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14
I barged into Shelia’s tent, startling her awake. She sat upright and her eyes widened immediately alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to find Alec. Where’s he staying?” I asked.
She raised her brows. “Oh? You have to, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “Give up on us getting together and help me, please.”
Her brow furrowed. “Hey, tell me what’s going on?”
I probably looked a bit insane. I sure felt like I was. My hair was in a messy, wet bun and I was in the same clothes I’d been wearing for days. My head was spinning a million miles an hour, trying desperately to force the thoughts of Tyler from my mind. Every time I let down my guard, I pictured his lean muscles, his dark hair, those hungry eyes….Fuck. I had to get him out of my head. I had to break that bond.
“I had a terrible dream,” I admitted. “I’m worried I’m putting everyone here in danger and I want to move on with our plans. Breaking the mating bond, breaking my dad’s claim, all of it.”
Okay, so it was a little bit of a fib, but I wasn’t ready to admit to anyone, including myself, that I’d let a sex dream about my mate get to me.
“Must have been some dream,” she said, sympathetically. “Want to talk about it?”
“Nope. Hard pass.” I shook my head.
“Okay, well, he’s been staying here.” She gestured to the unmade cot that I’d slept in for a while. “But I don’t know if he even came back last night. It has to be hard watching everyone else shift while he waits for that toxin to get out of his system.”
My chest tightened. I felt both guilty and sorry for him. I knew that pain well and while I could think of a few shifters I’d like to shove that toxin into, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone lightly. Especially not Alec.
The tent flap ruffled and we both turned. Alec stepped in and froze as the fabric door closed behind him. “I didn’t expect to walk into this. Why do I suddenly feel like I’m in trouble?”
“We can’t wait,” I blurted out. “I need the mating bond broken. Now. How do we do that?”
“She had a nightmare,” Sheila offered.
Alec’s upper lip twitched and he scowled. “The bond is getting stronger.”
“It needs to stop,” I said. “I can’t keep doing this.”
He took a deep breath and his expression softened. “I know what you’re going through, but we can’t risk returning there yet. Especially after you shifted last night. The witch is ready to do the spell. We can leave today.”
“We can’t break the bond somehow first? There has to be a way to do it without returning to Wolf Creek. Please, I can’t keep letting this bond get stronger.” I felt so out of control and confused. It was getting harder to remind myself the reasons why I shouldn’t be with Tyler. It was like living in someone else’s memories. Most of me could recall his strikes against me, but there was this other part of me that was acting as if none of that ever happened.
I didn’t want to wait, but I also didn’t need the shifter king coming after me. “Has anyone seen any of the Wolf Creek shifters around nearby? We have that to worry about too.”
“Scouts have them nearing the city. Another reason to act now. They’re heading in the opposite direction we need to go,” he said. “Plus, you could use a few more shifts to help you prepare. Once you go back to Wolf Creek, you have to be ready for all of it. Breaking the bond isn’t the only thing on your to-do list there.”
My stomach tightened. I was going to have to challenge Ace as soon as the bond was broken. They’d surely detect my presence in town once I arrived. We’d have a small window to get the bond broken. I realized I didn’t even know the steps we’d have to complete. “You can really do it, can’t you? Or was all that a lie to get me to go back?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Alec, please tell me you know how to break her mating bond,” Sheila said.
“I know how to break it,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy, and we’ll have to capture your mate, but I doubt you care if he gets banged up a little in the process.”
I gasped, then covered my mouth to stop myself from blurting out something stupid. Why should I care if Tyler got hurt? I groaned. “You see what I mean? I went from wanting to kill him with my bare hands to worrying about his safety. That’s not right. It’s messing with my head.”
“You know, I can just kill him for you. Then it would be over and done,” Alec offered.
“I like that plan,” Sheila said.
“I’m not stooping to his level,” I said, though the part of me that wanted him gone was strong enough to revel in the idea of never having to see Tyler again. He’d put me though so much pain, he deserved to be punished. But I had promised I would be the one to inflict the pain. And to do that, I had to break the bond first. “Besides, if anyone kills him, it’s going to be me.”
“Welcome back, Lola. I was worried I’d lost you to him for a minute there,” Alec said.
