Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 111: Chapter 111

Waking up with his mate in his arms, in a tangle of sheets, with the sunlight streaming in through the blinds, was definitely up there on Weylin’s top three things to do of all time. First, was kissing her. Second, was making love to her.
Hmm.
Maybe there should be a fourth thing too. Like when she smiled. Fuck yeah. Weylin loved it when she smiled.
“Morning, baby,” he grinned when she stirred.
“Good morning,” she replied, her cheeks pink with exertion, sleep, or perhaps a tendril left of shyness.
Though, after everything they’d done during the night, he would be hard pressed to ponder that one. He’d kissed, touched, and loved on every inch of his delectable little mate. And she’d done the same to his delight and her unending curiosity.
Leaning down, Weylin slipped his hands beneath the sheet covering her hip and traced her curves. She gazed up at him with lusty, soulful eyes that stole his breath. Sexy woman, looking so well-loved and perfect in his arms, in his bed, in his life. He kissed her quick, wanting to make her breakfast since he’d heard her stomach growling almost an hour ago. But she was so warm and comfy, he didn’t want to jostle her until she woke up herself.
“How’s a dozen pancakes sound to you?” he asked, loving the way her eyes sparkled as she bit her bottom lip and nodded.
“Sounds amazing. Got any blueberries and lemons?”
“Yeah. Why?” he asked curiously.
“Cause we are gonna add some lemon zest and a cup of blueberries to the batter and you are gonna love it.”
“Oh, I am, am I?”
“Yep.”
Forty-minutes, and some tussling on the bathroom floor later, and Gwendolyn was sitting down at his kitchen counter beside him, a stack of blueberry lemon pancakes between them. She giggled and fed him the first bite, which Weylin took too fast, almost dying in the process. Fucking things were hot.
“Oh my God, you should see your face right now!” Gwen chuckled. “You are breathing smoke like a dragon.”
“I’m a Dire Wolf, baby. We are way cooler than Dragons.”
“Wait, those are real?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Gwendolyn, how many times do I have to tell you the multiverse is a big place filled with wonders,” he said, feeding her a normal-sized bite.
She made a little chomping sound as she chewed, and fuck, it was cute. He grinned, watching her, falling for her more with every passing second.
“So, we’re mated now, right?”
“Yep.”
“And no weird side effects, right? Shifters aren’t like Werewolves in the movies,” she said, and Weylin’s heart started pounding.
“Um, well, far as I know. It has been a long time since a Dire Wolf mated a human,” he murmured.
“So, I might get a tail?” she asked, stunned.
“Nah. Um, I mean, I don’t think so,” he mumbled, making a mental note to talk to Derrick. “Hey, I promise, anything happens to you, and I will be right here, okay?”
“Okay, yeah,” she murmured and sat up straighter.
It was Sunday, but they were going to visit her Pop after breakfast. Weylin had a little surprise, he hoped she wouldn’t mind.
He was nervous about the awkward conversation they’d had at breakfast, but after a while, she seemed to relax. The drive went by quickly, and soon they were headed inside Hope Springs.
“Where’s Pop?” Gwendolyn gasped, walking right to the old room her grandfather had shared with another patient.
“I hope it’s alright since we’re mates now,” he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her around. “I had his package upgraded. I know you want him to have the best care, Gwen, and it is the least I can do for the man who raised my mate.”
Weylin paused, trying to gauge her reaction. She was looking over his shoulder, her big brown eyes glassy with unshed tears. His stomach turned in knots and he rubbed the back of his head.
“Gwen, fuck, I am so sorry, I should have asked—” he started, but she jumped on him, hugging him so tight he could hardly breathe.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and he felt warm tears seep into his shirt where her face was pressed against his shoulder.
“It’s alright. Shhh, hey, come on. Let’s go see him,” he said, cupping her pretty, heart-shaped face in his hands and dropping a kiss on her lips.
It was too soon, but his heart glowed with love for her. Love? No. Yes, his Wolf pushed. Stupid, red-furred monster was preening with it. Fuck. The realization dawned so suddenly, Weylin tripped on his way down the hall.
“You okay?” she asked, turning her head to check on him as they followed the directions on the map to the private suites.
“Yep. Fine,” he replied, but was he?
Mating was one thing, but falling in love was something else entirely. Some folks were built for love, he knew. Like Derrick and Lucy, even though the Alpha fem had been reluctant at first. Kind of like Sheila and Leo, who rejected the Lion before she finally accepted his claim. Their relationship sure was weird.
Brock and Ariella were a loving couple, though he’d had some psychological issues to get past before they got together. And Tracey and Phoenix, though she had some personal shit too, from what Phoenix said.
Maybe love wasn’t for people who were perfect. Maybe it was just for couples who were willing to give it their all. Folks who knew the value of their partner and wanted to honor and keep them safe and happy. That was all he wanted, and he was more than willing to work hard for it.
Watching Gwen walk down the hall in her jeggings and white crop top made Weylin realize it didn’t matter if he thought he was worthy or not. He was already in love with the woman.
She was the keeper of his heart. The other half to his soul. She had the fealty of his beast. And he would live every day just to see her smile. Oh yes, loving Gwendolyn was easy as breathing, and even more rewarding. It was necessary. Vital. And he would not have it any other way.
“You coming?” she asked, excitement in her voice as she waited outside the door to Pop’s new room.
Mine.
“Yes.”
Weylin joined her inside the spacious suite, standing back while she greeted her grandfather. The older man seemed to be having a good day as recognition sparkled in his warm chocolate eyes. So like Gwen’s, Weylin thought as he shook the man’s hand.
“I see my Gwennie has a fella. You do right by her, boy, or I’ll come looking for you,” Pop warned, only half-teasing.
“Don’t worry, sir. I promise to take care of her.”
“You guys, I am standing right here,” she complained, but her eyes were glossy and her smile wide as she held Pop’s hand with one of hers, and Weylin’s in the other.
“You did good, Gwennie,” Pop said, and prided filled Weylin as he watched her give her grandfather a kiss on the cheek.
They would not have the old man forever, but with his mood improved, and Weylin’s new connection to his mate, he could see the familial bonds tying the old man to Gwendolyn. Without knowing if it would work, he tried pushing a little light into that bond, hoping for the best.
They stayed there, playing cards, and later, Gwen read aloud to Pop from one of her infamous romance novels. Weylin had to remember to ask to borrow that one, since she skipped the steamy scenes. The three of them remained together until a nurse shooed them away with a report from the doctor that Pop’s health was improving, and he was quite comfortable in his new room.
It was early evening by the time they got back home, and Weylin growled contentedly as he lifted Gwen from the passenger seat. Sweetheart that she was, she’d worn herself out making sure her grandfather had enough of his favorite foods and easy access to the TV remote and nurses’ call button. She’d dozed off almost as soon as she got into his car.
“Mmm. Are we home?” she asked.
“Yeah, baby. Hey, do you feel okay?” Weylin asked, suddenly on alert.
Her skin was on fire, and his wolf had perked up almost immediately upon touching her. A cool, fall breeze rustled the leaves near his cabin, but Weylin took no time to enjoy the scenery. Something was wrong here.
“Derrick!” he shouted, knowing full well the Alpha would hear him across the patch of grass that sat between the Pack house and his cabin.
He hustled inside, placing her down on the sofa. Weylin started by removing her jacket, shoes, and socks. He ran a clean washcloth under the faucet and came back with it in his hands, pressing it to her head. Gwen moaned, curling up on the couch with her hands across her stomach.
“What’s happened?” Derrick asked as he pushed his way inside without knocking.
“I don’t know. She’s sick or something. My Wolf is freaking out,” Weylin growled, kneeling down on the hardwood floor beside Gwen.
“Hey,” Lucy said, hands on her belly as she walked over to them and felt Gwendolyn’s head. “She has a fever.”
Weylin growled helplessly as Lucy doctored his mate. Worry consumed him, and the beast inside was raging.
“Did you claim her?” Derrick asked sternly. His eyes glowed with his Wolf as he followed Weylin’s nod.
“Yes. But I’m not sick, Alpha. Fuck, we don’t get sick! Are humans allergic to the bite?”
“You bit her? Even though she’s human?”
Weylin nodded, swallowing down the bile threatening to out itself from his lips. Fear clenched his stomach, and his Dire Wolf was shredding him from the inside out. After everything, he’d finally claimed his mate, and what—he made her sick?
Shit. No. This couldn’t be happening.
Please, please be okay.
“I’m calling Thor. He might know something,” Derrick grumbled, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.
Weylin nodded, sweat dotting his brow. Gwendolyn moaned loud. Lucy was still holding her hand, her big blue eyes darted from Gwen’s prone body to Weylin’s drawn face.
“She feels so hot, Wey. I don’t know what this could be,” the Alpha fem said, looking concerned.
The pounding of footsteps reached the cabin, and Weylin moved in front of Gwen. He couldn’t help it. His Wolf was going nuts.
“Easy,” Derrick commanded, using his Alpha voice. But something freaky was happening.
Weylin growled at his Alpha, lowering his gaze, but snarling, nonetheless.
“You bit her when? Last night? During a full moon?” Thor asked, entering the house.
“It wasn’t full yet,” Weylin growled.
“Close enough, brother,” Thor replied, his eyes glittering like black onyx as he moved towards Gwen.
Weylin snapped his teeth, grabbing his Pack mate’s beefy arm as he tried to pass. He could not help it. The Wolf was out of his mind with protective instincts, and Pack mate or not, he did not want anyone near Gwen save for the Alpha fem.
“I must assess her, brother Wolf. I will not harm your mate. I swear it,” Thor told him in a voice deep with his animal.
Thor was perhaps the quietest Wolf among them. Weylin trusted the man with his life but asking him to trust him with his mate’s life. Well, that was something else.
Something pushed its way through the Pack bonds, his intentions, Weylin realized, and his Wolf rumbled approvingly. The Dire Wolf MC was more than a Pack, it was a family. They had built their bonds on friendship, trust, and affection.
“Sex, blood, a full moon, and your sacred vow to love this woman have all converged to make the impossible happen, my brother,” Thor said in a rumbly voice.
Thor looked at Weylin, just as Gwen’s back arched and she roared a loud, horrible sound full of pain that tore at his heart. Thor growled, then he gripped the waistband of Gwen’s pants. Fury hit him hard, but before Weylin could move, Derrick and Cole were tackling him as Thor tore the clothes off his mate’s body a single moment before a wave of power knocked them all on their asses.
Next, the impossible happened. A dark brown Wolf ripped out of his mate, and she was ferocious. The animal lunged for Cole, nipping him on the ass and forcing the idiot to let go of Weylin. Derrick did not have to worry about that. The Alpha was smarter than he looked, releasing the male who was already on his knees and reaching for his incredible mate.
“Gwendolyn?” he asked, wonder lacing his raspy voice as the huge she-Wolf butted heads with him.
I thought you said no secrets, Weylin.
“I didn’t know, baby, I swear,” he said, smiling through tears of wonder as he ran his hands over her fur. “Ohmyfuck! Are you talking in my head?”
I think so. Weylin, come with me. Let’s run.
Gwendolyn yipped, making a circle in the living room, and knocking Cole over in the process. The butthead had only just found his feet. Oh, well. He had it coming, Weylin was sure.
“I think your mate wants to run with you, brother,” Thor said, a smile on his usually somber face.