Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“Nope.”
“It’s okay to hope.”
“It’s dangerous to hope,” I correct.
“Yet you’re in there with her. And you were in town at her place last night.”
“Because the pull is so fucking strong,” I fire back.
“So I hear.”
I let out a long breath. “I appreciate you. I just…” I run my hand through my hair and search for words.
“It’s all right. You don’t need to say anything else.”
Grinding my molars, I turn to go back in.
“Later, bro,” Linc adds.
“You good?” I stop and ask. “Beyond this shit with me?”
“Will be soon, I suspect. Jase hasn’t claimed his mate yet. He’s identified her but no telling how long this’ll take. Once he does, it’s my turn. And I’m definitely curious about how it’ll go.”
“Why hasn’t he claimed her? Same sitch as Brody?”
Brody Savage is holding out because his mate was badly abused. I’m sure it’s taking everything in his power to stop himself. I don’t know how he’s stopping himself, really.
“No. Long story, but…”
“Not my business. I don’t need to know,” I say.
“I do!” Cicely calls from inside.
A smile cracks my face. Linc laughs and calls out, “Bailey is trying to reject Jase. Have her fill you in. Your mate needs me to fuck off.”
The door flies open. “Seriously?”
I shoot her a look and get between them. “No, woman. I really do need him to fuck off. Sorry Linc.”
“Not offended at all. I’ll let you get to your breakfast. Smells good.” Linc says. “We’ll figure it out.” He slaps my shoulder before he walks back to his truck.
I watch him until he pulls away.
She’s watching, too.
I back her inside. She looks annoyed, but she moves back to the stove. “Just gotta do eggs and toast. I’m calling Bailey, though.”
“Fine, I’ll just wither away while you get your gossip,” I make a sad attempt at a joke.
She smirks while she dials on her phone on speaker. It goes to voicemail.
“Shit,” she mutters and ends the call before she pushes the button on the toaster.
A few minutes later, we’re sitting at the table together with plates of food.
But while the flavors are just the same as the last time she made it, each bite lands like a rock in my gut.
I only get a few bites into me. I can’t do this. I’m sitting here seething. I should run. Shift and run. But I don’t think I can get far enough. So, for now, I’ll just have to lock down and shift.
“I need to shift,” I mutter, grabbing the contraption for my face and putting it into place while moving outside.
She follows.
“Do not fuckin’ follow me, woman, not when I tell you I need to shift and especially not without the weapons in your hands!” I get into the bunker but she’s still on my fucking heels.
“Stop!” I shout. “I need to lock myself down, and shift.”
She stops in the doorway.
“Are you upset about the stuff he said about your pack? About your father? Because I heard every word. You wanna talk?”
“Go back inside.”
“Jared…”
“Back off!”
“You can talk to me.”
“You cook for him?” I demand.
“Huh?”
“You make that same breakfast for him after he fucked you?”
She rears back, realization hitting her face.
And I’m trembling while fumbling the last strap onto my face as cold shocks my system.
I attempt to box-breathe, but it doesn’t halt the visions from coming. Images of him fucking her. Visions of her feeding him those perfectly crisped potatoes from her dainty fingers hits my brain and the cold shunts in.
Fuck!
Now I see Uncle Mike. With my sister cowering as he backhands her. A flash of Linc’s wolf nuzzling Cicely’s wolf’s face hits me next before it flashes to the sight of my mother’s bloody and mangled form lying on the floor by the wood stove.
“Jared, no… I…”
“Why can’t you fucking back off when I tell you to FUCKING BACK OFF?” I roar, lunging toward her.
And fear hits her face as she flinches at my body language and takes a step back.
My last thought before everything goes black is one of absolute self-loathing. I fucking hate everything I am.
21
CICELY
He shifts, shorts falling to pool at his back legs. Shit! His wolf’s lips peel back immediately to reveal those giant teeth, a growl erupting from him as he lunges to attack.
My instinct has me backing up, but I trip and fall to my back on the ground just outside the bunker door.
No. Shit. Fuck!
My mate’s snarling, angry wolf looms over me.
It’s like I’m mated to the Incredible Hulk. One minute, he’s the frustrated and jealous alpha and the next minute, he’s this monster.
The monster growls, those yellow eyes full of anger and menace. His face gets just inches from mine and he paws at the mask, wanting it off, and it results in him headbutting me.
“Ow. Jared. JaredJaredJared,” I plead through the pain as I recover from the blow, “it’s me, it’s me. Your mate. Please… hear … hear me. Smell me. Take in my scent. You know me. You don’t want to hurt me, baby.”