Alpha's Mate : Daughter of the Moon (Book 2 of The Outcaste Series)

Chapter 29

I made an effort to ease off on Niko's injuries by carrying some of my own weight but he only tightened his arms to secure me in place when I tried to pull myself closer to him.

"I'm not uncomfortable," he said after I gave up and leaned back on him.

His wound was almost sealed up albeit the scarring tissue that stained his porcelain skin. His god-sculpted figure was also becoming visible again, but I wasn't going to let that fool me. I knew the anatomy of their kind all too well.

Nikolaj may have descended from a superior bloodline which resulted in greater recovery rates, but injuries were still injuries. They have healed on the surface but the internal organs are far from top shape. It worried me that earlier his wounds weren't even responding.

"Wolf bites have a different effect on vampires, right?" I tugged on his neck a little when he didn't respond. He glanced at me for a brief second before facing ahead.

"You're a lot more talkative than before."

"You're avoiding the question again."

"My answering won't alleviate the current situation."

I snickered. "Don't trust me enough to answer?" After all, who'd reveal their own weaknesses. With his status and vampire pride, he wouldn't admit to such things anyway.

"They do." Niko dropped his eyes on me and I gaped back. "Wolf bites have a paralysis effect on us. If we don't replenish our blood, we can die. But no need to worry, the time threshold for nobles are higher with our ranks. Still, we do well to dodge their attacks as much as possible."

If he knew that and still threw himself in harm's way to shield me...

"It's your fault for saving me. But ultimately it's my fault so you should take some of my blood-"

"You can die of exsanguination," he shot down in a heartbeat.

"But you-"

"There's a difference between drinking for pleasure and actually needing to drink. When we drink, we don't stop until our thirst is quenched." His tone was grave with emphasis on the last word. I understood the situation so didn't bother to argue as there was no denying I was helpless to him. "That's why I don't tell you things," he said immediately after I lowered my head. "You worry too much."

"Because I have a cause of worry."

"If only you have a little more faith in me..." Nikolaj said more to himself than to me who was directly in his arms.

"You brought home Valerie without saying a word to me," I reminded him.

A husband who'd marry someone else when he's only a few months from being a father to a child of another woman has no right to demand trust.

Niko's arms around me tightened. "If you give me the chance, I'd wish to clarify things with you one day..."

A gorgeous smile produced on Niko's face before he whispered something I didn't catch and hurled me like a ball in the direction of the Border. I turned to look at him, but he was already backtracking to where we came from.

The wolves have caught up and he's stalling time to keep me safe. Again.

With all my might, I ran to the Border. My eyes fogged up plenty of times and I was fighting my hardest not to turn my head or let my legs slow. It felt as if I did, I'd just plummet to the floor because I was just so tired.

Tired of running. Tired of fighting. Tired of living you could say.

Strange thoughts tended to gather in my head whenever I see Niko. My heart becomes soft and where there were no doubts, it becomes filled with a bunch of what ifs. That power he had over me still lingers somewhere.