Chapter 47

I couldn’t look past the desperation in Lorenzo’s eyes.

It was heartbreaking and caused my muscles to clench and tremble. At that very same moment, he reminded me of a younger version of who he used to be. When the two of us were merely teenagers with our whole lives ahead of us. Young. Innocent. Untouched by the dangers that were constantly surrounding us.

He looked run down, exhausted, and slightly scared. The man managed to successfully take down a pack of rogue wolves, single-handedly. Yet the mere thought of me wanting to head back to my own rooms and away from him was treated like a crime.

“Lorenzo...”

Every nerve and impulse inside of me was screaming for me to rush back to his side and stay there. What happened during the hunt, frightened me beyond belief. However...there was a dark, gloomy shadow of hesitation that clung to the back of my mind, forcing me to hold myself back.

Because I knew that part of me still lived in the past. The time when I had no one to fall back on but myself. The pain of Lorenzo’s rejection all those years ago left an internal mark on me that I feared would never fade.

I could feel my wolf scratching within me to give in. She whined and mewled at the chance for me to hear her.

‘But he’s not the same person as he was then!’ she told me. ‘Think about it. Hasn’t he proven himself to be a respectable and caring alpha? You saw how well he protected us. How could you turn him away now?’

She had a point.

I forced my worry aside and took a small step toward him. “Okay,” I whispered. “I will stay with you.”

I visibly watched the tension leave Lorenzo’s body. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was pleased with my decision and happily snagged my hand back. The two of us headed toward his rooms, he’d personally requested that a bath be prepared while we got ourselves situated for the night.

A few of the maids made it a point to place some of my personal belongings in Lorenzo’s room. My pajamas, slippers, bathrobe, and toothbrush were all placed on one of the side tables inside.

“Here,” he said as he led me to the bathroom. A large marbled bathtub filled with steaming floral-scented water and bubbles was waiting patiently. “How about you let your body soak in here for a little while? There’s a few calls I need to make.”

I wanted to inquire about the calls he suddenly needed to make, but I wasn’t about to refuse a nice bath.

“Alright.”

He’d pressed a chaste kiss to the side of my head before turning to leave. Once the door clicked behind him, I did away with my clothes and slowly lowered myself into the tub. I allowed myself to lean back on the ledge and let the water ease the ache in my muscles.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been soaking. At some point, my eyes drifted close and I’d fallen asleep. Unfortunately, my dreams were not as restful as the rest of me was feeling...

My subconscious pulled me into the darkest recesses of my mind and brought the past twenty-four hours back.

I felt like I was being chased. Hunted like prey.

The awful sounds of rabid animals howled and snarled in the distance...They were getting closer and closer.

My heart was beating frantically in my chest as I struggled to keep them away. I was stumbling and tripping over various rocks and branches but it was no use.

I caught a glimpse of their blood-red eyes and their horrible, elongated fangs. These wolves snapped their jaws at me and I screamed.

“Ahh!!”

“Eleanor! Eleanor, wake up!” Lorenzo called out.

The water from the tub splashed everywhere as his hands pulled my body out of the bath. He grabbed a nearby towel and hastily wrapped it around me.

“It’s alright,” he soothed. “It was only a dream.”

I clenched my eyes closed and fought back the bitter tears in my eyes. No, it wasn’t, I wanted to say. These weren’t dreams, they were memories.

Lorenzo left me to get changed and that’s when my stomach truly began to clench. I finished up in the bathroom and slowly made my way into the bedroom where I spotted Lorenzo already lounging back against the headboard.

He must have sensed my lingering uneasiness as I awkwardly stared at the large bed in front of me. Could he blame me? The last time he and I shared a bed like this, I'd been drugged and things had gotten way out of hand.

“Hey,” he spoke softly. “Nothing’s going to happen. I didn’t ask that you stay with me because expect anything physical...I just don’t think I can bear spending the night by myself.”

I nodded my head and slid into the large bed without another passing thought. There was a decent amount of space between us. Lorenzo turned out the lights and we’d slipped into a blissful sleep.

Until the nightmares decided to come back.

I’d woken up for the second time that night, screaming and in a complete cold sweat. I felt the strong pull of Lorenzo’s arms circle around me, easing me out of my unconscious state.

“It’s alright, Eleanor,” he whispered. “It’s not real. The nightmares can’t touch you. Just breathe. That’s it...In and out.”

I slowly but surely stabilized my breathing and my heart rate gradually lowered. When he tried to pull back, probably trying to move back to his side of the bed, a strong, overpowering panic rushed through me.

“N-No! Don’t,” I hissed. “Please, don’t leave me.”

“I won’t,” he promised.

The room was pitch-black and I had no idea how close Lorenzo actually was. Right as I turned my head I felt my lips brush against something warm, soft, and lethally inviting.