I shook my head. “No, nothing.”
“Pain again?”
I paused for a moment then nodded slightly. “Yeah, that’s it.”
I knew I was still lying to him, but I couldn’t stop now. I was in too deep. Once this pup was born, I could leave this place and never look back...
“Come. I’ll carry you back into bed,” he said. He scooped me up again. My skin was hot, but I was also shivering - classic symptoms of being sick. Gently, he placed me back into bed and pulled the covers over me. I wondered if Jericho noticed that after almost a month of living here, his bed smelled more like me than it did like him. I wondered if he cared.
“Stay here,” he said softly.
“Where are you going?” Imumbled.
“Just getting some stuff to make you feel better,” he explained. “I’ll be back in a minute. Call if you need me.”
“Okay…”
On a tray, he assembled a cup of plain black tea, soda crackers, and ginger ale and put it on the bedside table. Then he offered me a nice hot water bottle.
“It’ll feel better if you put it on your tummy,” he said.
I took it and pressed it against my lower stomach. It was warm, and the sensation of pressure was pleasant. “That does feel nice.” I glanced sadly at the tray beside me. “I don’t know if I feel well enough to eat any of those crackers, though…”
“That’s okay. They’re there in case you do want them eventually. There’s tea and ginger ale, too.”
I nestled back in the pillow. My forehead glistened with sweat and my eyes must have been bloodshot. I probably looked disgusting. As Jericho stood over me with a warm expression, I wondered if any alpha in my old pack would have ever gone out of his way to take care of me like this.
Probably not.
As much as I hated alphas, I had to admit Jericho was… different. He didn’t act like an alpha - at least, not the kind of alpha I was used to. He wasn’t pushy or bossy or rude. He actually listened to me and took care of my needs. He helped out his pack, donated food for other families, and thought of his packmates as brothers and sisters. He truly was one of a kind.
I caught myself staring at him and quickly wrenched my gaze away.
Hopefully he didn’t notice.
He sat down carefully at the edge of the bed. “How do you feel now?” he asked.
I nodded my head from side to side. “A bit better. Not enough to stand, or do anything useful, though.”
He chuckled. “You don’t need to be useful all the time. You’re useful just laying here and recovering.”
“That doesn’t even make any sense,” I mumbled, but I was smiling.
“Do you want me to bring you a book, or a game or something?” he offered.
“I kind of just want to go back to sleep, I think…”
Jericho nodded. “Fair enough. You need your rest.” He got up and moved the blanket, tucking me in like one would tuck in a child. “There. I’ll leave the stuff on the bedside table, just in case you wake up and want to eat or drink.”
“Okay.”
He shot me a sympathetic glance. “Do you want me to stay on this floor, just in case you need me again?”
“No, it’s okay,” I mumbled. “I don’t think I’ll be sick again soon… I’m just gonna sleep.”
He nodded. “Okay. Call if you need me.”
“I will,” I promised. “Um… That reminds me. Can you call the food bank and tell them I won’t be able to come in today?”
