Her Forever
Chapter 23

Sadie

There was darkness still outside, but dawn was quickly approaching. Seth was still sleeping and holding me tightly to his chest. My back was to his chest, and I could feel the small breaths tickling my ear. He was so close and didn’t seem he was going to let go.

His breaths were steady and deep. Knowing he was sleeping soundly, I gently removed his arm from around my waist and stepped into our en suite bathroom. The shower was large, and the tiles were lightly colored.

I took a hot shower to wake myself and get ready for the day. I had never been one to sleep late, always having to go to the diner on my days off from school; it had always been a habit. Rebecca took that to her advantage when I worked at the diner with her. I’m wondering if I should go in. It has been several days since I baked anything, but no one seemed to be bothered about me not working.

Honestly, it had been an amazing mini-vacation. Finding a mate, knowing about werewolves, and finding out other supernatural beings are around was enough of a fun-filled weekend.

I stepped out and held the dark blue, fluffy towel to my body. Quickly brushing my hair, putting on my strawberry-smelling lotion, I quickly forgot that I left all my clothes out in the bedroom.

Ever so slowly, I opened the bathroom door, which caused the steam to fly upwards in the air. Seth was still sleeping soundly and lightly snoring. I tiptoed and grabbed my bag quickly not to disturb him. He must have gotten back late last night because I never heard him come to bed.

It’s strange that I didn’t feel a bit nervous having woken up and finding him beside me. It felt calming, and I also felt so protected. I’ve never had a man in my bed before, and my mind should have had red flags waving in my face. However, I didn’t. It felt right, and I knew he wouldn’t try anything I wasn’t uncomfortable with. Probably stupid of me, but I’m going to trust him.

I grabbed my baby pink sundress with capped sleeves and strappy sandals and undergarments. I quickly put them on and thought about what I could do. I’ve never been one to sit and idle.

Seth has been so sweet to me, taking care of me after passing out after quite the scare for everyone else. The thought occurred to me, and I should make everyone breakfast.

I slipped out of the 4th-floor suite and headed downstairs. The lights were still off, and everyone must still be sleeping. Quickly finding the kitchen, I didn’t realize how big it truly was.

There were 4 large double ovens, two industrial-sized fridges and freezers, a massive pantry, and two very large cooking panels to cook pasta and meats. My mouth was agape and I did not really know where to start.

I’m not sure what Seth eats for breakfast; I’ve never seen him eat since I’ve met him, so I made enough of everything to see what he liked. First, I started with the cinnamon rolls and croissants since those would take at least an hour to proof before cooking.

Within 15 minutes, I had several eggs, sausage, and cheese casseroles prepared, bacon, sausage, and biscuits prepared. After an hour, I broke a sweat as I prepared the coffee and fruit bowl.

I heard a loud BANG, and men filtered into the home. Seth told me last night that I should stay in the room, and I didn’t think anyone else would be in the house early in the morning.

“What is that smell, damn it smells good!” I heard a gruff voice say.

“Oh s**t, who made breakfast?” said another.

Slowly turning around, I saw five huge werewolves walk into the room. They were tall, muscular, and cleanly shaven, with no shirts to be seen. All they had were basketball shorts and were barefoot.

“What do we have here?” said the platinum blonde. He had pale skin, blazing blue eyes, and a smirk on his face. He was intrigued with me standing in the kitchen at my short stature, still holding up a spatula, as I had just flipped some pancakes I was also making.

“Um, h-hi. I said with absolutely no confidence. This will not be good. “I’m Sadie.”

“I’m Ian.” said the blonde. He walked closer, and I stepped back a few steps.

“My mate is Alpha Seth, so that I would stay away. He has a temper, you know.” I blurted.

Ian quickly stopped in his tracks. “I somehow doubt that Seth wouldn’t just let his mate go wandering around unmarked.” I’m sorry, what?!

The other four wolves surrounded me like their prey. I panicked, and I could feel my heart racing.

“How about you guys get a plate? I made enough to feed a small army?” I questioned.

My back finally hit the counter as the men surrounded me. I was about to scream until I heard a low, menacing growl from behind one of the large bodies. I was hoping it to be Seth, but it was Marco. I pushed through the large bodies and ran behind him, clutching the back of his shirt.

“What the f**k do you think you are doing?” his teeth were grinding into his mouth.

“Just getting some breakfast,” Ian chuckled. “We were just going to get a little snack first.” Ian licked his lips.

“That is your LUNA, you motherfucker.” Marco’s teeth elongated, and I just stood behind him in excitement. I have seen none of the guys shift before, so I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“I doubt that Marco, Alpha, would have claimed her already. You know how he is.” Ian waved his hand around like it was no big deal.

“You know she is human; he is making sure his mate is taken care of first. I suggest you move on before I put you in your place. Remember who you are talking to, warrior!” Marco’s voice became loud and commanding, and I could feel the power off of him. “I don’t care if you haven’t been briefed yet on Alpha’s mate after arriving this morning. If anyone you are unsure of you are to report to the head Beta for questions, its basic protocol!”

Ian and the other men retreated, and I slowly came back around from Marco’s back. “Luna, what are you doing down here?” Marco’s voice was soft, but his eyes were held with worry.

“What’s a Luna?” I tilted my head in fascination.

“s**t,” Marco scratched the back of his head. “It’s the Alpha’s mate, we call her Luna, the male equivalent. Now, why are you down here?”

“I just thought about making Seth breakfast.” I looked down at my fingers and interlocked them together. “Then I thought it would be nice to make everyone breakfast, and I didn’t know anyone was coming in. Do you think Seth will be mad at me?” My voice became frantic.

“No, no, Luna. You will be just fine. I’ll have to tell Seth what happened, though. They will be punished for what they did, and they should show you respect, not being the horny wolves they are.”

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, and it was my fault,” I begged.

“I cannot keep things from my Alpha; you will be fine, alright. How about you head back upstairs?” Marco put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

Quickly making a giant serving tray full of food, I made the long trek upstairs to serve Seth some breakfast. As I was about to open the door, Seth quickly opened it with a panic look on his face.

“There you are, where did you go?” voice in a a frenzy, he grabbed the serving tray and put it in the small kitchen inside.

“I wanted to make you breakfast!” I cheerfully said. Seth’s worry became anger, and he quickly pulled me to his chest.

“I said not to leave this room! You could have been hurt! There are too many unmated wolves here!” his voice was husky, and he had no intention of letting me go.

“I know, I’m sorry. I just wanted to do something nice for you. Look, I made a little bit of everything.” Trying to get him to calm down and change the subject was going to be difficult. I decided to pull out the innocent doe eyes at him and wobble my l*p a little.

Seth looked at me, and his anger vanished. He gave me a quick peck on the lips. “This doesn’t mean you are off the hook, young lady.” Seth gave a quick swat on my behind, and I squealed.

Laughing all the way to the dining room table in our room, we sat down. I waited anxiously to see if he liked his food. I gave him a heavy portion of everything, knowing that wolves eat more than humans from the way everyone ate at the diner.

If his moaning every time he put a bite in his mouth wasn’t indication enough, I don’t know what else I could go off of. Finally, being proud of all my hours in the kitchen over my life was worth seeing him happy!

“Baby, this is so good. How much did you make? I think I might need more.”

“There is a lot more downstairs. I made a lot, and I didn’t know who else was in the house but wanted to feed everyone if I could.” I smiled brightly at him.

“Next time, tell me where you are going.” He pointed at me with a fork. I only nodded happily as I finished my last pancake.

“Where did you learn to make all of this?” Seth questioned.

“I worked at a diner since I was 11, and I learned how to do everything, cooking, baking, and cleaning. My aunt wasn’t in the best of health, so the owners of the diner took me under their wing.” Seth nodded.

“Why was your aunt not in the best health?”

“She was really depressed. She never spoke. I believe she could if she wanted, but never did. She would write on paper or type on a computer. She said she missed her soul mate, Jeremy. I was the only reason she continued to live. Once I could take care of myself, it was like her heart finally broke, and she died in her sleep holding Jeremy’s picture to her chest.” I sadly said.

“It makes more sense, though,” I began again. “Her being a werewolf and all, she died because of her mate being gone.” Seth nodded.

“Do you know anything about your parents, Sadie?”

“No, nothing. It was like she would freeze up and forget the question. It was really weird.”

After we finished our food, we collected the dishes and headed downstairs. The foyer was busy with people grabbing food from the kitchen and made their way to the dining room. I couldn’t help but smile to see all the people eating my food. I felt like I contributed to something that was helping in some way.

Marco started walking up to us, and I knew what he was about to do. I squeezed Seth’s hand, and he only looked down at me in confusion. Someone was going to get in so much trouble because I went downstairs.

“Alpha, there is something I need to discuss with you,” Marco said professionally. “Ian, one of the warriors, approached our Luna, and he had some ill intent.” He looked pointedly.

Seth’s hand moved to my waist and gripped me tightly. I couldn’t help but whimper a little and hold my head down. This would not be good.

“What. Happened.” His words were spaced, and Seth’s temper was rising.

“Luna stated that you were her mate. Ian ignored and still tried to make advances towards her. Said he didn’t believe her. There were also four more warriors that were trying to team up against her. I walked in and commanded them to leave.”

“Take Sadie upstairs and guard her door.” Seth said calmly. I didn’t argue, and he looked scary with the look on his face. Sexy, but scary. I hope he didn’t use that look on me because I would wet my pants, and not in a good way.

Marco led me back upstairs and stood outside my door. “Luna, I can’t come in. I’ll stand outside.”

“Marco, is he gonna get mad at me, too? I tried to tell those guys.” My voice faltered.

“Oh, you worry too much. Your punishment will be pleasurable, I’m sure.” Marco snorted as he held back a laugh.

“W-what? What will he do!?” I dislike this. My hands trembled as I held both of my hands to my mouth.

“You might get spanked.” Marco winked and closed the door quickly.

Shiitake-mushrooms.

***

It had been several hours, and still no word from Seth. I’ve never watched so much TV in my life. I’ve watched several Disney princess movies since I never had the pleasure of watching them when I was younger.

There was a knock on the door, and Rebecca and Lela came barging in. Thank heavens, I was bored to death!

“Hi, guys!” I jumped up and ran towards them for a giant hug.

“There’s our Luna. Where have you been?” Lela asked.

“I’ve been stuck in here all day because some idiots tried to bully me around, and now Seth is taking care of Ian and his friends.” I crossed my arms and pouted.

“They had it coming, Sadie. Don’t worry about it.” Rebecca started waving her hand around in the air. “Ian and his goons are idiots, and they needed a good beating, anyway.”

“A beating!? Like really?” I’ve never seen Seth beat someone up before. I guess he did hit Nathan, though. The way Seth is built, I’m sure he packs a punch, which reminds me. Where is Nathan?

“Yeah, Ian always pushes Seth’s buttons; this was probably a good enough reason to get him demoted, anyway. He has a terrible attitude and a man whore.” Rebecca and Lela sat on the couch next to me with their legs crossed. Lela reached for the remote to turn on the TV, and I couldn’t help but think about Nathan.

He got punched in the face when Seth saw him. Was it really a hello, best friend, punch of guys just messing around? Right now, it didn’t seem like it.

“Guys, where is Nathan? I haven’t seen him since the party? Is he OK?” Rebecca and Lela froze what they were doing. Neither of them wanted to look at me. I stood up from the couch and blocked the TV with my arms crossed. Something was up, and they were going to tell me.

“Where is Nathan?? He’s my friend. Where did he go? He didn’t even see me at the pack hospital when I got hurt?” Honestly, I was hurt he didn’t come to see me. Many people, even from the diner, tried to come to see me, but of course, Seth wouldn’t let them in.

“Sadie,” Rebecca started. “We can’t really talk about that, and you should probably talk to Seth.”

“NO!” I shouted. Both of them jumped off the couch and landed on the floor with a squeak. “I’m tired of being left in the dark, and I need to know if he is OK! I understand everyone’s concern here, but I can’t sit in a room waiting for some weird magic people to tell me what’s wrong.”

This was the first time I’ve shouted at them, and I was done being left in the dark. I wanted answers. I’ve been the quiet one for long enough. “Where is Nathan? What happened!?”

Rebecca and Lela continued to look at one another, having a silent conversation. “Stop looking at each other. Somehow you are talking, and it’s annoying,” Lela snickered, and Rebecca sighed. Rebecca wiped her forehead as the beads of sweat started to form. “It’s called mind-linking, Sadie. Wolves can talk to each other through our minds. Like a radio frequency.” I nodded my head; nothing surprises me anymore.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. You can’t get too worked up about it, though. You still need to be resting.” Rebecca motioned for me to sit back on the couch, and she sat beside me, holding my shoulders in place.

“Werewolves, we can put a scent on people, Sadie. It is a scent to let people know that you belong to someone. It is usually given off before or close to a marking. It is something very personal. A werewolf will usually asks his mate if it’s OK to put a scent on her.” Rebecca took a breath and continued, “Nathan put his scent on you, Sadie, and it was so thick that Seth almost didn’t find you.” I gasped. Nathan wouldn’t do that. He’s been so nice and helpful. Fun to hang around! I knew he wanted more, but didn’t realize just how far he would go.

“He is my friend, though.” I sobbed. “He wouldn’t do that!”

“Please calm down, Sadie.” Lela touched my hand and held it close to her. I calmed to just a sniffle. There had to be more to the story.

“Why would he do that? Did he want me to be his mate?” The girls nodded sadly.

“He has a mate somewhere waiting for him, made for him, and he tried to take me away from mine and leave his mate alone?” A few tears escaped my eyes.

Lela chuckled lightly, “You certainly have a way with words, Sadie. But yes, he and his wolf fell for you hard. Who wouldn’t, though? You are so special to all those who you meet.” She smiled.

Taking a deep breath, the next question I knew I didn’t want an answer for was going to break me. “Where’s Nathan? He isn’t dead, is he?” In my heart, I knew Seth has a temper with others, especially about me. He has yet to show me his out-of-control anger in front of me, but I’m sure it’s terrible.

“Nathan has committed treason against the mate bond, trying to take someone else’s mate, and it is forbidden, especially using scents to hide a mate. Seth has every right to take his life and strip him of his title.” Rebecca’s eyes pooled with tears. All of us are in such a somber mood.

After 10 minutes, I finally spoke with determination in my voice. “Well, that will not happen.” Rebecca and Lela looked at me, questioning my motives.

“I will not allow it to happen. That is just putting punishment on his mate. Nathan will have to face up to his mate and let her know his mistakes, and beg for her. Nathan has to live. I’ll make sure of it.” My crying had stopped, and my will to save my friend, even though he did things that were very wrong, was strong.

No one deserves to be without their soulmate, and I was determined to make sure Nathan will have his second chance.