A/N: Here's an update! Please comment and vote because its actually one of my favorite chapters, which means it might be yours too 😊 its longer than the last one LOL

[26] Instincts II

Never did she expect to find Samuel in her room. And worse in her half-naked state. He sat over her bed with his legs spread apart, watching her enter with heated eyes that were rather come-hither.

"Well, it's about time," he said.

"What are you doing in my room? Are you trying to give me a heart attack!"

"No, but you sure are." He walked around her, circling her with unhidden interest. "Giving me a heart attack, I mean. You made me chase you, and now I have an incessant need to follow you."

Mia bit her lips guiltily. She didn't know that feeling would stay with him the rest of the day.

"I'm sorry," she said, genuine.

"Here." He tossed her some clothes, one of which was actually his shirt.

It was funny. In all her years of knowing him they held many arguments, but she actually harbored a few of his articles of clothing. One of which included this shirt. He never asked for them in return. Looking back at it, it may have been intentional.

Mia caught the shirt and pair of shorts. When it came to her undergarments, he delivered them personally. It took effort to keep her face straight as he handed her a lacy ensemble. He sure took the time to find the matching pieces as her drawer had them spread quite messily.

He smirked. "You'll look nice in these."

Eyes widening, she grabbed them and tried to pretend she didn't have an overwhelming need to run to the bathroom and hide. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it to calm her rising blush. When he looked at her like that it really did things to her. He may just get an affirmative answer sooner than he thought.

Mia slipped on her clothes and blotted her hair dry. She moisturized it with some leave-in and left it just like that. If there's anything she appreciated of the Dark Falls pack is that they never cared to have their hair perfectly styled. Most of them only ever styled it in special occasions, but otherwise they weren't so nit-picky.

"Come here." Samuel said to her when she exited the bathroom.

"Why?"

Even in her question she went to him, drawn by the outstretched hand waiting for her.

"Sit."

She took a seat and he abandoned his. He crouched on the floor before her.

"What are you doing?"

"You're injured," he said.

He cupped the back of her calf and elevated her leg, bringing it closer to his face for inspection. With his other hand he held her foot. Mia peered down from the bed, she felt hypersensitive of every one of his touches.

"They're not too bad. Barely anything," she tried to say.

"I will fix them."

Samuel lowered his mouth to her ankle and began from there. With each swipe of his wet tongue each scratch was healed, her skin left clear and smooth. Mia fought from squirming in place. It was foreign to feel him doing this. She had inadvertently awakened another instinct—his need to heal her.

He switched to the other leg, doing the same as the other until he reached the last one on the side of her knee. When he finished he didn't separate from her. He rested his head on her lap and closed his eyes.

"Thank you," she said, placing a hand in his hair.

He made a noise and let his face fall directly in the center, embedding himself in the inner sides. His breath fanned across her thighs with each exhale.

"Samuel, if someone finds us like this they'll know..." she let the sentence hang tenuously.

"Know what?" He asked, a tinge annoyed. "That I want to mate you? I won't be ashamed if others find out you rejected me. I'm more worried on the things you're thinking. You're my focus."

Mia squeaked when she felt his tongue flick across her bare skin in a long, languorous stroke. There were no injuries in her inner thigh.

"Samuel!"

"Sorry," he said, peering up at her like a naughty teenager. " I thought I saw a little scratch there."

Shaking her head, "Are you really here because you have to follow me?"

"I don't have to do anything. But yes, I have the urge to. It's distracting, I can't focus on my work in the study. Having you far away is making me restless."

"What should I do? Is there a way I can make it stop?"

He chuckled. "Silly Mia, you can't make it stop. You can only sedate it. Come to the study with me so I can finish my work. I'm sure you can distract yourself with one of your homeworks."

They stepped out into the hall and Samuel lingered behind, allowing her the chance to walk in front of him. He had to crouch as he passed her door. Some of the guest rooms needed to be updated so that the door height was higher.

"You're so tall," Mia snickered behind her hand. She looked back at him with those pretty eyes full of shine and laughter.

"The better to watch you, my dear." He said, mischievous as he took his sweet time admiring her womanly figure.

Indeed, she was quite beautiful to stare at. He swore his shirt had never looked as good as it did on her.

Her cheeks turned an alluring red. They were starting to do that more often. He should've pursued her much earlier if he knew she'd be so responsive.

"And your arms, they're so strong."

Samuel's eyes became heady. She was playing a dangerous game. Can a man place fire on his lap and expect his clothes to not burn? With a playful grin he closed in on her and hugged her to him from behind.

"The better to hold you." His hands slithered to her stomach.

It pleased him to have her submitted to him. Next was to mate and then... she would be having all his babies. Every single one of them. He pictured her being pregnant and knew he could handle all her cravings and bad temperaments. There's nothing he hasn't seen at this point. Making them would be rather fun, too.

He nudged her with his nose when she stopped. More. He wanted more.

"Not in the hallways Samuel," she chided softly, she looked around them for any onlookers.

A low whine inevitably escaped him. Did she really not want others to know of this? He wanted everyone to see this woman in his arms and understand she was his. In her nervousness Mia pulled away.

Samuel's heart accelerated with anxiety, but he let her escape and forced his instinct down. When she did that it felt like she was trying to get away from him. It's the second time she's concerned over others catching them.

Is she ashamed of being seen with me?

It worried him, because that meant she was leaning towards the side of not mating him. He wished Rex were here, his partner was excellent is smelling people's emotions. The way he described them was to detail and freakishly accurate. All Saurus could get right now was her nervousness, but it was difficult for him to reach the finer details. Emotions had never been his forte.

As they entered his study she gave him a small smile and kissed his cheek. It felt so sweet and made all his worries melt away. She liked him, and for right now he'd have to be content with that.

Mia wanted to keep Samuel shirt. As it was dinner time such a thing was impossible. Sammie was with her, which meant not wearing the blouse would awaken her impatience. In this state Mia served her food rather uncomfortably with the hawk-eyes of adults watching her with added interest. She could feel the heat of their wondering questions. They had grown so used to Mia's presence they never thought they'd see a day of her wanting someone's attention.

Thanks Sammie. Look what you've done.

"Would you mind serving me some?" A wolfman asked. He pointed to the mashed potatoes Mia just served herself.

Not finding anything amiss Mia filled the wooden spoon to give him some. The mashed potatoes were exceptionally smooth and creamy. Just their texture was enough to make her mouth water. As she reached to serve him a threatening growl iced her veins. The spoon dropped in startlement, but thankfully it landed right over the bowl. The unknown wolfman tensed and scurried off, tail tucked between his legs in fear. Mia raised her brow in clear annoyance, to which Samuel patiently waited for her to finish serving herself and followed her back to the table.

"He likes you." Saurus mumbled as explanation when Mia continued to walk away displeased.

What he had done was unnecessary. He had never intervened when another guy flirted with her. As a matter of fact in Everglades a sharkman went up to her rather boldly and he stayed in place. Did he really mean he never thought he had a chance with her before?

At the table Sammie and Jasmine were in conversation. Jasmine fidgeted with the tablecloth, her own food left in abandon. Whatever they were speaking about had her uneased. Even though Sammie's tone was leveled as she spoke to her, she had her head tilt to the side. Mia knew this was her you're-bothering-the-crap-out-of-me expression.

"So you haven't contacted your family at all?" Samantha continued.

Her emphasis on Jasmine's lack of action made the woman more nervous. "I...well I guess I'm worried on how they'll take the news of so much change."

With them back at the table Jasmine's gaze shifted to Saurus with starstruck admiration. This was the only time of the day she was guaranteed to see him. All the other times he was busy with paperwork in his study, engaged in pack affairs outside, or shut out in his room. The lack of interaction looked to make her disappointed. Mia could relate to Jasmine's feeling of unrequited love, but she couldn't relate to her insistence in interacting with a man who didn't want her. Once Kevin gave her the break-up Mia made sure to keep herself as far as possible. A breakup may be devastating in of itself, but watching someone not care was worse.

Jasmine recollected herself enough to ask him a question. "Do you think I should start planning to see my parents?" she posed softly.

Mia knew she asked Saurus this directly to test if he was willing to have her leave so soon.

His response was not encouraging, but he gave her a kind smile. "I think that's a good idea. Your family cares about you, I'm sure they would want to support you in this time."

"I see..." Jasmine pursed her lips. "When do you plan on leaving, Mia?"

Mia was in the middle of chewing her meat when the question was presented to her. "Mmm?" she swallowed awkwardly. She did not expect that at all. "Um, well I'm a few months into the semester so I guess my online classes will be done soon." That didn't exactly answer the question.

"You'll be returning back to campus afterwards?"

Samuel went rigid at the turn of the conversation. His eyes widened as it seemed to come to him that Mia was only here to finish her online semester; it's like he forgot she didn't actually live here. "You don't have to, right?" He asked immediately afterwards. "Can't you take your last semester online too?"

Crap, I haven't thought this through.

"Well, originally my plan was to go back to campus. One of the friends I made has a good connection with an agricultural center in Texas where we could obtain our mandatory volunteer hours. Its three-weeks' worth of work, so we would need a place with adequate housing. With her family nearby I considered that as an option."

Samuel's jaw locked as she divulged the information. Underneath the table he gripped her thigh, and it took all of her to not jump. "You can volunteer here," he offered. "I can tell Mandy and Lisa, they'll set things up for you. I don't mind filing out the paperwork necessary to prove your work. You know you can stay. If...if you want to."

Samantha's smugness was priceless in the face of Jasmine's unadulterated startle. He had reacted so differently in the face of Mia's situation by thoroughly extending himself to accommodate her needs. Mia on the other hand was more concerned, because she heard the underlying question. Samuel connected her leaving back to campus with her rejecting his desire to mate her. He desired to keep her close, and with his instincts so high Rex had warned her his emotions would be more labile and unstable. Typically Saurus handled himself more strictly and did not reveal his feelings in words. Right now, he sounded quite anxious.

"I'll help you look into that later." Sammie said. She saved Mia the need to respond in the face of such an unexpected offer.

"That's generous of you guys." Jasmine said slowly. There was a hint of discontent in her usually sweet tone. It made it sour, as though she wondered why it wasn't the same case with her.

"Anything for my best-friend." Sammie chirped. The werewoman happily went back to her food and Mia pretended her mind wasn't buzzing with endless thoughts.

That night Mia did as she had planned and spoke to her body over the mirror.

"Stay in bed and don't sleepwalk," she told it.

Quite foolish to speak to one's reflection, but what else could she do? They said odd behaviors were a result of the subconscious mind. She intended to set that part of her brain straight, if only for tonight. Samuel may not be in heat in terms of lustful desires, but he was definitely very sensitive to her. The power of alpha already connected them, but for a wolfman who wanted her so deeply she realized it may have been overboard to wear that blouse and incite him to chase her. Thank goodness she hadn't kiss his jaw! That would have driven him over the edge.

A soft yawn escaped her as she padded to her bed. Edging under the plush covers she waited for that feeling of comfort to descend. It didn't come. Strange. She had no problems with this bed before. It took her a few attempts in repositioning to realize what she really wanted was Samuel's warmth. It was enticing. He had suggested she go to his room tonight. At the same time, she didn't want to be too close to him until she made her decision.

With this resolve Mia forced her eyes closed and let sleep overtake her. Only this time it was not as sweet as she expected it to be...

"Oh no!" Mia cried.

The first thing she noticed was the water leveled up to her ankles. It was brown and dirty, soiling the carpet beneath her with leaves and branches. The mess on the floor didn't make it any better either. The food platter had tumbled over, and the once fresh fruits had turned rotten. Mia coughed at the putrid smell. She wrapped her arms around herself as a gust of wind chilled her bones. Shivering, her attention shifted to its origin. This home was suppose to be warm and dry, not wet and cold.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped.

The door was wide open and broken, the hinges were knocked out from their place. No wonder the house was a mess. The entirety of the storm had entered inside. Gone was the crackling fire and surging warmth. Instead the logs which remained were soaked with water, impossible to restart again. Mia breathed deeply to handle this state of affairs, but all her calming went to the ground at the sight of Samuel's sprawled form against the wall with no movement.

His head hung without strength, and his breathing was very shallow. Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran to him. Her hands were frantic as she tried to wake him, but all her actions were to no avail. He was completely knocked out, his body was unresponsive to her calls. Panic welled up within her as she felt for his pulse. It was so weak and thready she feared he would die. Mia brought his face to her chest protectively and cried out for help, but no one came to aide them.

"I didn't mean to do it!" A sobbing voice cried. She was crouched at the edge of a wall, eyes red with fat tears.

"What did you do?!"

Jasmine's body racked with tears so powerful she couldn't respond. "I-I'm s-so s-sorry!"

Samuel's previous words came back to her.

If I let anyone in, it's only because you've allowed it...

With each passing second Samuel's body became colder and colder. His lips turned sickly blue. Mia wept in despair. "Help! Somebody please help!"

This was all her fault. She should have never let Jasmine come inside. Now she ruined their beautiful home. The man she cared for was at the threshold between life and death and she didn't know how to save him. "Someone please help!"

Her vision faded into murky darkness. The coldness around her simmered to warmth.

"Shh, I'm here now." A soothing voice said.

Mia's vision was blurry with tears. Was she still dreaming? She watched the furniture of her room move as large arms lifted her bridal style and brought her out. His warm lips kissed her temple. He whispered comforting words.

"The night you don't come to me you have a nightmare." Samuel closed the door to his room and locked it.

He delicately placed her over his mattress and with his thumb wiped the tears away. Mia blinked in her bleary state. She reached out to touch him, and traced the outline of his face from his thick eyebrows, to the corner of those dark, hooded eyes, and settled on the line of his jaw.

"You went to get me from my room." Mia said, teary. She blamed her half-hazy state for the bold action of lightly tracing his lips.

Samuel swallowed. He did not pull her hand away, inviting her to do as she pleased. "Yes."

"I had a bad dream."

"I know. I'm glad you did too. It gave me an excuse to take you, though I'll admit I would have brought you anyway. You were taking too long to sleepwalk here."

A giggle escaped her lips. It erased all the despair she held from her dream. "I spoke to my body and I told it to stay put in bed."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't do that again." She kept laughing and that irritated him. "I'm serious. Don't stop yourself from being with me if that's what you want."

Mia played with his facial hair. He was so cute when he was grumpy. His arm wind around her center and brought her to him, his hold possessive. Mia ran her fingers through his inky tresses, they were silky and thick, so different from her own coily texture. A pleased rumbled transferred from his chest to hers in vibrations. He was quite like Rex. He liked being petted too.

The night felt so sweet and lightweight. They were resting on the clouds, the moon shining her brilliance over them like a happy mother. Mia liked Samuel in his instincts. A smile came to her the longer she stared at him. Seeing him so healthy and alive removed the fears of her dreams. She slowly leaned in for a kiss, and the closer she got the darker his eyes became. The hand cupping her hip gripped her tighter, but he rigidly forced himself to stay put. He wanted her to come to him.

The moment was suddenly doused in cold ice at the soft knock on his door. Samuel remained unresponsive, still focused on her.

Mia tried to pull away but his hold held her still. "Who is it?" she asked.

"No one important."

"Okay, but who it is?" Mia successfully detached herself and sat up facing the wooden door. For a moment she thought she had imagined it, but a soft knock went again. Who on earth would be up at this time trying to get into his room?

The wolfman sighed. "Don't worry about it. The door is locked for a reason."

"I want to know who it is." Mia insisted. She crossed her arms and leveled him with a glare. He better tell her who that was out there. This was not normal and he knew it!

"No."

"Why not?"

"Mia, come to sleep." He pat the area beside him, his arm open to receive her.

"Not until you tell me." There was more knocking, this time a notch louder. She refused to lay beside him without an answer. "Are you freaking kidding me, tell me who the hell that is?"

He rolled his eyes. "No."

Fire coursed through her veins at the stubborn answer. Her eyes saw red, and in a moment of rage Mia grabbed his jaw and kissed it. "Tell me who's at the door," she hissed.

In an instant his eyes turned gold, and immediately Mia knew her mistake. She had awakened his baser instincts. His teeth protruded in sharpened edges, and his stance became crouched and predatory. Mia's heart raced in an erratic rhythm. She slowly inched to the edge of the bed. His steely eyes took to account every minute movement with wild calculation. If she didn't do something he was going to mate her!

Mia gulped, hoping to stifle him with reason. "You haven't proposed! I haven't even finished thinking about it yet!"

His claws pierced through the sheets. "I know. How do you think I feel about this?" His tone was rough and thick. "I warned you to be careful. You know by now how I feel about you."

Mia slid to the edge of the bed. Perhaps if she got out of here fast enough he could recollect himself. His cutting growl made her freeze.

"If you run towards that door, make no mistake— I will mark you."

Mia froze in fear. Of course, how idiotic of her to think this would be solved by running, when just earlier she awakened his instinct to chase.

"What if I walk slowly?"

"No!" He roared.

Mia winced. His response was so deadly she heard someone jump from the other side of the door and run off. The feminine yelp did not escape her hearing. That had definitely been a female behind his door. She was too stressed with the current situation to worry about that though.

"What should I do?!" Mia panicked inwardly.

His chest heaved from heavy breathing. He was using every ounce of control to not reach out to her. The moon highlighted the outline of his veins protruding from his muscular arms. He was so tightly wound up she feared he would snap at any given moment. 

"There are scarce ways I'm calmed. Either I claim you now or..." his voice lowered, "...you sedate my fears."

The second option caught her attention. Of course. Beasts did react out of fear, but what on earth could someone like him be afraid of? She approached the topic. "What biggest fear do you have?"

There was a tense-filled pause before vulnerability filled his eyes and he answered her. "That you will leave me."

Her chest bottomed at his words. Of all the things to be afraid of, his biggest one was her leaving him. She had seen how the conversation at the dinner table left him anxious, but she didn't think it would be this severe. Her expression softened.

"What should I do?"

"Come to me." He instructed. "Give me of yourself so that I feel secure. I need to feel you'll stay. That you won't leave me."

Mia still felt unsure. She didn't want to do something wrong again. "How do I do that?"

"Come to me," he repeated, this time more urgent.

Mia crawled over the mattress and presented herself directly in front of him. The tension on his shoulders lessened the slightest bit with her proximity, but his posture remained lethal. She was really playing with fire.

"I can't touch you yet, I may mess up. But you can touch me," he said.

Mia leaned over and hugged him from the side. His growl grated her ears, "Not enough."

It really wasn't. His teeth were still sharp, and he was shaking with restraint. She needed to get much closer. Mia maneuvered herself over his lap, on better thought she wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed herself into him. They were chest to chest now, and so intimately close.

A low rumble escaped his throat. "Better," he said, but then added, "I want more."

Mia didn't know how much closer she could get to him than this. It was more than just touch he needed, he wanted her words too. "I'm not leaving...tonight I'm staying," she said, actually meaning it.

She didn't want to leave him, and hearing someone knock on his door at this ungodly hour made her simmer with anger. Saurus had yet to tell her who it was, but she had a feeling of who it might be.

Samuel was still disquieted beneath her, his thoughts on a whole different matter. "What about tomorrow? Next week? When you finish your classes?" He asked, desperate. "Will you leave me?"

Mia fiddled with the cuff of his shirt. She didn't know what to say. She had planned on leaving after the semester ended. At the same time, she hadn't fully planned anything yet. Saurus would be able to tell if she lied.

A low whine escaped him when she didn't answer. He looked so distraught and afraid. Mia cupped his cheeks.

"I haven't planned anything yet, don't worry."

It was the best she could give him for now. She kissed him gently, and rubbed her nose against his neck as he often did to her. She pressed her lips in that area too, and slowly, with each ministration the gold in his eyes receded into pools of darkness.

Now sedated, his arms encircled her and kept her close. She rested her head on his chest and allowed herself to bask in his embrace.

"I want to always have you," he said quietly.

He rested his chin on her head and sighed defeatedly. With his thumb he drew circles over her back. A restful silence ensued between them. The gentle beat of his heart soothed Mia enough to make her sleepy. Her eyelids drooped and she yawned.

Without letting her go Samuel shifted them under his sheets. He kept her flushed against him, his body caging her from any form of escape. When her eyes fluttered closed she felt him kiss her forehead and remain there for indefinite time. Even in his calmer state, his instincts kept him anxious over not mating her. He would remain like this for the next few hours.

His fingers wove through her hair, cradling her close to him. "Please don't leave me, I love you," he said feverishly. She felt his breathing turn erratic, he was thinking she would leave him again. Mia clutched his shirt to remind him she was still here, not going anywhere.

Please calm, I'm staying.

His breathing slowly regulated to normal. He kissed her forehead again, this time more forlorn. "I wish you loved me too..."

Author Note: Dang it Samuel you have me tearing :'(. Comment and vote! Here are some questions

What do you think Mia's dream meant?

What did you think of Samuel with his instincts so high? Weird or sounds realistic??

I hope you liked it thanks for the support <3