Near Death

                                    

                                          
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Natalie's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, I wake up before Alex and slowly move out of his arms. I get dressed and navigate my way downstairs quietly to not wake anyone. As I'm walking down the hall, I pass what I assume is Sierras' room. Her door is cracked, and I hear her talking to someone on the phone.
"She's still here. Her and my brother stayed the night last night," I hear her tell whoever is on the other end of the phone. I don't like being nosey, but I stopped to listen for a minute. "Yes, I know," she continues. "My brother is always hovering, and she's pregnant. My parents - " she stops and then tells the other person to hang on. I hear shuffling as it sounds like she's heading for the bedroom door. I quickly and quietly hide behind a pillar. I hear her door open as she looks out. After a few seconds, she shuts her door back, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Dismissing whatever the conversation was about, I continued to head downstairs. I head out onto the deck and breathe in the fresh, cool air and watch a leaf fall to the ground. Fall is finally starting. I take a deeper breath, breathing in every scent. From the dew on the ground to the earthy smell of the trees behind the house. They call to my wolf. She wants to run, but I can't shift here. His family is human, and I can't risk exposing the supernatural just to run. 
I'm so lost in the scents and my own thoughts that I don't hear the back door shut. "What are you doing, sweetie??" I hear Ruby ask. I jump and turn around facing her. She smiles sheepishly. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to startle you," she says.
"No. You're ok," I reply. "I was just admiring this view of the sun and the trees," I tell her, leaning against the railing.
She joins me, handing me a cup of hot tea. I take it, warming my hands up. "It is breathtaking," she says, looking out, taking a drink of her own. I nod, agreeing with her. "I'm surprised to see you up before Alex," she adds, looking over at me.
"Why's that??" I ask.
"Normally, when he stays the night here, he's always up before everyone 'arguing' with Sadie on whether or not he should be cooking his own food," she says, chuckling.
I smile. "I think the whiskey kicked his butt last night," I say, laughing but knowing the truth in what really made him so tired. I blush at the thought. 
"Why don't we head inside?? I think Sophie is almost done with breakfast," she says. I nod and walk inside with her to the kitchen. The kitchen has black and white tiled floors, an island in the middle with chairs on one side and marble counter tops. This house just keeps getting more and more gorgeous. She guides me to a chair at the island, and we both sit down. I sit sipping my tea, watching Sadie finishing the last of the pancake batter and eggs. 
I hear the padding of feet as they walk into the kitchen, and automatically, Alex's scent fills my lungs. "Good morning, love. Good morning, mom," he says, kissing my forehead.
"Good morning, son. Are you hungry?? Sadie has made some pancakes, eggs, and bacon," Ruby says, and Alex nods.
"Starved," he says, sitting down beside me and grabbing a plate. "Thank you, Sadie," he adds. She bows as she sees herself out. A few minutes later, Sierra and William come down, and I see Alex tense up a little. I place my hand on his arm to help him relax a little. Ignoring his dad, he turns to me. "Where did you disappear to this morning, love?? He asks. 
"I just went out on the deck. It's so pretty out here," I reply, eating my own food.
"Alex. We need to talk about the business," William says.
"Now we dont," Alex replies.
"Yes, we do," William says.
"No. We. Dont," Alex says, clenching his jaw.