Page 58 of Bound

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Maddox suddenly says, and I look up to where he’s staring intently at Bain, who presses his lips together with a frown, as if not wanting to tell him.

His eyes bounce to mine, and I bark at him, not wanting him to keep this from me. Whatever it is, I’d rather know.

“There was something left for Red.”

His statement makes my entire body freeze.Something for me?

“How do you know it’s for her?” Gage asks the same thing I’m thinking.

“It was left in her bed. And there’s a note.”

A blanket of cold worry envelopes me. Have they found me? Are they going to take me back? I don’t even realize I’m trembling until a pair of strong arms encircle me, pulling me into Maddox’s lap.

“Shh shh, it’s okay, little wolf. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it, okay?”

I hear the whine leave my throat as I press my body into his, letting his warmth and his scent surround me, hoping it will ease my worry.

The worst part is, I know I have to see what was left for me and the note. I have to know for sure. After a couple of minutesof Maddox’s soothing touch, I give him a lick of gratitude on his cheek, then climb out of his lap and head for the stairs.

“Whoa, wait a second there, little wolf!” he calls, but I slowly climb the steps as they all scramble to follow me. When I step into my room, I can smell it. Thankfully, it isn’t a scent I recognize, but that doesn’t make me feel any better. It smells like burned vanilla, a scent I do not appreciate.

Maddox and Gage move past me and stop at the bed as they stare down at it. I can’t see it from here, so I jump up and freeze, staring down at the single red rose lying in the middle of my bed with a note attached to it.

Gage reaches for it, and I wait on bated breath for him to read it aloud.

“Zero zero three, the day is coming when we can finally be together. Yours forever, Blaze.”

The room is silent for two seconds before Chase asks, “Who the fuck is Blaze?” Startling me from my shock.

“Better question,” Gage asks, turning to me, “Why is he calling you zero zero three?”

Chapter 28

Bain

I’m ready to rip the fucking world apart right now. I can feel my wolf snapping below the surface, begging to be set free so he can hunt down all her enemies and destroy them.

I already ripped the rose to shreds, but it isn’t enough.

The note definitely took her off guard, but we’re not exactly sure why. Is it possible she has a mate out there already? I stop my pacing to glance at her, wrapped in Hunter’s arms. I doubt she would let us be so physical with her if she was already mated. Besides, she’s shown no other indication of being mated, no mate bite that I could see, and she smells unbonded.

So who the hell is Blaze?

“If everyone would calm down for a moment, I’d like to get some answers,” Gage says, interrupting Chase and Maddox’s argument about going out and trying to follow the scent right now.

Hunter releases his grip on Red so she can turn her head to Gage as he asks, “Do you know who Blaze is?” She shakes her head quickly, and a collective breath leaves each of us.

“Do you know why he called you zero zero three?” This time, she dips her chin, making me resume my pacing. My hands clench angrily at my sides. Being called a number is a bad thing. Averybad thing.

“What the fuck does this mean then?” Chase asks in frustration as he stares down at the note.

“I’m not sure,” Gage says, still looking at Red. “Do you know?” She shakes her head and I frown. Even she doesn’t know what this means.We’re fucked.

“Maybe we should move to Starfall Haven,” Hunter mutters as he gently strokes her back.

I stop my pacing to frown at him. “It’s a myth.”

“Maybe not,” Gage says, surprising me. “I’ve been doing a bit of research on it since we got back. There is so much chatter about it that I’m starting to think it might actually exist.”