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Dmitri

I stop rubbing her arm, scared the action will just wake her. I head outside through the sunroom. Ivan should be here shortly. I had mind-linked him to meet me here just after Sky fell asleep. That was half an hour ago.

I stand outside, using my Lycan senses to take in my surroundings. I don't pick up any strange smells or noises except for Ivan, who has just appeared through a clearing in front of me. I doubted the hunters would try again so soon, but that didn't mean I could let my guard down.

"Not too loud, I don't want to wake Skylar," I tell Ivan as he approaches.

We head over to a large tree stump off to the side of the sunroom, within my hearing distance in case Sky wakes up, before taking a seat.

"How is she?" Ivan looks at me, concern written all over his face.

"She is in shock. To be expected after everything. She is taking Ruan's death badly, blaming herself." I pick up a pinecone and toss it into the distance.

"How is Meridith?" I ask even though I can feel her pain through the pack link. The entire pack is mourning, but her pain is on a whole other level. Meridith and Ruan were fated mates, his death resulting in a pain I had only read about in books. It is said that when one of a bonded pair dies, the other usually follows not long after, from a broken heart.

Ivan looks away and off into the distance before answering.

"Meridith knows it was Ruan's duty, and she isn't angry about his death. But she is torn up with sadness. She says it feels like her heart is broken and all the light has been sucked out of her life."

I know Ivan is feeling this more now that he has found Rene and has started the mating process with her. He now has something he didn't have before. Rene and fear. Fear that something could happen to her. Or him. Leaving her in the state Meridith was currently in.

"Give her all the support we have. See if she will see Dr. Lancerti for counseling and have one of her friends stay with her for a while." It was the least we could do, but her survival would depend on her own will to live.

I lean over and give Ivan a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Have we got anything out of the hunter or from the cellphone he crushed?"

"You know how they are, Dmitri. He is zipped up tighter than a sleeping bag in winter. As for the phone, it wasn't registered to anyone. We found one number on it, which we assume is for another burner phone that is no longer in service. Dead ends all round." Ivan is as frustrated as I am. At least if we had something, Ruan's death wouldn't be in vain. Though he had potentially saved Sky.

"Reach out to our intel team tomorrow and let me know if they have found out anything new. We need to know what the connection is between Skylar and the hunters before it's too late." I rise from the tree stump, ready to make my way back inside. I don't want Sky waking up alone.

"I'm leaving for the conference late tomorrow, so between you and Kira, handle things in my absence and keep me updated. And tell Rene to handle the shop tomorrow. Skylar needs rest, and I have more to discuss with her before I go."

This seems to ignite more suspicion from my closest friend.

"What's the deal with you and her, Dmitri? I've never seen you so personally protective before. You're not mating with her, are you?"

I look over at him, unsure of how to answer a question I don't have an answer to. It can't be a mate bond as humans and werewolves, let alone Lycans, cannot be mates. Humans cannot scent us, so it is impossible.

"You know that's not possible. I honestly don't know what is going on." I sigh, turning around and heading back inside.

I needed to figure it out because the more time I spent with Sky, the more attached and attracted to her I became.

Her scent aside, there are things about her I really like. She is shy. Apparently, more so when I'm around, but nonetheless, it is something I find appealing, coming from her. She has an innocence you rarely see in a woman her age. I like her sense of style. Casual, not needing to be all dressed up. She carries casual in a sexy way that is hard for regular people to do. The fact that she doesn't even know how attractive she really is makes the appeal even greater. She isn't obnoxious about it.

I like that she wears little to no makeup. A personal preference, as I have nothing against the stuff. She doesn't need it. The freckles on her face are doing what makeup would, accentuating her natural beauty. As gullible as she appears to be, she also seems wise, making me think she has an old soul. Her love of nature and empathy hint at that.

The thing is, all of this was just scratching the surface of who and what Sky is. Where would that leave me if I continued to become increasingly exposed to her, getting to know her better? Considering this is how I feel now, I'd say I am doomed.

As I lock the sunroom doors behind me, I realize just how inadequate her security is. Fair enough, at some point in her life, this would have been sufficient, but for the situation she is in right now, it is dismal. I'd have to remedy that. After walking around her house and making mental notes of what would be required, I switch off the main lights, leaving a small lamp on in the lounge.

I sit on the other couch, giving me the perfect view of her sleeping face.  

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