Chapter 6: Acting Strange

-Brendon-

My mate had clearly had an upsetting night. She seemed so confused, but the doctor claimed she was completely fine. So I knew she simply needed rest, and she would be all right again. Then, when she felt perfectly fine, I would show my little disobedient mate why sneaking out and keeping secrets from me was not a good decision.

“What are you thinking?” she whispered as we lay in the dark.

“Why aren’t you resting?” I countered.

“I asked first.”

I chuckled before kissing her on top of her head again and hearing her sigh so contently.

“Just thinking about when you feel better, and if I ever learn someone might have drugged you, I’m going to rip them limb from limb.”

Celeste lifted her head, but I pulled her close to me so she couldn’t move. She wiggled a little around.

“You’re crushing me! And I don’t condone brutal murder!” she snarled.

I smiled, but I wouldn’t take my words back or let her go. I knew what a mate’s touch could do. We healed each other simply by being close.

“Lie still.”

“No, I don’t know why we are cuddling,” she told me.

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

“It’s strange,” she replied, turning to give me her back so she could create a little distance.

“Strange? Why would it be strange?”

She sighed, and I felt her turmoil through the bond. I leaned on my arm as I began stroking her back and arm, and she once again calmed down simply from me touching her.

“Celeste?” I called.

“This is so weird,” she whispered.

“What is?”

She shook her head, clearly not wanting to tell me what was going on.

“Did something happen?” I inquired.

“What didn’t happen?” she groaned.

“I don’t understand.”

Celeste placed her hands over her face, confusing me further.

“Talk to me, beautiful,” I murmured before kissing her shoulder.

“This isn’t you!” she exclaimed, turning to look at me.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re mean! You tease me! You taunt me. You practically bullied me all my life!” she snarled.

I sighed, knowing I’d given her a hard time, but it wasn’t until I got older that I truly understood what I wanted from her—and why I had always targeted her.

“Don’t stare,” Jason warned me.

“I’m not staring,” I snapped, though my eyes were fixed on Celeste and the short skirt she was wearing.

She was leaning over a table, the skirt doing a poor job of hiding her curves—or maybe it was doing exactly what it was designed to do. It certainly drew the attention of the other young male werewolves around her and her friends.

“Brendon,” Jason warned again.

“How can you not have a problem with that?” I spat, turning to him. He chuckled, his focus still on his phone.

“I do, but I’m not a controlling brother, and I’m not her mate,” he teased, glancing up at me. Only he knew why I was so restless.

“She’s sixteen!”

“And you know what happens when young wolves reach that age and—” A dark growl escaped me, making Jason chuckle again before facing me.

“Oh, come on, were we any better at sixteen?” he taunted.

“Don’t even…” I growled, my voice dropping low.

“You could just be honest.”

“No, Celeste would deny it. I’m four years older than her, and since she has not hit eighteen yet, she can’t feel our connection.”

“You know it’s not about the age difference, it’s about how you’ve always teased her.”

“Yeah, I know… I didn’t exactly make it easy for myself, but now I understand why I did it,” I admitted. “I want to make up for it.”

“You’re not doing a great job so far.”

“I can’t help it. Not when all these wolves are looking at her… like that!” I growled, unable to sit still any longer. One of those young wolves was making a move on Celeste.

“Wow, Brendon!” Jason exclaimed.

But it was too late for Jason to stop me. I was already on my feet, stepping between Celeste and the other wolf, pushing him back before turning to face her. She stared up at me, her eyes wide.

“Could you make it any more obvious how much attention you crave?” I snapped, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Celeste gasped, clearly hurt by my words, and I regretted them immediately. But before I could apologize, she spun around and stormed off.

Well done, my wolf mocked.

“We have already talked about this. I know you fought our connection a little in the beginning because of what I did, but you accepted me in the end,” I reminded her.

“Why?” she inquired.

“What do you mean ‘why’? Because we are true mates, and we can’t stay away from each other,” I reminded her.

“It’s confusing.”

“We have been together for a while now. Why is it suddenly confusing?”

She groaned again, looking completely disoriented, as if she couldn’t tell up from down. Maybe someone had really drugged her with something undetectable, something that could have caused amnesia. Why else would she be acting like this?

“Celeste?” I called.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” she whispered.

“What doesn’t?”

“Us!” she yelled.

“It doesn’t always make sense, but we shouldn’t question the Moon Goddess, should we?” I inquired.

“But why us?”

“You just questioned her,” I teased, but Celeste didn’t look like she was in the mood for jokes. So I reached out and stroked some of her hair away from her sweaty face. It was clear she was very upset. “Celeste, did something else happen tonight? Did you hit your head?”

“No… I don’t think so,” she replied.

“You’re acting as if you can’t remember our time together. We already had this discussion when you learned I was your mate, and you fought it for months.”

“I did?”

“See? This is what I mean. Why are you asking me this when you can remember it yourself?” I asked.

“I…”

“Celeste, if you are experiencing memory loss, tell me. Tell me what you’re feeling,” I insisted, feeling so scared about what was suddenly going on with her.

“No, I…” She seemed unsure what to say, but to my surprise, she turned toward me again. She scooted closer, burying her face in my chest, clearly seeking my warmth. That felt better. That felt more like my Celeste.

“Just hold me,” she whispered.

I would gladly comply with that command and wrap my arm tightly around her.

“I feel strange,” she admitted after a small pause.

“Strange how? Should I get it, doc?”

“No,” she said, pressing her nose to my shirt, inhaling my scent and shuddering a little in pleasure. “I just feel confused.”

“Well, you had a very strange night. That is not so weird.”

“But it feels weird. I feel weird.”

“Do you feel sick?” I asked.

“No, my head hurts a little, but I just feel dizzy and like things are not adding up.”

“Adding up, how?” I echoed, but she shook her head, clearly not wanting to answer that. “Celeste, I can’t help you if you don’t explain what you’re feeling properly. Let me help you.”

“The thing is, I don’t know what I need help with.”

I sighed, understanding how frustrating that must feel. She turned her head slightly, and I gently placed my hand on her cheek, softly stroking it.

“Maybe you just need some rest,” I suggested.

“Maybe,” she whispered, but her eyes began filling with tears.

“Don’t cry, beautiful. You will be okay once you have slept a little. You just had a frightening night,” I reminded her.

“It feels like more than that,” she confessed. “It feels like I’m not supposed to be here.”

“You’re not supposed to be. This is a hospital bed,” I teased, but she shook her head, not wanting me to joke. “Okay, explain the feeling to me.”

“It just feels out of place.”

“You and me?” I inquired.

“Just me. I just have this strange feeling that it’s wrong,” she admitted.

“What exactly is wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” she confessed, sniffling a little.

I wiped her cheeks clean of her tears before I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. She gasped as if the kiss took her by surprise, but then a moment later she reciprocated with the same vigor as always. I wanted to get lost in her as always, but I pulled back before it went too far and gave her a small smile.

“Sleep a little. You will feel better,” I assured her.

She sighed and nodded before closing her eyes.