In Reach?
Laughter with a Stranger

Mira’s POV

I stir in my sleep, and quickly close my eyes when the bright lights hit my eyes. I lift my hand over my face to try and cover the brightness getting through my eyelids.

I hear some ruffling in the background. “You’re awake?” I hear a deep voice, a man’s voice.

I try to open my eyes again. He’s making his way to me and feeling my forehead.

“Who are you?” I ask through my hoarse voice.

He smiles brightly, beautifully, but it’s not as beautiful as Liam’s smile. Ugh! Why am I thinking of him anyways?

“I’m Ashton. A healer. Char asked me to help keep an eye on you.”

Oh, okay. So, it’s not a case of stranger-danger. At least he knows Charlotte. I just nod.

I try to sit up, but he tries to stop me. “Are you sure you’re ready to get up? Your fever just about came down.”

At least he’s not giving the cold vibe I’m used to with the others.

I smile at him. “I’m sure. Thanks though. But I really need to get up. My body already feels like a log from sleeping for so long.”

“Okay.” He looks at me intently though. “Can I make you something to eat then, while you get ready?”

Wow, is he offering to make me food? That’s a first, and it’s not like I’m going to say 'no' to such an offer. I can’t help but smile brightly.

“That will be nice, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Of course not.” He really is a gentleman.

Just as I swing my feet off the bed and try to stand, I feel like I’m about to fall. But I don’t. I’m surrounded in a pair of buff arms, and I know he caught me.

“Easy there. Don’t push yourself too much.”

He’s so close to my face and still manages to be professional. How is this turning me into a puddle of blush?

I giggle and try to pull myself up by his arms. Arms, my small hands clearly can’t grasp. At least he helps me to my feet.

“Thanks.” I stand on my own now, sensing the feeling in my feet returning.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

I just nod my head again. This man is making me shy. I’m such a klutz in front of him.

When I get to my room, I realize the terrible state I’m in. I have bedhead and am wearing an oversized shirt covered in blood. Dammit woman! What must that man think of you now? And I was getting all flushed in front of him.

I shower and put on something far better, - a cute and casual knee length dress, with thin straps and buttons running all the way down the front. I feel a whole lot better today and now I can look the part as well. I smile at the mirror feeling satisfied. I see the time on the clock and see it’s already past five in the afternoon. I must have slept through the whole day again.

I make my way down the stairs and can already smell the delicious scent of chilli con carne. I walk into the kitchen and see……Ashton in front of the stove. He can cook?

“Oh you’re here. I hope you’re fine with chilli?” I can see him getting bowls ready.

“So, you’re a doctor and a cook?” I ask smiling as I make my way to the highchair at the kitchen counter opposite the stove, looking at him work.

“Yeah, well I can’t wait around for a woman to get a decent meal.”

I chuckle at his comment. At least he can take care of himself.

“A man with reason.” I lean over to look into the pot. It looks good. I try to get a whiff of it too. “Mmhh. Is that cilantro I smell. Many people don’t bother to put it in.”

I look at him as I hear him laugh. “You know your food. And just from smelling it.”

He dishes two bowls. “Here.” He hands me one over the counter.

“Thank you.” I say excitedly ready to dig in.

I see him coming around the counter placing the other bowl next to me and joining me.

“Are you sure you’re fine here?” I don’t really know how to ask this?

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m sure you have a lot of other stuff to do. Besides I’m all better now, so you don’t need to babysit me.”

He laughs again. “I’m already done with what I had to do. My last task was to keep an eye on you in case you wake up. So now that that is done, why not enjoy your company as well?” He says as he takes a spoon full of the chilli.

“But,…” He looks up at me curiously. “I know you’re not from around here, coz I’ve never seen you before. But, people here prefer to,……….stay clear of me.” I don't know how much he really knows about my being here. Or is he my new babysitter?

He looks confused though.

“What do you mean by that?”

I don’t know what to say so I just look back at the food in front of me.

“Is it because you’re a rogue? Or because your wolf is dormant?”

I look up at him, wondering how he knows this. But then again, he is a doctor. They probably filled him in on me a bit, -for medical purposes?

“Don’t worry. That doesn’t bother me at all. I’m more interested in you as a person than worried about your wolf.” He says smiling, making me smile in return. At least he isn’t so judgemental.

I take the spoon full of chilli and eat it. “Mmmhhh.” I moan at the taste. This is amazing, and there is something in this, almost sweet. “Wait, did you put…………dark chocolate in this?” I ask smiling at him.

“Dammit woman.” I hear him chuckle again. “How did you know? That’s my secret ingredient. You barely had one taste and you already figured it out. And here I thought I might take my secret to my grave.”

We both laugh at this, but we stop when we sense someone behind us. We both turn around to look and see an annoyed looking Noah standing there, watching us.

“Hey Noah.” Ashton greets him, but Noah doesn’t smile back.

“Hey Ashton. What are you still doing here? It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be getting back to your pack?”

Rude much.

“I don’t know. I think I might just have to extend my stay a little.”

“What do you mean by that?” Noah crosses his arms now.

“Well, it turns out I still have a few things to do here before I can leave.” Ashton looks at me with that smile of his.

But didn’t he say he was done with everything. Oh wait, is he just saying this so that he can keep me company a bit longer? Fine by me then.

I just smile back at Noah too.

“Where is Char?” Noah groans out.

“I think she’s downstairs in Aiden’s office.”

Noah just walks off without saying anything else.

I look back at Ashton and join in on his laugh. He seems like he likes to piss off Noah too. Oh I like him. We can get along just fine.

We finish our chilli and we rinse our bowls, making sure to leave the kitchen clean. But then he pulls me by my wrist as he walks me to, I don’t know where.

“Come with me.” He says smiling.

“Where are you taking me?” But he’s quiet, and just smiles back.

He leads me out the back door and takes me around the corner.

“Did you know that this isn’t just a garden?”

We’re in the garden, the very one that I always see through the library’s window. It has knee-length rose bushes of all colours.

“What do you mean?”

“This is actually a maze.”

“Really?” I’m excited now. I never looked at it like that.

“Yeah. I used to play here as a kid. The trick is to run through it and find your way out at the other end as fast as you can.”

“Wow. I never knew.”

“So you better start running.” I look over to him and see him approaching me with a huge smile and raised hands, looking like they’re ready to tickle me. “Before I catch you.” He’s getting closer.

Oh, no. I don’t do well with tickling. I laugh all hysterically when I get tickled.

“No, no, no.” I say as I take steps backwards, further into the garden.

“Oh yes.” He gives me a mischievous smile before he takes a lunge to reach out to me.

Aaah! I squeal as I try to dodge away from his grasp and start running further into the garden, laughing out loud.

I can hear his chuckling behind me as he’s chasing me in a jog.

The sun is already setting and the dusk lighting of the sky is just making the garden look extra beautiful with its orange glow.

I took so many quick turns and eventually found myself next to him, but with a rose bush blocking him from me. I giggled as I continued to run, knowing he can’t get me. But looking over my shoulder I see him jump over the bush and my eyes widened as he came nearer.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” I shout over my shoulder.

I can see it, the exit, but I still need to run a few more steps.

“Only if I don’t catch you.”

“That doesn’t even ma-.” I squeal as two strong arms come around my waist spinning me away from the exit, from my victory.

“Hey, that’s not fair.” I say laughingly over my shoulder as he’s still holding me from behind. “You cheated.”

He chuckles, and I can feel it run through my body. “Like I said, it’s only cheating if I don’t catch you.”

“And like I said,” I’m still chuckling in his hold trying to catch my breath from all the running, “that doesn’t even make sense.”

“What the fuck is going on here?”

We both look up and see Liam standing just in front of the garden looking very pissed. Noah, Aiden and Theo are behind him with confusing expressions I can’t quite make out, - his personal entourage.

My smile drops and from the corner of my eye I can see Ashton’s smile drops too. What a way to ruin the mood.

“Let go of her.” Liam commands sternly.

Like, what the hell. Is he still pissed at me? Can his guests not keep me company now either?

I can feel Ashton’s arms tense around me, and I know he’ll let go. But he doesn’t.

“No.”

What? Is he challenging Liam?

I look up at him, still in his arms, trying to understand what he’s doing. But he just smiles softly back down at me.

We look back up in front of us as we hear all of the others growling at,…..Ashton, at us.

How am I supposed to handle this? I’m practically held ‘captive’ by Ashton’s grip around me, he doesn’t want to let go and the others don’t want me here. Who is the lesser evil right now?

"I won't ask you again, Ashton." He says his name with such disdain. "Step away from her, now."

Ashton though tightens his grip around me, like he's struggling. "I can't do that, Liam." He says in a steady voice though.

Liam looks pissed now. I can see his eyes glow. "And why the fuck not?" He says through a growl.

"Because,........she's my mate."

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.