LORENZO

I made my way back into the kitchen, Lily perched on a barstool, her eyebrows raised at me questionably.

"Don't," I growled, dragging my hand down my face, shaking my head.

"I didn't say anything," Lily spoke, holding her hands up defensively, a smirk playing at her lips.

"You didn't have to."

"Oh come on, am I not allowed to tease you about the way you look at her? What are Betas for?" she laughed, causing me to chuckle, leaning my head against the wall, groaning.

Mia was so small and fragile, and I was terrified that I was going to break her- physically and mentally.

However, she was already the death of me. This innocent girl had come into my life, and suddenly, was now the only thing keeping me grounded on this Earth.

"Is she asleep?" mumbled Lily, attempting to listen in on Mia's breathing from upstairs. My body relaxed as her breaths slowed, indicating she was falling asleep, getting some rest she so desperately needed.

"Yeah. I'm not surprised she's exhausted after all the screaming and crying last night."

Lily nodded in agreement, her eyes looking pitiful. "It was pretty bad."

Shaking my head, I scratched at my stubble. "I'm not sure if she remembers it though."

"She doesn't," spoke Lily, causing me to cock my head, raising a brow. "I asked her how she slept and she said 'fine', and was acting a little confused when I double checked. I didn't want you to bring it up in case it embarrassed her, but I don't think she actually woke up properly during the attack."

"That wouldn't surprise me," I said, nodding. "She wasn't responding to me when I went in and checked on her."

My heart had practically shattered from within me last night when I awoke to my mate screaming loudly. I was terrified that she was injured, or somehow, someone had got through the pack defence and come to take her away from me.

Even now, I shook at the thought.

I was afraid to touch her too much in case she freaked out, so I lay down next to her and stroked her back, ushering soothing words, not wanting to push her boundaries. After a couple of minutes, she seemed to relax under my touch, quieting down again.

I had been more than tempted to stay with her all night, but I knew that I would be pushing my luck, so once I was sure that she was in a deep sleep and was completely calm again, I left reluctantly.

I wasn't able to sleep for the remainder of the night though, wanting to be aware just in case Mia were to suffer from another night terror.

"Does she know about what you two are? I'm guessing she hasn't said anything?" asked my Beta, bringing me out of my flashback of last night, which I was more than thankful for.

"I don't know if she knows or even feels anything. I don't want to drop it on her. She's too unstable right now. I don't know how she would react."

"Lorenzo, I've seen the way she looks at you, and I've heard how her heartbeat flutters whenever she sees you. She definitely feels something, even if she doesn't know what it is yet," replied Lily.

I smiled, sighing, but before I could open my mouth to reply, a loud knock came from the front door, and I furrowed my brows.

Now really wasn't the time for this.

"We'll have to finish this conversation later. I've got a visitor."

MIA

I yawned as I pushed myself out of bed, my bare feet padding against the warm wooden flooring as I made my way into the bathroom.

I gazed at the clock on the wall, sighing when I realised I had only slept for around forty minutes. However, I wanted a shower, but was unsure whether I was supposed to ask or not.

I didn't want to risk making Lorenzo mad. It would be his water I would be using up after all.

After a few minutes of contemplation, I decided to risk it, not enjoying the sticky feeling of sweat tainting my skin. I stripped, stepping under the cold stream quickly, washing myself as quickly as I could, hoping that Lorenzo would be too busy to realise.

Stepping out, I towel dried my hair, wrapping it around my body and exiting the bathroom, grimacing at the used clothes I was holding in my hands. I felt no desire to put them back on and dirty my freshly clean body.

I gazed over to the side of the room, realising that the only clothes I had access to were the frilly blouses and jeans Lorenzo had given me last night, along with a few pairs of underwear and a bralet. Luckily, it looked a decent fit for my small chest.

I pulled the clothes onto my body, looking myself up and down in the full length mirror, frowning at how thin I looked. The jeans accentuated it, and I hated it.

I paced around my room, unsure whether I was supposed to wait until someone came to get me.

Was I actually allowed to just exit the room without permission? I hadn't left on my own yet.

I didn't want to get into trouble, but, I longed to see Lorenzo.

I felt safe with him, and he offered me comfort, settling both my wolf and I.

Glaring at the door, I plucked up the courage to open it slightly, peeking through the tiny crack for any sign of anyone. Once I saw no one, I pulled the door open a little further, determined to act independent.

However, I panicked once I heard noise from the other side of Lorenzo's closed door, the door knob jostling as someone grabbed it, opening it. It caused me to pull mine back to me, leaving only a minuscule crack for me to look through.

"Well, it's been good to see you again! It really has been too long, Lorenzo," laughed a girl as she exited his room, her long dark hair cascading down her back, her grey eyes holding excitement as she pulled him in for a hug.

He was shirtless.

I swallowed, anger bubbling up inside of me, causing tears to well up in my eyes, confusing me.

I felt so hurt seeing Lorenzo hug this beautiful woman, her stunning smile clearly contagious as he grinned down at her.

"I'll see you soon, Martina," he spoke, watching her as she made her way down the hallway, descending the stairs, her black heeled boots clipping against the floorboards as she walked.

Of course Lorenzo had someone.

He was a powerful and handsome Alpha who rescued the innocent. What wasn't there to love?

I swallowed back my tears, watching him make his way down the hall in the opposite direction, disappearing round a corner.

Quietly shutting the door, I slid down onto the ground against it, hugging my knees to my chest as I attempted to swallow my tears. Gazing around my room, I attempted to focus on minor interior details to distract myself.

Why was I so hurt? Why did I care so much that Lorenzo was with another woman?

I had been given false hope when I had asked about why I was being housed here unlike the other wolves from the lab.

For a split second, I had thought that maybe Lorenzo had wanted me here because he wanted to keep an eye on me himself, but those thoughts were completely demolished once Lily answered my question. It indicated to me that it had most likely been her that had come to the decision to keep me here, and not Lorenzo.

We were a similar age, and she most likely just empathising with me. It was a girl thing.

I couldn't help the thoughts of leaving rushing through my head. I didn't need to be here.

I was getting better, and all I needed was rest. That was something that I could do at home with my parents.

The sooner I left, the sooner I could drop this fantasy that a mighty and powerful Alpha wanted to keep me around.

•••

Sorry for the wait everyone! Thanks for being so patient!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

What do you think of Lorenzo?

What do you think about Mia's idea to leave?

Also, for some reason, when I'm typing the name 'Mia', my phone keeps changing it to 'anus' and it's freaking me out!