Chapter 26

I tossed and turned all night. This is getting to be ridiculous. I cannot sleep to save my life. This is the fifth night that I have struggled to sleep…

Ever since I realized that Justin was my mate, it has been like my body has been telling me that something is missing and I will not get any rest to rectify it at all. I contemplated calling Justin for about the fifteenth time since he had left, just so I could get a good night’s rest. At least that is what I have been telling myself. I knew that if I gave in the once, then I will constantly give in and I am just not ready for that.

I could always go to Oliver’s room. He told me he was staying in the pack house tonight too. Hmmm….

'Kataleya, if you go to Oliver instead of our mate, I will not forgive you. You and I both know that our body does not want Oliver, it wants Justin. You could always stop being so damn stubborn and just call him. I am sure he will be a perfect gentleman.’ Skye says irritably. If I can’t sleep, then Skye doesn’t get sleep. She says that my thoughts keep her up at night and she is not able to tune me out. I swear my wolf is so damn dramatic. I laid there in silence for another few minutes. What if it doesn’t affect him the way it has been affecting me? Will he think I am crazy or laugh at me?

Skye was right though, it would not be fair of me to use Oliver in that manner and I knew that Oliver was not what my body wanted. My body wanted Justin. My mind just was not there.

Fuck it, I might as well do it…I will just lay down some ground rules for Justin, but I need to sleep.

I tested the mind-link and I could tell that he was trying to sleep.

‘…Justin…’ I hesitantly say through the link.

It was silent for a few moments before he responded. ‘Is everything alright?’

‘Yeah, well, kind of…not really. I was wondering if you could come over…I have not had a decent night sleep since before my birthday…and I need my sleep for this damn challenge tomorrow.’ I stopped talking, not knowing what else to say. He was silent for a few more minutes.

‘Yeah, I will be there in ten minutes.’ I let out a breath I did not realize I was holding. I am glad that he did not question what was going on too much.

Eight minutes had barely passed before I heard the knock on my door. I got up and opened the door. I let Justin into the room and we both stood there in an awkward silence.

“I am sorry that I woke you up. I know you need your sleep too.” I say to break the silence.

“It is perfectly fine, love. I told you to call me if you needed anything. I have struggled with sleeping lately too, but I was not going to ask you for anything you were not ready for.”

“Thank you, Justin. I have just a few rules though…the rules will make me feel better. I struggled with calling you tonight, but my wolf convinced me to.”

“Sure. Anything you want.”

“Nothing will happen. No sex. No touching. You are allowed to hold me around the waist. That is it. And that is only because this damn bond is making me crave your touch. Plus, the incessant talking and complaining from my wolf about wanting her mate. If you so choose, once I fall asleep, you may leave. You are not obligated to stay the entire night with me. If you are here in the morning, you cannot shower in here, you must return to your house to get ready for the challenge. Can you agree to my terms?”

I so hope he would agree with my terms. I was tired. I was tired of fighting this damn bond. I was tired of not being able to get a good nights’ rest.

“Yes, I told you I would agree to anything that you want of me. I promised you nothing will happen until you are ready to take that next step with me.”

I nodded my head at him and made my way to lay down in my bed. He takes his shirt off and I just started at him. I allowed my gaze to travel along the lines of his well-defined chest. I swallowed loudly and turned my head in the other direction as he made his way to my bed. We laid there in silence before he rolled towards me. He reached his arm over and wrapped it around my waist and his other arm went under my head. He tugged my body backwards to him, so that I was able to feel the hard plains of his chest.

“Thank you for coming,” I mumbled as I felt the darkness beginning to take over.

I believe the last thing I heard before I succumbed to the darkness was, “No need to thank me, love. I told you I would do anything for you.” I felt his lips on the back of my head and then nothing…

**Justin’s POV**

I laid there in silence, just watching my mate sleep in my arms. I was shocked when I felt her push her way through the link. I was having just as much trouble as she was sleeping.

I have not been sleeping well. To the point, most nights I end up getting up and reading a book on my phone. I have been running off two-three hours of sleep each night, if that. When she linked me tonight, I was ecstatic. I raced over here. I was not going to let this chance pass me by. I was thrilled that I might get to have a decent night sleep, but now that I am here and I am able to hold her, I cannot stop the thoughts running through my head.

I leaned over and buried my head into the side of her neck and inhaled her scent. The smell of her espresso and vanilla scent, mixing with her strawberry scented shampoo. She smells heavenly. The sparks running up and down my arms, wherever I am touching her, are making it hard to concentrate on falling asleep. I reached down and grabbed my fully erect cock and adjusted it. It was painfully tight and I was starting to become uncomfortable from my dick straining against the fabric of my pants. I would get up and deal with, but I also did not want to leave her. I sighed. I guess I will continue to lay her and think of something to make my painful erection dissipate.

When she told me that I did not need to stay all night and I could leave when she fell asleep if I had wanted, I nearly laughed at her. I planned to stay with her all night. Now only for her peace of mind, but for mine too.

Kataleya starts moving in her sleep, so I loosened my hold on her thinking that was the problem. She starts to whimper in her sleep. I wonder what my little mate is dreaming of?

Before I know it, she is starting to thrash in her sleep and her whimpers turns into soft cries. I tried shaking her to wake her, but she doesn’t wake despite my best efforts.

“Kataleya,” I tried again as I tried shaking her awake. She still does not wake.

She starts to full blown crying in her sleep. I moved myself and rolled her onto her back.

I tried to force a mind-link through to wake her up, but it still did not work. Fuck. How do I wake her?

I start to shake her again, this time shaking her harder. “Kataleya!” I raised my voice, hoping it would wake her.

She woke up with a start and sat up in the bed, gasping for air. I pulled her into my arms, just as she starting sobbing.

“Shhhh…it is okay, love. It was only a bad dream. I am here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I repeatedly told her this over and over while I waited for her to calm down.

After about 30 minutes, she started to calm down and the sobs turned into dull hiccups.

“Kat, do you wanna talk about it?” I hesitantly asked her. I don’t want to overstep, but I cannot help her if she will not tell me what happened to her.

She shook her head and mumbled, “It was just a bad dream. I don’t want to talk about it.”

I nodded my head at her and leaned back against the headboard. She moved off the top of me and laid next to me, using my chest as her pillow.

“Sleep tight, my love.” I mumbled to her as I heard her breathing even out, indicating that she had fallen back to sleep.

I do not know what just happened, but I will find out. I will find out what is troubling her. I will not continue to allow this to happen, even if that means I have to stay with her every night to protect her from her dreams.