Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Margot understood Soren’s need to leave and be with her mate. Bidding their goodbyes, James helped Soren out the door and on the route to their cabin. James chuckled as he noticed the slight stumble to Soren’s steps. The two glasses of wine Soren had consumed at dinner had hit her harder than she had expected. Not having experience with any sort of alcohol made her tolerance an incredible low.

“You alright over there?” James called out to Soren’s form as she walked a few feet in front of him on the path.

“Mhmm.” She hummed, before stumbling backward and into James’ awaiting arms. He had never seen her like this before, it was another side of her that he was being shown. S

Scooping her up into his arms he carried her feather-light form all the way back to the cabin, loving the feel of her so near. She wrapped an arm around his neck,

“You’re so strong.”

The words were slightly slurred as they left her, sending shivers down his spine at the proximity of her mouth to his ear.

“I think you had a little too much wine, Ren. I didn’t expect you to be such a light weight.” She didn’t respond, just shifted closer to him, despite the fact that she was already pressed to his chest. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the toned muscle that hid just beneath the thin layer of cotton that was his shirt.

When they got back to the cabin James was grateful, not because he was tired or couldn’t carry her any longer, but because her hand had taken to tracing small circles where it sat on his chest. The hand that she had placed behind his head had begun playing with the short hairs at the nape of his neck, and overall, he needed to get away from all the small ministrations.

He placed her on the bed, watching in adoration as she curled up and pulled a pillow to her chest. Grabbing his clothes from the tall mahogany dresser, he went to the bathroom to change. In only his grey sweatpants he exited the room, noting her motionless form as he went to find his spot on the living room couch.

“James?” She called out quietly, stopping him in his tracks.

“Yeah, Ren?”

“Why do you always sleep downstairs?” The question took him off guard.

“Well I never wanted to make you uncomfortable, I don’t mind the couch, it’s really not that bad.”

She had sat up, now looking at him from across the room, a tired but serious expression splayed across her features.

“James, that couch is tiny, it can’t be comfortable.”

“It’s nothing, as long as I know you’re safe and sound upstairs, I don’t even notice.” It was a lie and they both knew it. He woke up every morning and his back screamed in protest as he rolled of the tiny leather sofa. He did however, mean what he said about her being safe and sound, he would sleep on that tiny couch for the rest of his life if it meant her comfort.

“Stay.”

The word was out of her mouth before it had even run through her head. She surprised herself with the request but was even more surprised with how comfortable with the idea. She trusted him explicitly, but also wanted to curl up with him.

“Are you sure?” He took a couple steps deeper into the room. His wolf was begging him to jump on the bed and get comfortable before she could rescind her offer, but the human side of him held back.

“Yes, James. Stay.”

Her words were sincere and were all it took for James to pull back the covers and slide in next to her. They laid in silence for a few moments, before James let out a huff of air and reached over to where she lay next to him. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her in close. Him on his back and her on her side, her hair splayed out on his chest.

“James.” Her voice was sleepy, and he could tell she was about to succumb to her tired state.

“Yes, Ren?”

“I think you’re right.”

“About what?”

He loved laying in his bed with his mate in his arms. This was their space, a place where they could be themselves and share in each other without the prying eyes of the pack. He loved the way her breath tickled his side, the warm air reminding him that she was there with him, and it wasn’t just a dream.

“I think I should talk to someone.”

He was glad she had taken his words to heart. He didn’t like it when she was hurting, and even more that he couldn’t do anything to help her.

“I think that’s a great idea, we can make an appointment in the morning, yeah?” Her hair tickled as she gave a slight nod of her head.

He leaned back and stared at the ceiling, listening as her breaths evened out and she fell asleep. It was surreal to finally be sleeping next to her, he had been wanting to for months, and the comfort he felt was more than he could have expected. Rubbing a hand down her arm and closing his eyes, he quickly followed Soren into the realm of dreams, at ease in knowing that she was safe next to him.

The next morning James called his therapist’s office before Soren had woken up. He had slid out of bed despite never wanting to leave. He had been so cozy, all warm and stretched out, in the presence of his mate. He rolled out of bed and called the office while whipping up some French toast to surprise Soren with, his back enjoying the feeling of having slept on a real mattress.

He booked Soren for an appointment with a doctor he thought would fit her perfectly. He had been running through all her options since the moment he had thought of suggesting therapy to her. His position as Beta had given him an advantage in looking into doctors because he knew all the pack members personally. Doctor Malek was the only human one of the bunch, one who’s situation resembled Soren’s in the sense that she had been mated to a wolf and had had to assimilate to wolf culture. The appointment was made for the next day. Since the pack was not known for overrunning the therapist’s office it was not hard to get Soren in to see the doctor.

By the time Soren had rolled out of bed and had breakfast, she was wide awake. James sat her down and told her about the appointment and to his relief, she wasn’t upset that he had made it without discussing it with her. He loved how much trust she put in him.

They took a walk around the pack grounds until finally James broke the news that he had to work. She had never seen him working and so was not surprised that he needed to get things done. He had spent so much time taking care of her and worrying about her wellbeing that he had forgone obligations to the pack. Showing her to his office, James handed her his phone and told her to do whatever she felt like. Since the office was in the back corner of the cabin, Soren took his phone and left the room, leaving him to concentrate on the piles of paperwork on his desk.

Heading into the bedroom, Soren pulled out his phone and began to figure out how to use it and access the internet. After ten minutes of playing with the handheld device she got online and started watching news clips. She had missed out on so much during her time in the woods and her mind started to ache as she took in as much of the world news as she could. Before she knew it, James was calling her down for dinner and she left the phone on the bed, leaving the rest of the world behind with it.

They had slipped back into their routine seamlessly, and Soren loved the simplicity of the life they had begun building together. She was a woman of simple taste, and the minimalist nature of the wolves suited her every need and want. She felt at ease in her life with James, together they lived in a peaceful sort of harmony, that left her feeling fulfilled and happy.

The peace was gone however, when she stood in front of the new looking building that held her new doctor. James had assured her that Doctor Malek was both an amazing pack member and therapist. Soren knew the experience would be good for her, and that it would be good to talk out her issues with a third party, but she also knew that it was a big step for her. Squeezing James’ hand as she was called into the room, she left him behind, grateful for his promise to be there when she got out.

Doctor Malek was younger than Soren had expected. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a low pony tail and her outfit was professional and put together, with high waisted black dress pants and a cream blouse. Soren noted the room’s calm and muted décor, with light grey walls and cozy furniture. It made her feel at ease, nothing in the room jumped out at her or stuck out as unusual, Soren supposed that was the point. Patients were supposed to feel comfortable and welcome in this room, it was what it was designed to do, and that was exactly what Soren was – a patient.

The time passed by faster than Soren had expected, and soon Doctor Malek was leading her out of the room to where James was waiting.

“I’ll see you next week then?” She asked, both the doctor and James were looking at her, expectantly awaiting her response.

All they got in return was a nod, before Soren left the building without as much as a goodbye.

“Thank you Doctor, it means a lot that you were able to fit us in.”

James shook her hand in parting.

“Of course, Beta Hughes. You have a lovely mate.”

He grinned at the doctor’s words,

“That I do.”

With that he followed Soren out the door, meeting her on the dirt path just out front of the building.

“How did it go?” He asked, trying not to pry but wanting to make sure she was alright.

“Good, I think. Doctor Malek is nice.”

They took off towards the pack centre, where Pop’s awaited them for lunch.

“She is.”

“Did you know she was human?” Soren turned her eyes off the path and up to James.

“I did, I thought maybe you’d like to talk to someone who could relate better to you.”

Her expression didn’t show anything, and he wondered if he had made a mistake in presuming to understand how his mate’s mind worked, that is, until her hand squeezed his tightly, and she continued on the way to town.