“Why are you apologizing? It was all my own fault. You didn’t have anything to do with any of it.” He says kissing me on the head. “You’re so kind and thoughtful. I wish I’d been willing to meet you 4 years ago. I could have saved us both so much pain.” He says.
“What about your girlfriend?” I ask, afraid of his answer.
“Gone.” He says and I feel relief wash over me. “After I saw you outside from the window, I stepped out and called her. I told her we were done, that I’d met my mate.” and he pulls me just the slightest bit closer to him. We sit like this for a few minutes before I decide to break the silence.
“Seth.” I begin, and I’m nervous to even say any of this. “I’m worried I won’t be good enough. For the Kingdom as a queen, but also for you.”
“You are good enough, though.” he says earnestly. “You’re too good for me.” he says, not releasing his hold.
“I’m not. I’ve never been with a man. You’re the first person I’ve ever even kissed” I say quietly, feeling embarrassed. That’s the problem though, isn’t it? What all my feelings come down to- the feeling that I won’t be good enough in any way for him. And that feeling increased when he admitted that he’d been with other she-wolves, trying to find someone better. He’d wanted to mark at least one of them. That’s why his wolf was mad. They must have been good enough in his eyes.
“You’re perfect, Molly. ” He tells me and pulls impossibly closer to him and places a kiss on my head. “You won’t be my first, but I can promise that you will be my last.”
Sofia eventually comes back to the exam room and finishes stitching up my finger. Completely disregarding me she looks at Seth. “Don’t let her get it wet. Or bend it too much tonight. It will remain numb for a while but once it wears off she’ll need one of these every 4 hours.” she tells him, handing him an orange bottle of medicine that he accepts from her. “I’m concerned about the amount of blood she seems to have lost” she adds, while looking at my chef’s coat with a pretty good amount of blood now staining it. “Lots of red meat and leafy greens for dinner tonight and give her these after she eats. No alcohol tonight.” she adds the last part directly to me, sternly.
“Thanks Doc.” Seth tells her as he takes the vitamins from her. “What time should I have her back tomorrow?” He asks.
“Let’s say 1ish. Ice it tonight, but none in the morning.” She says and turns to me. “I mean it. Do not try to cook. Do not wash your hands. I had to use something different this time because it’s so deep. Please just do what you’re told this time.” She says to me, almost pleading.
“You told Seth everything. I doubt I could do anything to mess it up if I wanted to.” I say, a little irritated that they’re both treating me like a child.
“I’ll take care of her and have her back at 1 tomorrow. Thank you.” He says to her and he goes to help me stand. I realize I’m a little light headed, but I’m too afraid of the reaction of either of them to say anything. I hold on to Seth’s hand and he doesn’t seem to notice my unease as he leads me out.
As we go to leave, I trip a little going down the stairs. “What’s wrong?” Seth asks me quickly.
“I’m OK, just a little light-headed from the blood loss. I’ll be OK after I eat and take the vitamins”, I tell him. He looks down at me then abruptly leans down to lift me again. “Honestly Seth, I’m fine. This is highly unnecessary.” I exclaim at being carried again.
“Maybe I just want to hold you” he says as he starts walking back to the packhouse and doesn’t even bother to glance at me. Realizing that it’s a lost cause, I lean my head on his chest. We reach the packhouse and an Omega opens the door for us to enter. We’re almost to the stairs when we hear someone calling “Seth, why are you ignoring my links?” and I realize it’s the King. Seth turns, still holding me in his arms, and when King Phillip sees me I can see his irritation quickly leave. My dad turns the corner and as soon as he sees me he comes running to us quickly.
“What happened?” he says, his voice dripping with concern.
“I’m OK Dad, I just cut my finger.” I try to reassure him.
“That’s a lot of blood for a small cut on your finger,” he says suspiciously.
“I didn’t say it was small.” I return with a shrug. “Seth took me to Sofia, I’m all stitched up.”
“I’ve got her medicine and vitamins for her to take after dinner. Who do I speak with to make sure she has plenty of red meat and leafy greens for dinner?” He asks my dad.
“I’ll take care of that,” dad says. “Your dad needs you for urgent business. Why don’t you take Molly to her room and meet us in Robert’s office? I’ll have Celeste come down and stay with her.” My dad tells him. Seth nods and continues to the stairs, still holding me close to him.
“How long have you been ignoring your dad?” I ask him curiously.
“It doesn’t matter,” he tells me. “Whatever it is, I was dealing with something more important”, he finishes and looks down at me with a slight smile that makes my heart flutter.
We reach my room and he finally places me on the ground to stand, but he keeps a hand on my arm and when I go to walk he places one on my lower back. We go inside and I head to my kitchen sink, pulling out a big silver bowl and a bottle of peroxide. I place the bowl in my sink and begin to fill it with water, dumping the peroxide in as well. Seth just watches me and doesn’t say a word. This is how I’ve always gotten stains out of my jackets. I go to unbutton my top but realize I’m more hindered than I thought I would be by the way Sofia wrapped my finger. Seth silently walks over, pulls my hands away and undoes the buttons for me so that I can slip out of the jacket and put it in the bowl to soak.
Seth grabs me and lifts me to sit on the counter. My confusion must have been evident as he kneels before me. “You won’t be able to untie your shoes.” he says, reaching for my foot and removing them for me before he stands back up in front of me, between my legs and cups my face gently with his hands. “I was so scared. I could feel you were hurt but I couldn’t find you.” he whispers to me.
“I’m sorry.” I tell him. “I’m sorry you can’t link me.”
“I don’t need to be able to link you, it’s OK. I just need to know where you are. We’ll figure out what works for us, OK?” he asks and I nod before he brings his lips down and meets mine. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. I don’t ever want to feel that again.” he says and releases me, walking away and down the hall. I’m not sure where he’s gone to but then I hear the water in my bathroom turn on. I’m about to climb off the counter when Seth comes back, sees me and rushes over to grab hold of me. “Just wait for me. Why get hurt when I’m right here to help you?” He asks.
“I don’t like having things done for me. I’m already so useless.” I whisper to him.
He helps me walk back and once we reach the bathroom he moves to help me lift my shirt, but I’m nervous and step back shyly. “Please, let me help you. You’re covered in blood and you can’t get your finger wet.” he says to me. I know he’s right, but I’m so nervous. He can tell, so he takes his jacket off and walks out to place it on my bed, and then his tie. He sits to remove his shoes and socks and when he goes to unbutton his shirt I become even more nervous and look at the ground. I hear him place his shirt and pants on my bed and he walks back over to me. He gently places his hands on my shoulders. “I’ll never do anything you’re not ready for. But you CAN’T get your finger wet. Would you rather have your mom help you?” he asks and I shake my head.
“I just… I haven’t done this…” I stop, not wanting to admit this.
“I know. And it’s OK.” he tells me gently as he moves his hands down to the hem of my shirt and lifts it, but this time I don’t resist and he lifts it up and over my head. He holds it out to me, a silent question of what to do with it. “Trash. There’s no saving that.” I tell him and he tosses it in the waste basket. He places his hands on my bare hips and slowly moves them down, moving them forward to the front of my jeans. He places his hands to unbutt on them but stops.
“Is this OK?” he asks me and I nod, granting him permission. He starts to move them down my hips and kneels down again to continue removing them, his fingers brushing against my skin the whole way, leaving a trail of what feels like fire on my skin, until he helps me step out of them. He stands up and just looks down at me before putting a hand on my hip and helping me turn around towards the mirror, wrapping his strong arms around me. “You are so incredibly beautiful, mate” he tells me in the mirror and places a kiss on my neck where his mark will eventually go.
I look at him, finally, in the mirror standing behind me. He really is handsome. I knew he was muscular, but he’s far more than I expected him to be. He’s tall, too, towering over me. Yesterday, it was intimidating when he was standing over me, but now, it feels comforting, like he was made to protect me. We stand there a moment together before he moves his hands to my back and unhooks my bra, helping to slide it down my arms while kissing the tops of my shoulders gently, eventually tossing it to the floor and putting his hands on my hips where they linger before he places his fingers in the band of my underwear, slowly sliding them down and making every effort to graze his hands along my bare skin to remove them, sending warmth through my entire body.
He wraps his arms back around me and kisses my neck again, his face lingering as he murmurs “so damn perfect” against my skin. His eyes glaze over and he sighs deeply. “They have no patience.” he tells me as he releases me and reaches to remove his boxer briefs and takes my hand in his, leading me to the shower. He smirks at me as he realizes that I’m trying not to look at him as he reaches up and takes my hair down, then leads me into the shower. Seth grabs my left hand and places it on his shoulder, safe out of the water. “Keep it there,” he says to me sternly and he takes my head and gently leans it back to wet my hair.
I thought I would feel more awkward, but everything about being in this moment with Seth, a moment that is so intimate, feels completely right. He washes my hair for me, water running over me, washing my blood away. I still feel a little unsteady, but feeling Seth’s hands on me, with my hand awkwardly on his shoulder, is so comforting. My head being back is knocking me off balance a little though, and I reach my arm out to his chest to steady me. I feel him tense and his hands stop moving on my scalp for a second.
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