Chapter Five

She decided that was enough. She put my hand back in my lap. She stood there watching me.

She picked up my hand again; She interlaced her fingers with mine; I let her hold my hand. She sat like this for a few minutes. When she let go, I watched as she pulled the blanket off the bed. She took a pillow and dropped it on the blanket. She made what looked like a little nest. She picked up my hand and pulled on it. “You want me to get up?” She nodded yes.

I stood up. I didn’t want to move unless she wanted me to. She pulled me toward the bed. I was confused as to what she was doing. She pushed me towards the bed again, and when my legs hit the mattress, she turned me to face her. I looked at her trying to figure out what she was thinking. Without warning, she pushed me back onto the bed.

“Whoa!” Shit, I looked at her; she was frozen in place. I had scared her. “I’m sorry, you scared me.”

 She giggled. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. I stayed sitting on the edge of the bed. She pushed on me.

“Do you want me to slide back?”

She nodded yes. I slid back, and she pushed me down, so I was lying on the bed with my legs hanging off. I was hoping to sit up as this position wasn’t very comfortable. I felt her put her arms around my legs. She picked them up, placing them on the bed. I felt awkward because I still had my shoes and coat on. Not to mention, my little mate who was still recovering, just put me to bed. She pulled the blanket up to my chin. I started to say something.

She put her finger to her lips, “Shhhh.” 

I didn’t say anything else. I looked at the ceiling. I turned my head to see what she was doing. To my horror, she was lying down, curled up on the blanket. She had the pillow pulled in against her tummy. She had her eyes closed, and her head was resting on a scrunched-up part of the blanket. 

I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t about to let my mate sleep on the cold hard floor while I slept in a comfy bed. I rolled over to face her back. “Hey, how about I sleep on the floor, and you sleep in the bed?” I was hoping she would agree.

She looked up at me as she shook her head no.

I lay back down. After a few minutes, I rolled over to find her staring up at me. She was still clinging to the pillow.

“I want you to sleep in the bed.”

She looked at me wide-eyed. Terror washed over her face.

“No, no, not like that.”

Her body relaxed a bit.

“What I meant is, I want you to sleep in the bed, I will sleep in the chair.”

 She looked at the chair and then back at me. She once again shook her head no.

“I will not sleep in this bed if you are sleeping on the floor.”

She looked upset. She looked around as if trying to find something to sleep on. She got up slowly. I watched as she climbed up onto the foot of the bed. She was clinging to the pillow as if her life depended on it. She lay down and curled into a ball. I sat up.

“You sleep here.” I pointed to the spot next to me on the bed. She suddenly looked sad. She crawled over to where I pointed. Once she was settled, I heard her cry. I pulled the covers up over her. I got up, I  picked up the blanket from the floor. I put it over her. I walked to her side where she was clinging to the pillow. I kneeled down. “I will not hurt you. I promise.” I looked into her eyes. She looked at me. She reached out, grabbing the back of my head, and she pulled my forehead to hers. Ever so slowly, she kissed the end of my nose. She smiled at me. I put my hand out, and she picked it up and placed it back against her cheek.

“Can you speak?” I asked quietly.

She looked at me strangely before shaking her head yes.

“Can you tell me your name?” She looked thoughtful for a moment.

She looked worried. “I promise, I will not let anyone hurt you ever again.”

She looked down as she wrung her hands together. “You no tell father?” She whispered so quietly; that I could barely hear her.

“Tell your father?” I asked quietly.

Her eyes grew wide, “No, no tell.”

“I won’t I don’t know who he is. If I did, I wouldn’t tell him you are here. I promise.”

She thought about it for a while. I was about to give up.

She quietly uttered “Aura.”

“Did you say Aura? Is that your name?”

She shook her head yes.

“My name is Draven. Alpha Draven.”

She watched me for a minute. “You, my Alpha?” She asked.

I could tell it had been a long time since she spoke. “Aura, how long has it been since you spoke.”

She looked down; I could tell she was thinking.

“Lots of years. Eleven.”

“You haven’t spoken for eleven years?” I couldn’t imagine what she had been through.

She shook her head. “Are you afraid of me?” I asked wanting to know.

She shook her head yes.

I felt bad. My own mate is afraid of me.

She must have noticed the sad look on my face I covered my face with my hands so she wouldn’t see I was upset.

“You touch me, not hurt me?”

I looked up, I nearly jumped out of my skin. She was sitting in front of me completely nude.  I could see the scars all over her from the torture she had been through.

“Aura, what are you doing?” I was instantly hard, but I was not about to take advantage even if she wanted me to.

“I made sad, now I punished.” A single tear ran down her cheek.

“No, I would never do that to you. I would never punish you. I would make love to you in a heartbeat, have babies with you, but I would never force you to do that.”

I Picked up her nightgown, I turned it right side out before slipping it over her head. She watched me as though I had just done something amazing. “I told you, I won’t hurt you.”

She was quiet. I thought she didn’t want to talk again for a while. I kicked my shoes off, took my coat, and hung it on the hook. I pulled my shirt over my head. I walked over and sat down in the chair. “I will sleep here.” I smiled to let her know I wasn’t mad. I couldn't imagine the trauma she had been through and survived. I knew what my guards had done to her, but there had to be more. I sat back in the chair trying to get comfortable. I don’t know when I fell asleep but, I woke up to a loud crack of thunder. I sat up, dragging my hand over my face, I stretched. I need to get a recliner or a pull-out sofa for this room. I looked on the bed, I didn’t see Aura. I stood up suddenly alert. I got closer to the bed. She was not there.

“Aura? Aura where are you?” I didn’t know if she would answer me.

Another flash of lightning was followed by a loud crack of thunder. I heard a whimper. I looked around the room, under the bed, and I even opened the blanket chest. Where could she be? I looked behind the chair in the corner, wait, would she even fit? I slowly reached down lifting up the loose floorboard. I almost panicked when I found her. She was curled up between the floorboards. She had her eyes squeezed close. “Aura, what are you doing in there?”

She opened one eye. Seeing me, she held out her hand. I held her tiny hand in mine. I could feel her shaking.

“Aura, what happened?” another loud crack of thunder rumbled through the room.

She whimpered squeezing her eyes closed again.

“Aura, are you afraid of the thunder?”

She shook her head yes. “I hurt more in storms.”

“Aura, I promise I will protect you. If I sit with you, will you come out of there?”

She nodded. I helped her out. A huge flash of lightning followed. Aura yelped; she threw herself against me before hiding her face in my chest.

“Aura, can I hold you?” I felt her heartbeat speed up. “It's ok, I won’t. How about you hold on to me, ok?”

She looked as though she was waiting. Using the hand, she was still holding, she pulled it behind her, then she took my other hand pulling my arm around her other side. She then used her hand to make my fingers touch. I interlaced my fingers as I held her. She put her arms around me. I could have stayed like that forever. As the thunder began to get further away, her heartbeat started to calm down and her breathing evened out. She pulled back a little to look at me.

“You care me?” she asked watching my eyes.

“Yes, yes, I do. I care about you a lot.” I hoped she knew I was telling the truth.

She looked as though she was thinking. “I care you too.” She smiled. It was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

“Aura, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

She looked down; I could see her cheeks turn red. I lifted her chin with my fingers. “I mean it. You are gorgeous.”

She smiled but this time, she met my gaze. "You lying?" she asked.

"No. You are so beautiful.” I slowly reached up touching her cheek.

She grabbed my hand, I thought I scared her. She gently squeezed it. She looked down, her cheeks turning pink.

She yawned making me yawn. “Let me help you get back in bed.”

I got her settled in, I pulled the covers up, and I gently leaned in kissing her forehead. I walked back over to my chair. I settled back in; I had grabbed my jacket off the hook. I pulled it up around me like a blanket.

I had just fallen asleep when a gentle shake woke me. I opened my eyes. Aura stood waiting for me to wake up.

“Aura? What’s wrong? Are you ok?”

She shook her head. “You.”

“Did I do something?” I was confused.

“You bathroom?”

“Oh, you need the bathroom?”

She nodded.

“Ok, let me show you.”

I walked her across the hall to the bathroom. When she had finished, she met me in the hall so I could walk her back. I helped her get into bed, once again, I pulled the covers up over her. Once again, I kissed her forehead of course I had asked permission first.