Chapter 172

Raph smiled softly as he observed his mate in the dim light. With a gentle touch he tucked a piece of damp hair away from her face. Her pink lips were parted open as she slept and her long lashes rested oh, so, perfectly on her cheeks.

His wolf had resurfaced for some reason the moment they had landed. He'd even thought about waking her in the limo and doing it then but thinking back that was preposterous. Shaking his head he brought it down to rest on hers.

Looking across from him he saw the clock read ten to twelve.

Smiling he kissed his mate's forehead and his lips were met by a hint of cinnamon. He found it somewhat a relief that she could taste him too, he loved it tasting her soft, plump flesh and he was very glad to hear that she had been enjoying the same experience. His eyes flitted to her shoulder and with his thumb he rubbed her mark sensually. She stirred and her mouth parted wider. A grin replaced his smile but he would let her rest.

Closing his eyes he tightened his arms around her and felt her soft globes press against his chest. Reveling in the feeling he fell asleep, a distant concern in his mind of what morning might bring.

~~~~~~~~~~

Waking, he found his mate already awake, still unclothed.

He smiled and looked down at her but her eyes were staring blankly straight ahead, at his chest. He moved a hand from her back to stroke the back of her soft hair which was still a little matted from the early morning's activities.

Not withholding the smile that appeared from the enjoyable memory he slid down on the bed so his eyes were level with hers.

"Good morning, Love." He said tenderly in a voice still full of sleep while his hand stroked her hair still.

She merely looked down then back up, "Good morning." She replied in a clear voice, unhaggered by sleep.

His mind began to try and solve what was wrong; the only answer was what his previous fears had been. She was shutting down.

He knew that she would eventually after everything that had happened in the past two days but he'd hoped it wouldn't be today.

He pulled her closer and let his legs entwine with hers once again, she had untangled them and curled up next to him.

He knew that she wouldn't want to talk about it and that she needed time to process but he didn't want her to do it alone. He was her mate and he was here for this.

Sighing, feeling frustrated with the circumstances he gave her a kiss and rose out of the bed to work.

After showering and getting dressed he exited the closet only to see that she was now hugging a pillow, her face away from him.

She still had not dressed and her bare shoulders and upper back could be seen.

A very tempting view, he thought but quickly dismissed it knowing that she was thinking.

Again feeling frustrated he gave her one last kiss and felt his heart squeeze seeing her blank expression with a mix of lostness in it. Leaning down he gave her a hug and he told her that he would be in the office if she needed him.

She merely looked up at him and replied, "Kay."

He thinned his lips in worry and left to begin working on the backlog.

THREE HOURS LATER…

Rubbing his eyes he blinked at the computer screen.

'300,000 dollars?' He asked again as he stared at the figures, 'How on earth did Dawson Pack spend that much money in just two months?' He asked dumbfounded and annoyed at the issue.

Dawson Pack was situated near Prince Rupert, a very, very small town known for it's smallness near the British Columbia and Alaskan border.

Hearing a knock at the door he looked up and saw Brooke standing there, she was dressed now but instead of her usual jeans she wore high-waisted, baggy sweatpants, a loose, old t-shirt and an oversized sweater. She looked very attractive when she wore baggy clothes, they hung on her curves.

His mind couldn't help but become concerned at how she was doing, especially with her facial expression.

She was looking at him with a combination of sadness and apprehension.

Immediately standing from his chair he got up and walked to where she stood in the doorway. He thought about wrapping an arm around her shoulder and walking her to the couch but decided against it and he picked her up.

She made no objection and simply wrapped her small arms around his neck her head resting on his chest.

Sitting down on the couch she didn't move and continued to stay in his arms. He didn't smile.

He knew that she had low days and she found it hard to be happy about anything but it was always agonizing to be her comforter when she hardly made a response to his touch.

Sighing through his nose he cuddled with her and when it was lunchtime he said that they should eat something.

"What would you like to eat?" He asked, trying to add a playful lilt to his voice.

"Mmm…" She hummed, "Ice cream with cookie dough and caramel, some Caramilk bars, some Mars bars, some Sprite or Ginger Ale, maybe even Cranberry Ginger Ale…"

"Brooke," He laughed, "Something substantial."

She frowned and he noticed her hint of a pout, so cute.

"I don't want something like that. I am craving chocolate." She said tightening her arms around his shoulders.

"Tell you what, if you eat what I cook for you I will buy you a small tub of cookie dough ice cream and some Caramilk bars."

He saw some light flash in her eyes and she nodded on his shoulder.

"Okay," He said feeling victorious, "Would you like to go back to the bed?"

To this she nodded again and he picked her up again, laying her gently on the bed he tucked her in and she wiggled around a bit to get comfy. Kissing her forehead he left the room and began to cook her a simple omelette with cheese and ham.

While whisking the eggs his phone rung. Reaching into his pocket he pulled his phone out and saw that it was on of the Pack's accountants.

"Hello." He answered as he poured the whisked eggs into the frying pan.

"Hello, Beta Raphael?" The nasally voice asked.

"Yes, this is he."

"Yes… I'm calling because of SnowBird Pack's recent spending amounts."

"No, no. Uh, it was Dawson Pack that had gone over their budget." He said flipping the omelet.

"No, Beta, it says here that four Pack's have not been heeding your "guidelines" or budgets as you call them."