Ruthless Mate - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

She limped out of his room and stepped into her room. She stared at his shirt and quickly changed and wore his shirt and then she grabbed pajamas from her cupboard and wore them.
Her bed looked pretty appealing to her. Maybe she should just sleep here.
She was about to get on the bed when a knock was heard before the door opened to reveal shirtless Draken which caused her innocent eyes to broaden as she instantly looked away.
He didn't say anything. No questions, no argument. He just walked up to her. Picked her up in his arms bridal style before walking back to his room.
He placed her on the bed and she noticed a first-aid box there as well.
"Pull your shirt up to your chest." He instructed and she stared at him dumbfounded. "Charlotte just did it yesterday," Aurora said.
"Doctor said to change them daily," He said and she hesitated.
"I can do it myself," she mumbled and he raised his onyx eyes to meet her gaze.
"Let me do it, Aurora." His deep voice left no space for argument as she slowly pulled the shirt up to her chest.
He inched closer as he cautiously undid the gauze around her. She was holding her breath.
Draken breathed in deeply as he gazed at her taut stomach. Her creamy flawless skin. He gulped. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he forced himself to focus on the task but his wolf kept putting sinful images in his mind and he had to f*cking restrain the beast inside him who was yearning to have a taste of her after that kiss.
He thought a kiss would be enough to satiate his hunger but it only made him yearn for more.
"Relax," He said, though his voice appeared raspy. He cleaned her wound. It was healing better but still very slow. It was taking more time because the wound was inflicted using silver. He wrapped the gauze around her stomach and just as he pulled his hands back she pulled the shirt down covering herself as she clasped her fingers tightly.
He stole a glance at her and her cheeks were red. Did he affect her the same way she affects him?
Grabbing her ankle he placed her foot on his thigh and treated it as well.
Aurora stared at his massive shoulders. His naked chest. The dragon tattoo on his neck and back. He was built like a Greek God. With those abs and muscles. She tried not to let her gaze drift down his face but she couldn't help it. Curiosity got the best of her.
She then looked at the flower resting on the bedside table. He gave her a flower. She wants to read what goes in his mind but she isn't good at reading people.
And he never talks clearly. Always in riddles. But it was obvious he was trying.
She gulped seeing the bulging veins on his hands and arms. She wondered how it would feel to be loved by this rough man. Her eyes widened at her thoughts and she looked away feeling flustered.
Once done he placed the things away as Aurora lay back down on the bed staring at the ceiling.
Draken switched off the lamp as he lay beside her on the bed. There was an appropriate distance between them.
Draken turned around to face her. She tilted her head to look at him and he was already looking at her, taking her by surprise. His eyes were intense with an emotion swirling in them that she couldn't decipher.
"Do you often have nightmares?" The question escaped her lips on its own, she wasn't even planning to ask him such a personal thing.
He hummed in response and she saw his eyes saddened which constricted her heart weirdly. She didn't like seeing him like that.
"Are they bad?" She asked and he hummed again.
She breathed in deeply when his hand crept closer to hers and his fingers caressed her palm.
The warmth of their proximity on a cold night. The silence of the calming darkness. The peace of their hearts and the sparks on their slightest touch made their bodies relax.
He hummed once again. "How can I help?" She asked in a soft voice. The voice he yearns to hear more because it was filled with love, care, and innocence and it was only reserved for her family but now she was talking to him in that same voice and it caused the walls around his heart to crumble a little.
"Your touch makes them disappear," He said, his deep voice a low timbre.
"Nightmares?" She asked and he hummed.
"What are they about?" She asked as slowly her small fingers intertwined with his longer ones as he scooted closer to her.
"Agony. Betrayal. Hollowness," The way he whispered those painful words shattered her heart. Each word was heavy and cruel.
He was in pain.
And no one knows.
No wonder he reacted like that when he thought she betrayed him. What might've happened to him that he was going through so much all alone behind this ruthless Alpha exterior of his?
The words held weight, the look in his eyes. It was so broken and sorrow-filled that it churned her insides as she slowly moved closer to him swallowing the wince of pain.
She softly placed his head on her chest and he let her. He hugged her but was cautious enough not to touch her wounds or crush her.
Draken had this same look in his eyes that Rasmus had when he left the packhouse after losing Sarah. The pain of losing everything. The pain of dying every second while your body was still breathing.
She wondered if Draken also lost his first mate or his lover. It hurts her to even think about it but it hurts, even more, to see him hurting inside and there was no one to comfort him.
"Aurora," He whispered. His voice was so soft. He was already half asleep it seems.
She hummed in response as she caressed his hair. She was also fading into slumber when she heard him.
"Please, don't ever leave me. I'll die this time." He whispered in a broken plea.