The Alpha Prince's Mate (Book 7 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 52

"Mila?"

She looked up at Daniel, happy to have someone interrupting her wayward thoughts. "Yes?"

He walked over to her, his face full of concern. "You really need to sleep," he said, sitting down next to her on the couch, and looking at her intently.

"I can't," she told him. "Every time I lay down, my brain runs in overdrive. I just can't fall asleep." Not when she was so worried about Ethan.

"Have you slept at all?"

He reminded her so much of her mate right now, and it made her heart clench. "Not really. Maybe a bit here and there but not since.." She stopped, not wanting to say it out loud, and looked away from Daniel. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him. She'd already done enough of that. Not that it seemed to bother him at all. He was incredibly patient with her.

"..Ethan was here," he finished for her.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. She found herself wishing for her own mother, not for the first time. Daniel and Jenna had spoken to her about her parents already. She'd cried over that too, and found herself embraced by both of them, offering comfort. They weren't Ethan, but still, she had no one here except Riley, and she was still working. Isaac was going with her every day, keeping her safe. Rebekah was in and out, but she had responsibilities as well. Ethan's family were here for her more than anyone else, and she really appreciated that.

"Wait here for a little bit. I'll be back. I have an idea." He reached out and lightly touched her arm, then stood and left the room.

Mila stood as well and walked over to the window and stood there staring out, trying to get her emotions back under control. Where was he? Her heart ached for him. She'd only known him for a short period of time, but he had crept in, and she'd fallen in love. She didn't realize it until he was gone. How could she have even thought of rejecting him? She had no idea now.

She waited forty-five minutes for Daniel to return. She'd began to think he'd forgotten about her. Perhaps he had gotten busy, and she'd slipped his mind. But he suddenly opened the door and poked his head in. "Mila?"

She walked over to the door and looked out. She rarely ever left the room during the day. She wasn't overly familiar with the pack house and wasn't sure where she was allowed to go and where she wasn't.

Daniel was waiting for her in the hallway. "Come with me."

She followed him through the house towards the front and he stopped at a doorway and opened it.

Mila walked in and stopped, looking around. It was the guest room Ethan had been staying in when he'd been the Alpha. He'd brought her here while he'd showered their first real day together. The day he'd told her what he was and what she was to him. Her gaze darted to the bed, and she saw the comforter from Ethan's room on it, along with their pillows. She brushed away a tear. She'd give anything right now to be in that bed with him, wrapped up in his arms.

Daniel stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her. "There's something to help you sleep on the nightstand. I had someone go get the pillows and comforter for you. Sleep for a while. If anything changes, I will come wake you up. In the meantime, get some sleep. You need it, and it will help you to feel a bit better."

She nodded, looking at him. "Thank you."

He smiled. "I'll see you when you wake up, or hopefully I'm waking you up." He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Mila walked over to the nightstand and picked up the pills. He'd left a glass of ice water for her, and she popped them in her mouth and took a long drink. She didn't bother changing clothes. It was too much work, and all she wanted to do was sleep, and for a few hours, forget how badly her heart was aching for her mate.

She snuggled into the blankets. She could smell Ethan on his pillow, and it was a comfort to her. Tears ran down her cheeks as she laid there, holding the pillow close. She missed him terribly. She finally drifted off into a deep sleep, surrounded by his scent.

He was there in her dream. It was the first time she'd dreamed about him in quite some time. He was out in the desert, standing there, naked like normal. She hurried over to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against him.

"Mila. I miss you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head

"I miss you too. Where are you?" she asked.

"I don't know. Come find me," he said. "I need you."

"I need you too, Ethan," Mila told him. "I need you to come back to me."

He kissed her then, a long deep kiss, before he lowered her down to the sand. She felt him enter her, and she looked up at him, her gaze meeting his as he mated her. "I love you so much, Mila."

"I love you too, Ethan. Come home to me."

He faded away to her dismay and the dream came to an abrupt end.

Mila's eyes snapped open, and she sat up, looking around the room. She glanced at her phone, hoping to see a call or text from him, but there was nothing. She'd been asleep for a good twelve hours though, and she slipped out of the bed. She actually felt well rested, though the dream came back at her full force, and she felt her heart clench.

She needed a shower, but she also needed someone to help her at least wrap up her cast. She was half tempted to ask Daniel to turn her into a werewolf so she would no longer be stuck in the cast, but she knew he couldn't do that here. She hadn't even asked him nor would she.

It had been afternoon when she'd fallen asleep and was now the middle of the night. She walked out of the room and headed back to the office to see if anything had changed. She knew someone would be up, probably Trevor. That man didn't seem to sleep either. To her surprise, Dominic and Daniel were both up as well.

Daniel looked up when she walked in and walked over to her. "How did you sleep?"

"Good. Has anything changed?" Please say yes.

"They may have a small lead, but it may also be absolutely nothing, so don't get your hopes up too much," he said.

She nodded and sighed.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

She looked up at him. "Yeah."

"Did you dream of him?"

Her lips parted in surprise at his question, and she took a deep breath before nodding, wondering how red her face was. She hated how badly she blushed at times, and realized she'd never once saw Ethan blush. She wondered if his father ever did. "Yes."

He smiled like he knew what she'd dreamed. "Can you tell me about it?"

She knew her face was red at that point. "Um.." There was no way she was telling Ethan's father the details of the dream.

"I don't need to know all of the details, but I need to know of anything unusual. You've dreamed about him before, haven't you?" he asked.

"How do you know?" Had Ethan told him?

"Because it's very common among mates. You have a connection with him that's very strong, even before you complete the bond," he said. "Sometimes when something major happens, it'll seep over into the dream."

Like after Owen had landed her in the emergency room, and she'd dreamed of Ethan coming to her and holding her. She was quiet for a moment, thinking through the dream. "It took place in the desert."

"Is that a first?"

"Yes. Usually it's in the forest. He said he misses me, and he didn't know where he was at," Mila said.

Daniel nodded. "Anything else?"

She thought it over and shook her head. "No. He just told me to come find him."

"Okay."

"Is that helpful?"

"Maybe. We'll see."

"Um.. could you possibly do me a huge favor?" Given it was the middle of the night, she highly doubt Riley or Rebekah were awake.

"What's that?"

"Could you wrap my arm so that I could take a shower?"