Page 5 of His Impossible Elf Mate
Axel
As he promised, the elf, Teárlach, was there when I woke again. There was no telling how long I’d been resting, but I felt marginally more alert than before. My body ached, my muscles stiff from lying still for what was apparently weeks.
There were more people in my room. More elves, too. “Axel, this is Ívarr, he is taking the lead on the investigation into the sickness. You, of course, already know Aldrin and James. Hakeem and Teagan have been working in the main house…” Dakota was speaking, but I wasn’t really paying attention.
Everything felt fuzzy at the edges. Not quite in focus. The only person who I could see properly was the elf. He was a bright star on a cloudy night.
Internally, I rolled my eyes at the sentimental thoughts. I was just awake after a month long coma and waxing lyrical about a pretty elf I’d just met. Ridiculous. My wolf chuffed an amused sound at me, but he was just as interested in the elf. He liked the way he smelled.
I was aware of the passage of time as I floated in and out of consciousness. Chase stayed by me, chatting away with the elves, the nurses, anyone who would listen. His excitement was draining the little energy I had.
Chase looked different. Acted differently, too. He was still the hyper brother I was used to, yet he was also more steady. More like Blake. This was the side of him we saw when he was in work mode. Outside of pack business, he was the fun twin.
Honestly, when I looked back at that time, the hours and even days after I woke, all I could recall was the hold sleep had on me. I was more tired than I’d ever felt in my life, despite my month-long nap. At the same time, I felt restless, like I needed to go outside, be under the moon in my wolf form. My body just wasn’t able to give me what I craved.
Blake visited for a while with Kade, before he got Kade settled back at home. He, like Chase, wasn’t quite the same brother I remembered. The sickness haunted him. He was constantly worrying about the long-term effects of it alongside battling the guilt of being separated from the pack. All the challenges of running a pack at a distance had eaten at him as he tried to protect his very pregnant mate.
My time with the sickness hadn’t robbed me of seeing Kade pregnant, at least. For that, I was grateful. I couldn’t wait for my niblings to be born. They would be so treasured and likelyvery spoiled.
The days after I woke remained blurry with only the memory of Teárlach admitting he was staying close while Ívarr left Dakota’s house, sticking out to me. My relief at not losing the strange elf felt odd to me. We had just met, but he was already such an important, fundamental part of me. I didn’t know what I would have done without him.
To an outsider, we wouldn’t have had much to talk about, yet we spent days talking to each other about anything and everything. I told him about my work, my family, things I liked to do when I was off the clock, like playing music and reading fantasy books.
Teárlach told me he liked to play the flute, was fascinated to know we had read the same author, and told me many stories about his time in the army.
Under his care, I took the time and rest needed to get strong enough to get out of bed. Once I was stronger, there was talk of moving me back into my rooms in the main house. I didn’t want to go back to the noise and chaos of the main house and wondered if Blake would spare a home for me in the beta housing. Though it was unlikely there was space thanks to the elves and medical personnel.
“Would you…? I wonder…” Teárlach tried several times to ask me for something.
We were relaxing after my morning physical therapy appointment and a much needed nap. I was always so exhausted after the exercises Aldrin and Ívarr had drawn up for me. There was only somuch magical healing could do, and with so many betas in a similar position to me, we had to let nature and our shifter sides do their thing. Frustrating as shit, but understandable.
“What is it?”
“I wondered if perhaps you would like to take a walk with me. I know you have been outside in the yard, but I feel the forest would be more rejuvenating for you. It is for me.” He ended his speech with a blush, as if he was ashamed of the admission.
“A walk?” He seemed to deflate farther. I hated that expression on him. “I’d like that. It would be nice to get away from the others.” I grinned at him, unable to keep the smile off my face. I wanted to spend time alone with him. Here, there was always someone lingering nearby.
His answering smile was bright. “I am glad. I shall find you something warm to wear. It is colder out today and we do not want you catching a cold.”
Fall was fast approaching and the area had hit a spell of poor weather. Nothing too drastic, just a lot of rain and cooler temperatures. Dakota and Blake had asked about magical assistance for the orchards. We didn’t want to lose too many of the apples for our cider production.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. As much as I loved my family, extended and all, I hated how they had treated me since I woke. Chase was constantly on edge, like I was about to fall back into a comaagain if I slept too long, or showed any signs of illness. They would absolutely try to prevent me from taking a walk with my elf friend if they thought I wasn’t taking proper precautions.
Telling Teárlach that, as a shifter, I ran hotter, was likely pointless. He had heard how my family fussed over me and would pander to them if that’s what he needed to do. At heart, he was a peacemaker, despite his role in the army back home.
He left the room to return a few minutes later with a ghost of a smile playing around his lips, a zip up hoodie and shoes for me in his long-fingered hands.
I’d had daydreams about those hands, okay? They were one of the first things I noticed about a person. Unlike Blake, I wasn’t particular about gender but nice hands and kind eyes were always a must even for a brief hookup, which was all I’d had in the last few years, especially since we lost our parents.
My brothers came before anything else. We were, or used to be, the only family we had outside of our cousin, Deke. Now we had Kade’s parents acting like we were theirs, too. His grandparents had adopted me and Chase as their extra grandchildren. We had new siblings in Hayden when he arrived in a couple of months, and Angel.
It made me feel less… alone, like I was fighting for my brothers against the world. Now I had backup, I had people I could go to for advice. Though it was going to take a bit of getting used to.
“They agreed that some fresh air and light exercise would be beneficial. They thought a scarf and hat may be necessary, but I convinced them I would use my magic if I felt you were getting a chill.” Teárlach said as he helped me zip up the hoodie. I might have felt like a child being dressed by a parent if it wasn’t for the heated look in his eyes or the way he dragged his fingers up my body along with the zip.
Never had dressing felt erotic.
After quickly putting on my shoes, I was ready for a trip outside. I tried to restrain my enthusiasm for time alone with Teárlach. I didn’t think I was any good at hiding my feelings, because his eyes danced with mirth every time they met mine.
