Dekaefta [ 17 ]

My heart dropped and I quickly stood up. "What?" I reached for the mobile in Tristan's hand and brought it to my ear. "What's wrong with my mother, Alpha?"

He sighed a sigh that was weighted with sympathy and foreboding. "It's like the grief is killing her, Kara. She can't survive without you."

Upon hearing of my mother's pain, grief seized me by the throat and I had trouble breathing as I choked out a response. "L-Let me speak to her."

"I finally managed to get her to sleep. She hasn't even been sleeping, Kara. She doesn't tend to the flowers anymore and I really didn't realise how alive she kept this place. She needs you. I realise that now."

I couldn't stop the sense of resentment that took me at a stronghold. "I told you." My voice lowered and I shook my head. "I told you that I'm all she has and you didn't listen to me. If anything happens to her, it will be your fault." The bitterness was clear in my voice and I could feel myself beginning to shake.

It all came back to me and before I knew it, I was seething with anger.

"Wake her up and let me speak to her."

His annoyance was clear with the way he exhaled harshly into the call, but I couldn't bring myself to care at all. There was rummaging on his end before my mother's voice filtered through, frail and small.

"Kara?"

My heart broke and the tears instantly filled my eyes. "Mum. I'm coming home, okay?" I didn't miss the way Tristan tensed, but I continued anyway. "Rest up and hang in there for me. I'll be with you within the week."

A sigh of relief sounded through the call and I smiled at the excitement in my mother's voice. "I've been missing you terribly, my flower. I just want you home again." She paused and cleared her throat to rid herself of the telltale sign that she had been sleeping. "Is...is he coming with you?"

I looked up at Tristan and noticed he was fighting a frown before he reluctantly shook his head. "No, Mum. Just me." I paused as I rubbed my face with my hand. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself."

She yawned and I could tell she was nodding her head. "I promise, Kara. I'll pass you back to Alpha Ramiel."

A few beats of silence passed as Tristan stepped all the way into the room, standing next to me. His hand lightly rested on my waist and I had to step away from his touch. The only person on my mind was my mother and it was hard to forget that because of Tristan, I couldn't stay with her.

"Send me your flight details when you book it and I'll make sure you're picked up from the airport." His tone was brisk and I knew that my demeanour towards him ticked him off, and a few seconds later, he hung up.

Turning back to face Tristan, I handed him his phone back with a deep frown on my face. I could tell that he wanted to say something to stop me from leaving. His shoulders were tense and he had that look in his eye that told me he was thinking a million and one things.

When it seemed like he wasn't going to say anything, I retrieved my phone from the bedside table and began looking for the first possible flights. Taking a seat on the foot of the bed, I rested my head against the wood that made up the canopy.

It was only when I found a flight for the next evening that Tristan moved from where he was standing to hand me his card. I went to shake my head when he placed it in my hand and spoke quietly.

"Let me pay for it, Kara. It's the least I can do." The deep frown was still evident on his face and I quietly entered his card details before purchasing the ticket.

"Are you okay?" I uttered, placing my phone down to glance up at him.

He mustered up a smile that looked more painful than anything. "It doesn't matter if I'm okay right now. It's selfish of me to want you to stay here in Greenland."

"She's my mother, Tristan," I whispered, directing my gaze downwards. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to her—I left without an explanation and she had to find out that my mate is probably the most dangerous alpha we've ever known." The stress took me at a stronghold and I lowered my head to my hands. "If she dies because of me, I'll never forgive myself...or you."

He winced and nodded sombrely with a genuinely apologetic look on his face. He slowly knelt down in front of me and rested his arms on my legs. "I'm sorry." He blew out a low breath. "When I met you, the only thing on my mind was giving my pack a Luna and making sure you would actually come with me. I didn't think of how all of this has affected you, and that's on me."

I kept my eyes on my hands and bit my lip to stop the shaky breath that desperately wanted to fall. All I could think of was my mother in pain and that alone was enough to break my heart. With a gentle hand on my chin, Tristan lifted my head up to level his gaze with mine.

"I'm just really going to miss you. I don't even want to think of you being in a whole other country." Leaning up, he brushed his lips over mine. "I understand, Kara. Helping your mother is what is important here."

Lifting my hands to cup his face, I pressed my mouth to his in a slow kiss, taking advantage of my position over him as I deepened the kiss. He groaned into my mouth as his lips moved against mine for a few long moments. When he pulled back, he closed his eyes and stood up from the floor.

"I don't have as much self-control as you think I do, αγάπη μου. If we carry on kissing like that, sleeping is going to be the last thing that we're doing." Taking a deep breath, he walked over to his side of the bed.

I managed to catch my breath in time. "Saying things like that doesn't help me with my self-control either." I crawled onto the bed and propped my pillows up in a position I deemed comfortable. "You give me a taste of your passion and then pull back all too soon."

His lips pulled upwards into a small, knowing smirk as his thumb sensually rested on my bottom lip. "You can't handle me right now, αγάπη. If I take you, it won't be just once and you have somewhere to be."

Whether I was shocked or turned on was a mystery to me, but it was most likely a bit of both. The mere thought of it was so tempting, but I had to reel it in when I remembered that I did indeed have somewhere to be. Being in the throes of passion with Tristan was something I deeply desired but had to be acted upon at another time.

I knew the time wasn't right, but it didn't make me want him any less.

From the look on his face alone, I knew he got the reaction he wanted and realised that it was amusing to him. He thrived off the fact that every fibre of my being wanted him, and that alone spurred me to play him at his own game. Leaning closer to whisper in his ear, I tilted my head slightly so my lips brushed against the shell.

"You know I can. I'm your mate for a reason." I knew from the moment I said it that I'd get a reaction but when a low growl vibrated deep in his chest, my whole body warmed and it dawned on me just how dangerous what I had just said was.

He gripped the sheets so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He closed his eyes and his jaw was tense as he inhaled deeply. "Kara...my self-control is slipping."

Knowing that he probably needed some distance between us, I climbed out of bed on less than stable legs. "I-I'm going to get you a glass of water."

A strained grunt fell from his lips and I rushed out of the room, heading downstairs to fill up a glass of water. Setting the glass on the counter, I ran my hands under the tap before lightly patting my neck to cool myself down. It was a futile attempt since I knew that I would desire Tristan with every breath that I took.

The mate pull played a part in my fierce attraction to him, but I knew that mates or not, I still would have found him dangerously sexy. He had a powerful aura and a dominating nature.

When I barely managed to get a hold of myself, I took hold of the glass and made my way back upstairs. He was no longer in bed and I could see how wrinkled the sheets were from his tight grip. It almost looked like it was on the verge of tearing.

Placing the glass on the bedside table, I watched as he came out of the bathroom looking a lot more composed than he did almost ten minutes ago. He took the glass of water and brought it to his lips before downing it within seconds.

"Let's go to sleep now—for real this time." His lips lifted into a small smile as I nodded, climbing into bed after him.

Settling my head on his chest, I listened to his heartbeat that was quicker than normal. I could say the exact same for me, it was like my heart didn't know a steady rhythm when it came to him. "Good night, Tristan."

His hand gently smoothed out my hair as he lowered his head to press his cool lips to my forehead. "Good night, Kara."