let out a smile as his wolf purred along with her.

Liya and I followed Raymond around the house once, then he gave us one of his T-shirts and a pair of the shorts from the clothes he had gotten before I came here. He showed us to our room and went into the bathroom. The room didn't interest me, so I just followed him. We watched as he brushed his teeth and brushed his hair. I sat on the counter and watched as he took a buzzing thing and cut his beard off. Black hair filled the sink as he looked towards me and chuckled. He cut it the way he had it when I first saw him. Liya liked his new look even more this time, and I could feel her excitement growing.

Once Raymond was done, we went to the kitchen where he cooked eggs and poured us an orange drink. I looked at it questionably as I took a sip of the sour drink and swallowed it down. He watched and chuckled as he handed me a bowl of eggs.

He had little orange pieces on top, which melted after a moment. I ate the food he made and moaned at the heavenly taste. Raymond watched and smirked as I took in a deep breath and started to eat as much as I could. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable for some reason, as he ate his food.

Once he was done, I watched as he cleaned the kitchen and washed everything up. When he was done, he headed back up the stairs. He showed us his office, "If you can't find me, I'm usually here." He joked as he opened the door. I looked at the large room that had folders and weapons everywhere. It had to be the one room that was unorganized in the entire house., "You are always welcome here." He said.

There was a small couch beside his desk that I quickly claimed. He tapped on what he called a laptop, and then wrote on paper. I remembered paper from before, my Mother used to allow me to draw on it. I moved closer to him until I was at the end of the couch. I watched as he worked, then he sighed and leaned back on the chair,

"It's exhausting." He said as he turned towards me. Slowly, I got up from the couch. "We've looked everywhere, but we can't find this one rogue." I tilted my head and walked beside him.

"W-who?" I asked in a small voice.

"If I knew who she was, it would be better. I couldn't get her name or a description." He said and turned towards me. He opened his arms, and Liya jumped in control as we walked to sit on his lap. Raymond’s face fell against our neck as we looked at his desk. His strong arms were around me as he held me in place. I leaned against his body until I saw a picture on his desk.

A woman and a boy, I instantly recognized the woman. My Mother, I sat up and slowly grabbed the wooden frame and brought it close to me. She had a wide smile on her face, and her hair was up in a bun as she was kneeling by a young boy holding a long stick.

"That is Morana; she was one of the best warriors anyone has ever seen." Raymond said and leaned against my shoulder, "I'm trying to find the one who killed Morana, her daughter. I had told her brother to kill Morana’s daughter after she murdered her mother. I demanded that her daughter be killed. He promised he would, but he never fulfilled that promise. Instead, he let her get away.

Now, it's my job to find her and kill her." Raymond said, I froze on his lap as I ran a finger down my Mother's smiling face. Raymond placed his nose back against my neck, sending small shocks through my body as I closed my eyes.

'Oh no, this ain't good.' Ontas said in a low voice.