Broken Luna

Someone To Stay

~~JEM POV~~

Things had once again been going better with Jude after her and Rain had talked. I felt like a d**k for forgetting about Rain while she’d been visiting her family. I’d found my mate and I had completely let my mind wander. Honestly… I should have let her know before she’d gotten back. She understood. But it hadn’t made me feel like less of a d**k.

And after Bran had come at me through our mind link, I realized that in not talking to Jude as well had only opened to cause my mate emotional pain. No matter how short - it still meant I had f****d up. Again. Bran seems to know more than he has told me.

It feels like that with a few people.

My heart longs to know her - all about her. But she’s still so hesitant. I’ve waited since my eighteen birthday to meet my mate. Years had passed by. Some more time shouldn’t be so difficult. But my wolves wanted to claim her, mark her as ours and she mark us as hers. But I needed to be patient. I needed to allow her time to adjust.

For her to open up. It was painful to be so close yet so far to my mate. Karma had been reasonable in the insisting that we’d had separate rooms. I knew that. Jude needed time to adjust. She’d not known about werewolves. About anything supernatural.

Still. Her scent tormented me, beckoned me closer. And each night I found myself wandering to her room. Settling to stand near her door and take in her intoxicating presence. The only time I’d entered was when I felt the stress of a nightmare haunting her. I would quietly enter, and so far every time I simply stroke her hair and she’d quiet.

Every time I would want to crawl beside her and pull her into my arms. But instead every time I would retreat from her room once she’d fallen back into a comfortable sleep. It felt like everyone else was getting closer to her. But not me. As her mate I should know how to be there, to show her she can trust me. But instead it was Bran whom she seemed to have gotten closer to.

Bran would never try to take what is mine. But with a few jealous wolves in me, well. They wouldn’t leave me the f**k alone any time we walked into a room to see her laughing at something Bran had said.

Eat him. Then we can make her laugh instead of him.

Col - I am not going to eat my brother.

He’s getting too close to our mate! Seemed like Wraith wanted in on the conversation as well. Great.

Bran doesn’t want her like that. As irritating as it was. Bran was her friend. Seemed silly I had to remind my wolves that killing our mates friend would hurt her. That we couldn’t do that. Also as big of a pain in the ass as Bran was capable of being… I did like my brother.

We could get a new one - Col grumbled. Before going quiet again. Thank the gods. I chose to not entertain an answer with that.

I was trying to get some paperwork done before I headed to my room. But that was cut short when I heard a scream. Her scream. Wraith surprised me as he pushed himself to the forefront and was taking off to my mates room. At least he hadn’t forced a shift. Entering the room looking for a threat to see it was another night terror. One worse than the others as she twisted in the sheets.

I could see the sweat on her brow as she whimpered.

And it broke my heart to see her in such a state. She looked so scared, so vulnerable. I tried to get control back from my wolf. But instead it was him this time that gently reached to brush her hair. But the whimpering continued…

“Little love,” Wraith gently soothed, “I’m here. You’re safe.”

She whimpered again. Causing Wraith to whine at the distress of our sleeping mate. If not for our mates distress I would almost be amused at the idea of Wraith making soothing noises as he gently brushed Judas’ cheek. Both my wolves tended to be more aggressive. The Alpha blood and such. Among other things.

With another whimper she’d shot up wide eyed. Chest heaving as if she’d been running a marathon. Her dark eyes instantly moved to us. She’d given a startled gasp. Guilt filling me for having been the cause. Knowing the pale blue of Wraith would be what she saw.

Then she seemed to relax realizing it was us. “I’m sorry…” she whispered looking down.

Titan frowns, he doesn’t understand why she’s apologizing. Neither do I. Col scoffs at the idea of her apologizing. “There is nothing to be sorry about, my sweet,” Wraith promised, smiling at Judas. She studied our eyes.

“You’re Jems wolf, right? One of them. He told me he has two” I hadn’t let either Wraith nor Col out around her. I didn’t want either of them getting to possessive and marking her before she’d been ready. Behave Wraith. He responded with a growl in our mind.

“I’m Wraith, yes,” he smiled, hand reaching to rest on her cheek. She’d tensed a moment, only to relax into the touch, “we heard your distress. I wish we could do more for your dreams…”

She offered a smile. Hand reaching up, resting daintily over our larger one. Her breathing was slowing. Her expression got sad, “I’m burdensome. I’m sorry you’ve been given a broken mate.”

Wraith let out a growl. I winced inwardly at her flinch, “don’t say that. Don’t think it. You’re perfect to me. To us.”

She looked down. Towards her hands that balled in her lap. Sorrow painting over her features, “if you truly knew me. You’d curse being mated to me. I’m - I’m not some pure soul.”

Wraith shook his head, “I want to know you. All of you. As does Jem and Colossus. Both are idiots,” both of us made a growl towards Wraith but he ignored us, “but we all share in that we love you. Our mate. Nothing can change that. We’ve all done things in our pasts to regret. If its between you and us in being worried we are worthy. It should be us.”

A tear slipped from her eye, we brushed it away with our thumb. “Your mate is a worthless w***e!”

Colossus snarled at that, I knew our eyes turned black with swirling gld as he forced himself out as well. f*****g great, “never speak of yourself as such!”

A sob left her, shaking her head, pulling away. Leaving an ache in my chest, “but I am! You need to know that before you accept me! Your mate is a prostitute. I couldn’t count how many people I’ve f****d. I’m a w***e. Slut. Filth!”

Another aggressive snarl, I was fighting to take back control. Worried that Col would do something stupid. Like mark her in rage. As an animal he’d see claiming her would show he didn’t give a f**k. We didn’t care what she did. Finally I managed to win. Looking at her, moving to rest both my hands on the sides of her face, thumbs brushing her tears, guiding her gaze back to me, “I don’t care what you had to do to survive in the past, Jude. I would like to tear anyone who has hurt you to shreds. Decimate anyone who would dare make you feel as you do about yourself. You are beautiful, with a huge heart. You are more valuable than you could ever know.”

She didn’t look convinced and it broke my heart, “you deserve better.”

I shook my head, “no love. You do.” More tears fell. I brushed them away, leaning to kiss her forehead, “I will spend the rest of my life showing you how loved you are. You’ve already captured my heart, and the hearts of my pack that you’ve met so far.” I didn’t want to go back to my room. I didn’t want to leave her. I wanted to pull her into my arms, bury my face in the crook of her neck and fall asleep with her warmth next to mine.

Jude broke down in sobs and I then moved to pull her against my chest as I sat beside her. I just held her as she sobbed into my chest. How much time passed I was not sure. But in time she’d quieted. I thought she must have fallen back asleep. I gently tucked her back in. Hesitating. Not wanting to leave. But sighing as I got up to leave. Feeling a small hand on my wrist. I looked down. Seeing her tired red eyes looking up at me, “please stay…”

She scooted over more to make room. I hesitate only a moment before crawling into the bed and pulling her against me. Kissing her forehead. “I love you,” she looks like she might argue. Instead sighing and curling into me.

It was the best sleep I had in a long time.

And I hoped it was for her as well.