Turning my face away from him, I reach for the aching spot on my neck. Before my fingers ever touch the mark he left, I realize I’m naked. Grabbing the blanket, I clutch it to my exposed chest.
“Why am I naked?” I blurt out.
“I just cleaned you up and tended your injuries,” he explains, as if that would make it any better.
“You had no right,” I say, anger and pain lacing my voice. We both know I’m talking about more than taking off my nightgown.
“I know I hurt you, and I can never take back what I did to you, but, Nora, we are mates. That changes everything.”
“Maybe for you,” I snap, clutching onto the comforter like it can protect me. “It doesn’t change the past, and it never will.”
“You won’t hate me forever,” Cole says hopefully.
“Are you sure about that?” He winces at my words.
“Nora… we’re soulmates. We’re bonded. I know you can feel it too.”
Ugh, Of course I can feel it. I feel it with everything inside of me. The pull toward him is strong; my wolf wants to be near him, even closer than we already are. The little distance between us feels wrong—we should be even closer. I force those feelings down and remember all the pain he caused me. All the times he hurt me and made me feel terrible about myself.
It helps, but it’s not enough to erase the longing for my mate, the pull that constantly tugs on my chest. Having him so close and not touching him is torture. I need to get away, far away from him.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I announce, desperate to put some distance between us.
Cole points toward the door behind him. “Do you need help?” He asks when I don’t get up right away.
“No, but I want something to wear.” There is no way I’m strutting around here naked. It’s bad enough he’s already seen me exposed.
Cole gets up from his chair and takes a step toward me. My whole body reacts. I sit up straighter. My heart beats faster, my skin tingles, and warmth pools in my core.
My reaction to him only intensifies when he reaches for the hem of his shirt and pulls it off his body. My eyes rake over his bare torso, taking in the scratches I left on his skin.
“Here, put this on.” He hands me his shirt, and I snatch it from him.
I know he is only giving me his worn shirt because he wants his scent all over me, but right now, I don’t care. I just don’t want to be naked anymore. Quickly, I pull the shirt over my head and let it slide down my body. The still-warm fabric engulfs me, and I almost moan. It feels so good.
Kicking the blanket off, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, noticing bandages on my feet. I stand up carefully. The bottoms of my feet hurt slightly, but the bandages protect them enough for me to walk to the bathroom with minimal discomfort.
I close the door behind me and immediately miss Cole’s presence. I curse the bond under my breath as I quickly use the toilet. When I’m done, I wash my hands and splash some water on my face.
Avoiding looking at my reflection in the mirror, I take in the bathroom instead. It’s bigger than my room. My eyes are drawn to the big claw tub right away. I would love to take a bath in it, but that would mean washing Cole’s scent off me, and my wolf is not ready for that yet.
I step back into the bedroom, and he is standing next to the chair, facing me. I straighten my spine.
“I want to leave,” I say firmly, even though the words feel wrong.
Cole frowns. “You know I can’t let you go.”
“So I’m your prisoner?” I snap.
“No. Of course not. If you want to go somewhere, I’ll take you,” Cole offers before asking, “Is there somewhere youwant to go?”
The question catches me off guard. No one ever asks me what I want, and I haven’t had a choice in anything in so long I don’t even know what to think. Where would I go? I don’t want to go back home, but there is really nowhere else I can go.
Before I can come up with an answer, a knock on the door interrupts us. Cole crosses the room to open the door. Feeling exposed, I scurry back to the bed and take my spot under the blanket.
Cole closes the door and turns toward me, holding a tray in his hands. Only when he comes closer do I realize it’s food. My stomach growls in response. I’m starving. I barely got to eat any dinner last night. He brings the tray to me and places it on my lap.
My eyes go wide when I take in what’s in front of me. A big stack of pancakes, covered in syrup, is in the center of the tray, with a glass of orange juice on the side, but that’s not what I’m so shocked about. It’s the cupcake with a lit candle that has me stumped.
