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“Where is he?” Lydia ran in to the Hale house.
“Lydia,” Derek started, moving to stop her.
“Where is he?!” She screamed, panic and fear the only emotions she felt.
“He’s fine,” Derek said and that seemed to calm her, for the moment he supposed. “But he’s hurt. I had to make him sleep. He’ll heal faster that way.”
Lydia knew the rules. Derek didn’t need to explain them to her. Two years she had been with Isaac. It was long enough for her to become an expert on all things werewolves. When your mate was a werewolf you made it your business to know everything, even if you weren’t one. “Where is he Derek?”
Derek sighed and led her through the house to his own bedroom. High heels clicked behind him. If for some odd reason no one knew she was there then they knew now. He’d acquired three more wolves over the past couple of years. They had stayed away from Lydia when they first joined. She was overbearing, he had to admit. When Isaac wasn’t safe she was unbearable. Pushing open the door he stepped out of the way for her to enter. Sprawled on large blanket was a large light brown werewolf.
At the sight of Isaac, Lydia blinked back tears. “I knew,” she whispered as she walked forward and came to stand by the sleeping wolf. “His pain, his panic and then he shut me out.” Slowly, she lowered to kneel next to him. “I felt like I was falling." In fact, she had stumbled, nearly crashing to the ground as he ripped himself from her.
“He didn’t want you to know,” Derek reasoned. He hadn’t understood at the time. Isaac was a part of his pack, and by connection so was Lydia, so in some way he could feel their mate bond. Not in the way they did though, no where near that. It had been there earlier, and then gone. Not really missing, just dormant, empty. A void.
“Not knowing is worse,” she responded and reached out to brush her hand over his coat, steering clear of the bandage wrapped around his stomach. “I’m still shut out,” she whispered, blinking back tears. “I need…” Lydia trailed off, trying to control her emotions, at least to some extent in front of Derek. “I need you to wake him.”
“Lydia…”
“I know, he needs to sleep. But just a bit, you can do that. I need him to let me back in.” Turning she looked up at him. “You know it will help him.”
Unfortunately, it was the truth. Isaac may have shut Lydia out to protect her, but it wasn’t helping him heal. With a sigh Derek relented. “Not long Lydia.”
She nodded and kicked off her shoes so that she more comfortably sitting in front of him and raised her hand to his head to brush the fur over his face. It started with a deep breath. Isaac’s breathing picked up as he roused from sleep. Then his eyes opened to stare at her. “I hate you,” she whispered. He blinked. “You don’t get to shut me out.” This time she did cry, ignoring the fact that Derek was still standing behind her. Isaac lifted his head slightly and the emptiness that had been lingering within her was flooded with emotion and she released a shaky sigh. As a wolf his emotions were clear. Wolves didn’t feel the range of emotions humans did. Even still sleepy she could feel his regret and relief at seeing her there. He needed her, she could feel that. “I’m not going anywhere.” His head lowered to the ground and she scooted into a better position and laid next to him staring, into his eyes as she kept a hand resting on his face.
“I can put him back to sleep. You don’t have to stay,” Derek said finally, feeling uncomfortable for interrupting the moment.
“Yes I do. He’s fine,” she said and looked up, “he doesn’t need to be put back to sleep.”
Derek could get that much from Isaac. The wolf would rather be conscious of Lydia next to him. Of course Isaac would be pissed she slept on the floor. Going over to the bed Derek grabbed a pillow and the comforter. “Here.”
Lydia glanced up at him then pushed herself onto her arm as he slid the pillow where her head had been laying. He then he billowed the blanket over her body. “Thanks,” she whispered.
“Just make sure he gets better,” Derek responded and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Derek gave him the clear and removed the bandage the next morning Lydia sat on the bed and waited as he changed. It took longer then it usually did and she knew he still wasn’t healed all the way. Isaac had been impatient though, and the annoyance at being forced to stay in his wolf form had only grown as the hours wore on.
So Lydia griped the sides of the bed as she waited anxiously for him to complete the change. When he was done, lying naked on the floor, holding himself up on his arms just barely, panting, she rushed forward and lowered herself next to him. Immediately she brought her arms around him to help support his weight. “I still hate you,” she whispered into his shoulder.
Isaac sighed, letting his muscles relax, and then turned his head so that he could face her, pulling away just slightly. Normally, Isaac would have teased her, because he knew it was the opposite, but he remembered the feelings that had rushed him when he’d let her back in. “I’m sorry, I was trying not to hurt you.”
“You did though,” Lydia responded and she could tell her words hurt him. “Just don’t do it again.”
Isaac only nodded and rested his head on her shoulder with a sigh.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, fed and then I’m taking you home and we’re going back to bed,” Lydia instructed and moments later she was helping him up.