Chapter 4

Claire's POV

There was drop-dead silence in the room after I was done speaking.

The look on both the alpha and my dad's faces was one of disbelief. I guess they couldn't imagine that I was actually choosing some foreigner outside the pack over Dylan.

Sorry, Dad! I have made my choice.

As for Dylan, he was totally dumbfounded. He never expected that I would be so decisive.

They say the devil you know is better than the angel you don't. But at this point, I’ll do better to choose the angel I don’t know than spend the rest of my life with this devil.

Though Blake's face was expressionless as he looked down at me, I could tell I made the right mistake.

The moment I chose him as my mate, a bond I had never felt before connected us.

Those who spoke of the connection to their friends didn't do well explaining. It was magical and, at the same time, terrifying.

I could tell he felt the same way when our eyes locked.

Bending to my level, he picked me up like I weighed nothing, pressing me to his chest. 

I sighed in his warmth, feeling his strong heartbeat against my own. The tension in my body eased with the feeling of his arms around me, as if nothing else mattered.

"Are you OK?" He asked, his deep voice filled with concern.

As I tried to nod, I saw stars flickering. The world spun, but I managed a simple "yes" as I clung to him for dear life, my heart pounding.

Though I could barely make head or tail of what was going on in my scattered brain, the feel of Blake's powerful muscles was like a pain reliever and had me imagining what he was like under the shirt. 

Stop it, Claire! 

When did I start getting carried away by a man?

It is probably the fault of the headache.

Or I was finally crazy.

Regardless, his strong arms wrapped around me were a balm to my soul, offering a sense of safety and reassurance I hadn’t known I needed.

Turning a little, I eyed Dylan.

It looked like he had something to say, but he could not voice it.

As I guessed, he was just a coward who liked to exercise his little power over those under him.

Not so tough, eh?

I wanted to smile at that moment, but the very effort had my head banging even more.

Dylan narrowed his eyes at me, but I couldn’t care less.

I was untouchable.

I shut my eyes for a moment, not wanting to look at him any longer.

"It seems she has made a choice. With nothing else to say, I will be going to care for my mate."

And with that, he turned back toward the door.

"This doesn't make any sense," I heard Dylan say.

"I think that is left for me to decide." My dad retorted, his tone hard and final.

Thinking about it, it actually doesn't make sense, but at the moment, all I could think about was my unexpected salvation. I felt a strange sense of peace washing over me, as if, for the first time in a long while, everything might be going right.

******

When I opened my eyes, my vision was temporarily cut off by the hideous sunrays from the window opposite.

Where am I?

Dazed, it took me a moment to register that I was in my room.

I must have fallen asleep on my way here. The sudden shift from reality to waking up in my own bed left me confused, disoriented.

Turning to the right, I was surprised to see Blake instead of my father sitting by my side, staring at me, his legs propped on my bed.

My heart skipped a beat as I met his gaze, and I felt a flush creeping up my neck. What was he doing here?

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment, making me quickly look down at myself from his burning gaze.

That’s when it came to my attention.

Oh no! He didn’t.

"Where are my clothes?" I asked, looking under the covers, only to see I had nothing on me.

Blake didn't seem fazed by my sudden outburst. Over there, he pointed to the end of my bed.

"Did you take them off?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to bathe you," he stated matter-of-factly, his tone calm but carrying an undercurrent of something more.

What!!

He can’t be… He couldn’t have...

"Don't worry, I didn’t do anything to you," he said, smiling while raising his hands in mock surrender.

I guess he can see how that made me uncomfortable.

"Your dad made sure of that," he added with a small chuckle.

"My dad!?" How was that supposed to make me feel better? What the hell happened to privacy?

I felt like opening a hole and burying myself in it.

He grinned, and I felt butterflies dance in my belly.

Oh my God! When did he start having that sort of effect on me?

"I am sure you must be hungry after your ordeal last night. So here, have some breakfast," he said, walking over to the table under the window to bring over the tray I had ignored when I woke up.

It seems I am in for a lot of surprises today.

"Did you make breakfast for me?"

"No, your dad did."

Or not.

"Oh!"

But that didn't change anything. He was incredibly nice, and that endeared him to me.

Probably because nobody does stuff like this for me except my dad whenever I am sick.

"Where is he?" I asked in between mouthfuls. He raised an eyebrow at my unruly manner, but I just shrugged and continued chewing my food, trying not to make a bigger fool of myself.

"He went off somewhere after he handed the food to me."

"And yes, I have had mine already," he said, giving me a knowing look.

"He did real justice to those pancakes."

"My dad has always been a good cook."

"I hope you are too," he replied with a small smile.

I smiled and turned my attention back to the food I was eating. 

You will be surprised.

When I was done, he took away the plates and poured me a glass of water.

"Your bruises are mostly healed," he said, staring at me with an expressionless look, though his gaze lingered on me with intensity.

"I guess that makes me a strong werewolf," I replied, before gulping down the water.

I handed him back the cup, which he placed on the table beside the jug of water and dirty plates.

"I see. Now that you are my mate, would you like to journey back with me to my pack?" He asked as he sat, this time on the bed beside me, his voice low and steady.

I liked the way his voice rumbled when he spoke.

My lips curled up in a grin that I was sure was from ear to ear, but I didn’t care, lost in his sky-blue eyes.

At this moment, I could have done anything for him.

I felt something light up inside me as I looked into his well-chiseled features. It was something I had given up on a long time ago: hope.

"I would love to."