The Beta's Alpha 2

Chapter 20-Where to go from here.

Rayne

I fight sleep, I refused to go back to the darkness having given myself over to it for what seemed like forever. I do everything in my power to keep my damn eyes open, I even asked for a coffee, but it was denied and I want to curse and scream at the doctor who suggest she can give me shot of something if I need help sleeping.

I shake my head quickly, hell no I did not want anything to speed that along. He checks my vitals one last time, bids us goodnight and leaves. Stone is watching me and I know the bond is sending him every panicked emotion, but I couldn’t stop if I tried.

“Ok dew drop what’s going on, feel like I’m about to crawl out of my own skin.” I shrug and he inhales deeply. “Yeah, not buying that, look your dad is fine, doctors are sure once Chole gets a handle on whatever is up with him she will be able to turn it around.” I nod, not that I wasn’t happy to know how talented the witch was and sure I was shocked to hear about my father being a near zombie, add on the attempt on my life, the news of Corrine’s pregnancy and all the other chatter that passed tonight has my head throbbing but I welcome that to the darkness that waits for me. I feel the bed dip, and I look up at Stone. “Talk to me Rayne.” He murmurs and I want to tell him to go to sleep and leave me to my anxiety, but the bond makes me lean closer; angry as I was, he was my mate and my safe space.

“I don’t want to go back to the darkness.” I whisper and Stone frowns.

“Darkness?”

I nod. “Yeah, while I was out, I felt like I was in a void, I couldn’t see or hear anything, and no one would answer me when I called out.” I chew my lip and swallow down a lump in my throat. “What if I close my eyes and I can’t leave that darkness again.” Tears spill out onto my cheeks as he gathered me into his arms.

“I won’t let that happen dew drop, neither will Chloe or your mother and Corrine would kill all of us if we even thought about allowing that.” I chuckle cause hell yes, she would. I feel a pang of sorrow followed by anger.

“Breathe Stone.” I mumble and he sighs.

“I know it’s just…” He lets his guilt hang in the air.

“Yeah.” We sit in silence, his arms around me as I fight to stay awake and I am slowly losing that battle when he kisses my temple.

“Sleep Rayne, I promise the darkness will not take you while I’m here.”

My eyes close and the darkness hits and so does the panic and I am about to shoot straight up in bed when a calm feeling washes over me and the darkness shifts to Stone and I in the clearing, watching the stars.

“Am I dead?” I look around and he chuckles.

“I wouldn’t be this calm dew drop.”

I glance around. “How?”

He shrugs. “I was sitting with you in the hospital; you started to panic I tried top calm you and next thing I know we are here. I want to say a dream but if we are both here then maybe this bond, we have has an extra bonus the scholars never wrote about.”

I sit next to him and inhale deeply. “Feels real, I can even smell the dew on the grass.”

He nods. “Yeah, great smell.” I give him a side eye and he smiles. We watch the stars for a few more minutes before Stone inhales deeply, his mouth opens then closes then opens and the pattern continues for what feels like forever and I am about to tell him to spit it out when “SO where do we go from here Rayne?”

I watch the stars twinkle. “I don’t know.” I answer honestly because I really didn’t.

“Can you ever forgive me?” He asks

I shrug. “Honestly I’m past that Stone,” his head turns toward me. “It isn’t about me being mad or you needing forgiveness it’s trusting that I can count on you.” He watches me carefully but says nothing. “I keep thinking that if we do stay mates can I trust that you won’t bolt again if something happens that doesn’t sit well with you? Will you always believe that I could choose another over you? What if we have pups, then what? Can I count on you to be there for them.” I sigh and turn to him. “You don’t need my forgiveness, Stone; you need my trust and I’m not sure I can offer that right now.”

HE nods and turns back to the stars. “So, let’s start over.”

“What?” I blink knowing I misunderstood.

“Let’s start over, I’ll prove to you that I am not going anywhere no matter what comes along and if you feel I am the mate you want then we will have our marking ceremony.”

“And if decide you aren’t the mate I want?” I asked, knowing damn well I was saying this to see his reaction and nothing more.

“Then I will set you free Rayne; I will accept your decision but only if I hear it from your lips dew drop.” He replies and somehow that makes me feel better, knowing he would only let me go if I asked not because he thought I wanted our bond to break.

I inhale and think back to the last few weeks of my life that I could remember and flashes of our relationship flash in my mind; the way he protected me when Jayden had thrown a fit at the party, the way he had kept qn eye on me while I had been on hiatus from the pack, the way he came charging in to save me when Jayden had laid a hand on my in my father’s office, our first Christmas together and countless other memories and I stare at his profile in the moonlight; this was my mate, he wasn’t perfect and we had to work on a vast amount of things together but I didn’t want to start over. He turns to look at me. “What?

“I don’t want to start over Stone,” He tenses and I am about to explain when a loud commotion pulls me from the clearing and both Stone and I jolt awake eyeing one another as voices are heard from the hallway and Stone gets up, coming around to put himself between my bed and the door.

“This room?” I hear and tense as the door swings open and Stone is instantly on the defense as a handful of wolves dressed with armor and swords enters the room, stopping in a straight line and I peek out from behind Stone as another wolf strolls in; he was tall, brown hair, sharp angles to his cheeks, amber eyes find mine and he smiles.

“Rayne, I presume.” Even his voice is pleasant to the ear.

Stone puffs up. “Listen buddy you need to leave, its is after hours and no one should be in here.”

The stranger eyes Stone, his voice barely rises an octave. “Move aside pup.” And to my utter shock Stone takes a step away from me, his own confusion evident on his face and through our bod. The stranger looks at me once again and now I am angry.

“And who are you to be disturbing me in the middle of the damn night?” I ask

He smiles, a nice, charming smile. “I dear Rayne, am your future.”