The Alpha Queen's Mate (Book 5 of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 33

A hand took Nick's, tingles accompanying it. Noelle. The minutes passed by much slower that he would have liked, while his body healed but finally he could breath normally again and everything stopped hurting. 

He opened his eyes to see her sitting next to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, surprising him. It wasn't the first time he'd taken such a hard hit from her, but she'd never reacted this way.

Nick sat up and reached over to wipe the tears away. Everyone else had left the gym, leaving him alone with her. "I'm fine," he said softly.

"I'm so sorry," she said, not looking at him, the tears still pouring down her cheeks. She was full on sobbing now. He'd never seen her break down like that, and it broke his heart.

"Noelle," he said softly. "I'm fine." He moved over next to her and lightly touched her back. She immediately leaned into him, making him smile.

"Ragnar thinks I punctured your lung," she said. She was starting to get herself under control, and he used their bond to help calm her. It was interesting the way that worked.

"He's probably right. You punch like a freight train. Are you okay?" He rubbed her back a little. It felt so good to hold her, even if it was in the middle of the gym floor and she was a wreck. He'd take what he could get.

"I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you" Noelle met his gaze and he could plainly see the hurt on her face. She was really upset that she'd hurt him.

"I'm aware but at the same time you have taken hit after hit after hit," he reminded her. Immortal or not, she had to be hurting.

"I'm sore, but I'll be fine. I'm more hurt that I hit you that hard. I'm so sorry, Nick," she said, not looking at him. She took a shuddering breath.

He wanted to kiss her so badly. To hold her close and reassure her. "Why did everybody leave?"

"I think Ragnar figured it out which isn't surprising. He didn't ask though and I didn't confirm anything but he's too observant and the way I reacted was probably a dead giveaway. He cleared the room after that and left me alone with you." She was calming down now, the longer she talked to him. He wasn't at all surprised about Ragnar either. The man had been around too long to not pick up on it. And having Noelle freak out about a hit he'd taken many times before from her had been a dead giveaway.

"Are you okay with that?" Nick asked her.

"I don't really have a choice but no I don't care. Charlotte knows too," she admitted, looking up at him.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Did you tell her?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be moving into my own apartment this week. My mom and dad need the room for the twins and they were talking about building a house but I convinced them to stay at the pack house for now so they'd have help from my grandparents with the new babies. I was planning to move out anyways once I finished school," she confessed. She was fully leaning into him now, and he was loving every second of it. "So I went and asked Charlotte if I could just stay with her temporarily. Of course she wanted to know why. She thinks you're a much better mate for me then Alex."

Nick cracked a smile. "I should hope so." Charlotte and his mother had been very close. They had both started their lives as humans. They'd both gone through tragedy and had come out the other side mated to two of the most powerful werewolves in the world. His mother was gone and he missed her. Charlotte was like a second mother to him. She been a constant figure in his life. He wondered how surprised she was to find out he was mated to her granddaughter.

He already knew Ragnar wouldn't tell anyone. But he also knew that Ragnar would give him his opinion on the entire situation and advice, wanted or not. But given Ragnar's own situation when he'd met his mate, maybe Nick should ask him for advice. At least Noelle knew he was hers.

"I guess we should leave. It's almost lunch," Noelle murmured. "I need a shower."

Her comment brought about more things he didn't need to be thinking about until later, when he was alone. Maybe while he was in the shower himself. Nick reached up a hand and gently touched her cheek. "Are you okay after meeting with him?"

Noelle gazed up at him, her lips parted. "Yes. I think because I'm mated to you now, there is no bond between him and I anymore. Which is a relief. I don't feel the pain like I did yesterday. I've been more angry today than anything else."

He nodded, his gaze on her lips, while he half listened to her. How would it be to kiss her with the tingles? He really wanted to find out, but not yet. He couldn't peel his eyes off of her lips though, especially when her tongue darted out, tempting him beyond belief. He was growing way too aroused for his liking

"For goodness sakes Nick. Just kiss me already," Noelle muttered, pulling him down to her.

This kiss was explosive, the tingles erupting from her lips, and he'd never experienced anything like it before. Even when he'd kissed her the other morning, it hadn't been like this. He wanted her right then and there, to bury himself in her, to mark her as his, right there on the gym floor.

Her lips weren't even open and the kiss was messing with him, arousing him. His head was spinning, and he thought about pulling her into his lap.

A throat clearing caused them both to break apart, and Nick looked up to see Daniel standing there, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at them. He dropped his hand from her and she leaned away from him and stood.

Nick sighed inwardly. He hadn't even heard the door open, he'd been so wrapped up in that kiss. What was Daniel even doing down here anyway? Talk about instantly killing any desire he was feeling for her.

"I came down here to check on you and make sure you're okay," Daniel frowned at Noelle.

Nick was sure he hadn't expected to find them making out. He felt like a guilty teenager and it annoyed him. But he also knew how it looked. If it was his daughter, who'd just been rejected and he'd found her making out with a guy, he'd be pissed too.

She walked past Daniel. "I'm okay. I'm going to go shower." She walked out of the gym, leaving Nick behind to clean up the mess.

Daniel's gaze flicked back to Nick and he saw the King clench his jaw. Nick sighed softly and stood. He knew Daniel had spent most of the day pretty pissed off. At least his aura wasn't out.

"Is there a reason you're making out with my daughter?" Daniel asked him, his icy glare on him.

Now he was even more annoyed with her for leaving him to deal with her father alone.

"She's in a vulnerable place right now. Have you been having a relationship with her?" Daniel asked him. He could tell the man was growing angrier by the second.

"No. I.." he wasn't getting around this. At least Daniel didn't have a violent temper, or he might be on the floor having his ribs broken again. "Noelle is my fated mate."

Daniel's eyes almost popped out of his head in shock. "Since when?"

"Last night," Nick said. He could see her father calming down almost visibly.

Daniel frowned. "Good. I'd much rather you be her mate than an Alpha. Just don't.." he stopped himself. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. It's your relationship. Just don't hurt her. And don't make out with her in front of me."

Nick smiled. "Didn't know you were present. Are you really okay with this?"

"Yeah. I am. I know you will take good care of her or I will kick you out of the pack and kill you." Daniel glared at him. "But you understand the demands on her probably better than most anyone out there and if I was choosing her mate, I would have considered you. How do you feel about this? You've know her since.." Daniel lifted his brows at him. He was much calmer, and actually seemed happy, which put Nick at ease.

"Shocked. And I'm not going to say anything else about it because you're her father and that just makes it awkward," The conversation was awkward enough without telling her father that yes, he'd been attracted to her before he'd found out she was his. And he'd slept with her and touched her in ways that would annoy her father before they'd been mated.

"I'll respect that," Daniel said with a laugh. "Well now I know why you were so pissed off when we were waiting on her while she spoke to Alex. Welcome to the family, Nick."