"Hon? Ethan, baby? Can you hear me?" A soft hand caressed his forehead.
The drowsy wolf groaned, not wanting to tear himself away from the dark abyss. The soft humming tune in the darkness drew him deeper into sleep, whispering sweet nothings and promising him blessed relief. Still with his eyes closed, he snuggled deeper into the cozy sheets to chase that angelic voice.
"I know, hon," his mom coaxed, shaking him by the shoulders. "Letting yourself drown in the darkness feels good, and that song is tempting. But you mustn't follow it. It'll only lead to your death. Remember, Jan is waiting for you."
Jan!
Ethan's eyes popped open!
Flashes of memories raced through his head. A moonlit night on a luscious lawn. A whitewashed tower with red clay roof. Wolves and vampires fighting. An army of women in white. A powerful green blast. His mate gone.
His hands clenched into fists, ripping through the plaid sheets.
"Easy, baby. He's resting downstairs. Here." She placed a folded white shirt closer to his face. A familiar lingering mix of pinewood and damp earth wafted up from it. Ethan's nose flared. "Yes, it's your mate's scent. Take a deep breath. It'll help calm your wolf."
He grabbed the cloth with trembling hands and crushed it against his face.
"I want to see him." The shirt muffled his voice, but he was much more lucid than before.
"Okay, but we'll go slow because you've been in bed for three days." His mom slipped a hand under him and helped him up. "And I want you to promise me. No wolfing out. You're unstable, and your wolf is scared for your mate. Your instincts to protect Jan will run wild, but if you lose control, you might hurt a lot of people. Are you listening, hon?
"Mm-hmm," he mumbled, still sniffing his mate's clothing.
She placed a soft kiss on his temple. "Oh, my poor boy. You've been through so much. I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry too, Mom." His voice softened with the relief of seeing her healthy on her feet and not covered in bandages. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her close. Her warmth and steady heartbeat were a soothing balm to his wolf.
They stayed hugging each other for a while.
"It was never your fault, hon. Now," she sniffed, dropping another kiss on his head. "Alice has gone to get a change of clothes, but she'll be back soon. In the meantime, let's see how you feel on your feet."
Gently, his mom helped him out of bed and draped a velvety blue robe over his striped pajamas.
It was not as bad as Ethan expected. His body was no longer stiff, and it obeyed him for the most part. He only wobbled a little, but his mom was there to lend a helping hand. Slowly, he toddled down to the kitchen, leaning heavily on her as they descended the stairs.
Walking through his childhood home, Ethan had a weird sense of deja vu.
The multilevel cabin house was achingly familiar: the dark smudge on the railing that Ethan's boot had made ages ago, the dent in the wall from Cody's baseball bat, and the third step down the basement that creaked when he put his weight on it. This place was as intimate to him as his skin. But the haunting silence in the hallways and lack of warm, friendly faces in the living area made it strange and cold, almost hostile.
It did not feel like the home Ethan remembered.
As if to highlight the change, someone had hastily reorganized the basement to accommodate the roughly hewn box in the middle.
YOU ARE READING
Blooded Mate
Fantasy[[MATURE CONTENT]] Pack, family, mate. Loyalty, respect, honor. These are the words that form the foundation of the wolf society. At six years old, Ethan had to choose between his Alpha title and his survival on the night of his father's death. As a...
