Chloe stood staring at the bedroom door, it was minutes later and still Grayson had not returned. She decided to head out into the hall, because really, what else worse could happen? Beth had already seen her in bed with him, so really, seeing in her underwear would be easy as pie.
She opened the door and her feet hit to the warm timber floors. She swallowed, seconding guessing herself and thinking maybe underwear would be awkward.
Glancing to her left first, then to her right, and it dawned on her, she couldn't remember which way led to where.
She heard a tap turn on and off behind a door across his room and moved towards it, “Grayson?” She waited a moment as the door opened and the footsteps departed as it inched away from the frame.
She scooted inside and stared at Grayson as he leaned over the sink, shaving.
“You left me to shave!”
He smiled, “You said I wasn't allowed to grow a beard.”
“But...” she snorted, “Did you get me pants or are you a one-track mind sort of guy?”
“A one-track mind sort of guy?” he echoed.
Chloe looked on the counter and saw a pair of folded pants, “Are those for me?”
He nodded, “Yeah.”
She grabbed them, “Grayson, you're as thick as a tree.”
“I was trying to look pretty for you,” he tried to reason with her.
She wanted to laugh at him, “Do you have a toothbrush I can use? There are too many days of grit on my teeth right now and I sort of want to vomit, because of it.”
He nodded and opened a drawer beside him, “But it's mine.”
Chloe snapped the sweatpants over her waist and pulled the drawstring in; they were a bit big, but would do.
She snatched the toothbrush from his hand, “Yeah, I really don't care, do you?”
He shook his head and turned back to his shaving dilemma.
Chloe found some minty paste and spread it all over the bristles of the blue and green toothbrush, which looked more like a little boy's prize from the dentist office. She glanced to him, noting that it suited him.
Turning to the mirror, she doused her mouth with foaming wonderfulness. Clean teeth were a novelty all of a sudden.
She looked at the mirror, her reflection providing her a whole new set of a thoughts. Her skin had lost most of its blotchy spots and her eyes were fresh, not a sign of human exhaustion present.
Confused, she looked up to him, again. Upon further inspection, he too looked well rested and perfected too.
She wrinkled her nose as she brushed her teeth, “We hardly slept.”
He turned his head slowly to her, “What?”
“We hardly slept,” she repeated. “And I look really good for the amount of sleep we got; which was like none.”
“Do you really need me to explain it, Little?”
She looked back to her reflection with a grunt, “No.”
Shifting in his shirt, she felt the dirt on her, like a layer of nasty on her skin.
A shower was also a novelty, that she didn't want to suggest be remedied at that moment, mostly because she knew her mate would want to be a part of it and his family home too.
She shook the thought of her and Grayson in the shower together and washed her mouth with water, dropping the brush back in the drawer.
She looked up at him. He was only about half way through taking off his beard. She waited, but was at odds of what she should be doing, “So.”
“So?” he smiled.
She noted how generally smug and happy he was, even for the circumstances they were in. In fact, he looked almost impressed with their situation.
“Are you just a big flirt?”
He laughed, “Am I flirting?”
Chloe smirked, “Yeah.”
“Hmm.” he continued to shave. “I should remember better, my mate is uptight.”
“I am not!” she whacked his shoulder and decided she needed to get out of the bathroom before the tension between them escalated. Just touching him was like torture on her sensitive wolf-girl syndrome.
She moved towards the door and grabbed the knob.
“Where are you going?” his boyish pout back in his voice.
“I'm going downstairs,” but that thought made her cringe.
“Proceed with caution.” He joked.
“What do you mean...” she snapped around to him, fear present, “Is Darcy here?”
He looked to her and stopped, “No. You'd smell him, trust me. He reeks.”
“I'm going downstairs.” That was it, she'd made up her mind, suicide by herself.
“I'll be there in a few minutes.”
She headed out of the bathroom and then realized she had to go right or left. She smelled the air and followed the scent of bacon and pancakes on the gas oven. Her mouth watered. Yesterday, she had not gotten enough food to satisfy. Today, she would make up for it.
She came to the familiar timber stairs and jogged them, skipping off the last two, and landing gracefully on her feet.
A small giggle erupted from the near living room as Sherry rushed the corner, dressed in a jacket and snow boots.
“Hey, Sherry.” Chloe greeted.
Sherry smiled at her, a twinkle in her eye, “Where's my brother!”
Chloe stepped back as Sherry pounced on her, wringing her arms around Chloe's waist.
“I'm so happy!” the little girl cooed and let her go.
Chloe swallowed, “Gray's upstairs.”
Sherry pulled back as Ashton appeared from the kitchen, also dressed for school, “Oh, hey, Chloe.”
“I'm gonna go see Gray!” Sherry let her go and rushed up the stairs.
“Sherry! We're going to miss the bus!” Ashton called as the little girl disappeared up the stairs.
Chloe was flustered, there was a lot of family to deal with and they all knew what was going on between Grayson and her.
Ashton looked to her and smiled, “What's the menu today? Kicking my oldest brother's ass?”
His words scared her, mostly because they should have been true, “Umm, not sure just yet.”
Ashton continued his smiling, “Do you like being a wolf?”
Chloe shrugged, “Do you?”
His smiled faded and he blinked, trying to think of something to say, “I... yeah. I do.”
Chloe nodded, “Cool.” She wanted out of the conversation; leaving Grayson's side had not been the best idea. Making out with him, would have been much more satisfying!
Ashton picked up his backpack, “My mom's in the kitchen,” his words like a summoning.
Chloe looked to the kitchen and then back to him, “Uh, thanks.”
“Sure,” he walked around the banister, “Sherry! Now!”
Chloe blanched from his big voice. For a fifteen year old, he sure had an in your face voice.
“Do you want to be alpha, too?”
Ashton stopped and stared at her, “Are you kidding me?”
Chloe swallowed.
“I don't think so,” Ashton smirked. “That's between Darcy and Gray.” He walked to the front door as Sherry rushed down stairs.
“Ash, I saw Gray!”
Ashton smiled, “Let's go, twerp.”
Sherry squealed at him for calling her the name as they headed out into the snow together.
Alone again, the smell of breakfast overtook her senses, with the faint humming of Beth to go along with it.
She walked forward, on the balls of her feet. Poking her head around the corner of the kitchen, she made sure it was only Beth present.
She stepped around the corner, “Good morning,” her voice a stunted whisper.
Beth turned, “Chloe!” she smiled, “You found him.”
Chloe tried to look happy, but it came out sort of mangled. She was happy to have found Grayson, but seeing Beth was a bit awkward. The mating, especially disturbing.
“Yeah, kind of.”
Beth looked very happy, walking in on her son naked with her wasn't on her mind, “Thank you.”
Her words hit Chloe right in the heart and she stopped dead, “Sure.”
“Where is Gray?”
“Bathroom.”
Beth nodded, “Are you hungry?”
“I usually wouldn't sound so starving, but yeah, I haven't eaten since yesterday morning.”
“New-blood wolf. You must be starving,” she started to dish up a plate for her.
Chloe waited, “Thank you.”
Beth nodded, “I'm guessing you have not seen Henry.”
Chloe sighed, “Not yet, at least not in human form.”
Beth motioned for her to sit at the breakfast bar, “He saw you as a wolf?”
Chloe shrugged, “Not like he knew it was me. I just couldn't help myself. I was looking for Gray and he was out back chopping wood. I had to go up and see him.”
“He's been like the walking dead. Searched the first twenty-four hours non-stop, but then we had a huge storm later that night... Well, it would have been impossible for any human to live through it. I think he accepted you might not be alive anymore at that moment.”
Chloe felt bad and if she'd had her choice in the matter, she would have preferred to have been a wolf in a much easier way. Now, she had to deal with coming back to life and being a Wolfgirl.
Grayson walked into the kitchen as she started to eat.
Beth rushed him, “Gray.”
He hugged his mother as she gave him no option, “I'm okay, Mom.”
Chloe chewed a piece of bacon and watched them. The woman almost in tears as she dabbed her eyes with her sleeve. It made Chloe think of Henry and then it made her miss Henry and then she really wanted to see Henry.
“I know.” Beth wiped more tears, “Your father and Darcy have been gone the past two days.”
“Darcy isn't here?” Grayson became interested in that information.
“They should be back soon.”
“Why did the leave?” he questioned.
Beth stayed quiet, still dabbing tears.
“Mom, tell me,” he snapped.
She swallowed, “Your father convinced Darcy to let you back into Tribune.”
“I don't want that!” Grayson snapped at her. “Didn't I make that fairly clear?”
“Then why are you here?” Beth, wounded by everything. She was at the end of her love stretching any further. Her heart must have been in two.
“Chloe was cold. I didn't know where else to take her.”
Beth swallowed, “Grayson, you need to think about the offer. You could come back into Tribune and ... with Chloe.”
Grayson sneered, “No.”
Chloe wasn't eating anymore, things had gotten complicated again, but she'd rather just see Darcy kicked to tiny pieces by her mate.
Beth sighed, “Gray-”
“We'll leave after we eat.”
Chloe swallowed, she didn't want to leave the comfort of a home for a four legged animal with a fur coat that she couldn't even shift into voluntarily.
The woman sighed, “Sit. I'll get you some food.” Quick to make up his plate.
Grayson sat next to Chloe, brooding about the situation.
She leaned into him, inching herself as close as she could to his ear, “I don't want to shift.”
Grayson glanced at her, “Just eat, Chloe.”
“But, I don't want to.”
“Chloe!” Grayson snapped in a hushed voice, “Just eat.”
Chloe crammed some pancake in her mouth and chewed, annoyed.
“That's very lady-like.”
She wrinkled her nose at him, “Mind your own food, Wolfboy.”
Beth placed his breakfast in front of him, “Gray, you shouldn't talk, everyone knows how you eat.”
He grunted, “I'm very polite.”
Chloe sipped her orange juice, “You're a pig.”
“A pig?” he echoed her and took a bite of his food. “My mate thinks I'm a pig, alright,” he rambled, digesting the information and eating.
Chloe rolled her eyes at him as Beth left the kitchen, the phone ringing in the distance. She moved topics with the woman out of ear shot, “So, like, does your mom know?”
He looked at her, “Know what?”
“Know we ... umm...” her stomach tightened.
He shoved his mouth full of syrup drenched pancakes and swallowed after a few lengthy chews, “I think she's got that figured out. No awkward conversation necessary. You also have a nice big red mark on your neck, right here.” He pressed his finger to it and it made her throb between her legs.
She yelped, moving away from him, “What the-”
He smiled, “Yeah, exactly.” Then his face lost its amusement, “I'm sorry for upstairs.”
He was apologizing for not wanting to kick Darcy's butt right at that moment? Well, it really didn't matter now anyway, because Darcy wasn't around.
“It's hard for me, Grayson,” she swallowed, hoping her next bunch of words wouldn't make him upset. “I've seen you fight for what's right and I know it scares you, but Darcy doesn’t deserve to have this. He's not good and you know it, don't you?”
Grayson sighed and leaned into her, kissing her cheek, “I know, but for the first time in my life I have what I've always wanted.”
“What?”
“I've always been so lonely.” He pushed her bangs from her face, “I didn't know what was wrong with me.”
She bit her bottom lip, “How do you feel now?”
He took her chin and lifted her mouth, kissing her, “Whole. And you can call me a coward or afraid, but I can't lose you or this, because I almost lost it too many times and I won't live through it again. I'm not afraid of Darcy, I'm afraid to not have you. I'd rather leave Tribune and have you forever, than be part of this.”
Chloe swallowed, his words hit her hard, “I understand.”
Grayson leaned back, “I wish it was different, Chloe. You have no idea.”
It was a heart wrenching thing to hear him so broken by all of it but she knew it could be fixed and Colten Turner would help them.
“What about Savannah?” Her voice soft, so she wouldn't upset him, he did seem a bit up and down in his new mated situation.
She swallowed, “What if Darcy killed her? What will we do then?”
He sighed, looking to her, “Chloe, that's not really any of our business. This isn't my pack, you aren’t getting it. Darcy would-”
“But, what about Colten!” She felt like she owed him, she felt like Grayson owed him too. No wait, they did owehim.
Grayson lifted an eyebrow, “He's an alpha, obviously. I'm sure he won't have any issues.”
Chloe put her hand on his forearm, “No, Grayson, Colten isn't mated.”
He raised an eyebrow, growling deep in his chest, “An unmated wolf turned my mate!” He jumped off his chair.
Chloe watched him as his mood escalated to a level she'd never seen before.
“What's that got to do with anything?”
“What the hell!” he snapped. “I'm going to kill that idiot! I'm going rip his head off his body and then feed him to the...” He walked away from her.
“Grayson, he's nice.” She slipped off her chair.
“Nice, my ass!” he spun to her. “Damn disrespectful.”
“Grayson, Colten is good.”
“That's not what I'm concerned about!” his voice deep, livid, “He had you for days. All the while you were unconscious.”
Chloe's mouth dropped in disbelief, “Grayson, don't be so stupid!”
He came at her quick, pinning her to the wall, “You're mine.”
She grabbed him by his shirt and pushed him off her. “Get a grip!” she shot at him, “And don't push me!”
He tightened his fist at his sides and growled.
“Stop!” she pointed at him. “Take a chill pill. You're being stupid! You should have bigger concerns right now than Colten changing me. You should be grateful I'm not dead!”
He blanched, “He should have brought you to me.”
“Grayson!” Chloe shot. “It is what it is. Get over it. Colten didn't do anything to me. He's seems lonely.”
Grayson's eyes widened, “There, lonely. Right there!”
“Grayson! You can tell he's in love with someone! He had no interest in me! He only cares about his sister and he couldn't let me die, because he knew I was yours.” Her eyes welled, “He saved me for you. He pities you. Why do you think he does?”
Grayson swallowed, his shoulders relaxing. He walked to her, wrapping his arms around her, “I'm sorry, Chloe.”
She nodded into his chest, “He didn't do it to spite you. I'm sure of it.”
He sighed, “Okay, okay.”
She got a few more emotional sobs in before she recognized the old motor the instant she heard it, its cranky little sputtering and chained up tires were only one vehicle.
Grayson parted from her, “What is it?”
“It's the police cruiser.” she looked up at him and swallowed, “Henry's here.”