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The word brings a hint of a smile to my lips at the curse she’s now apparently dubbed mine. According to Zeke she even gave him one too. I can’t help but puff out my chest a bit in pride. Most would be offended by such a curse being hurled in their direction constantly, but for her, I know it’s as good as a pet name. She really must be falling for us.
“You know where I was,” he scoffs, strolling over to sit opposite me. Leaning back, he lowers his feet onto the desk, clearly making himself at home. The asshole better be glad that he’s like my brother, otherwise I’d kick his ass for the disrespect as he tries to rile me.
“Well, how did it go?” I ask gruffly, hating that he’s making me play twenty questions right now. He knows exactly what I want to know, but he’s drawing it out for his own amusement.
“What part?”
“Zeke,” I warn, losing the last shred of patience I’ve been desperately clinging to. I’m way too wound up right now, and I doubt Skylar would be impressed if I bloodied up his face.
“Okay, okay, don’t blow a gasket now. Sheesh, you’re no fun in your old age.” He chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest nonchalantly. I cock a brow, pinning him with a look of exasperation and he finally relents. “It was great, she made a lot of progress with her wolf today. It was incredible to run with her, to run my hand through her thick pelt …” He leans back in his chair even further, his head lolling back to stare at the ceiling with a wistful look on his face as he trails off into his thoughts.
“Don’t act so smug,” I fire back, taking my annoyance out on him. I know it’s selfish, but I can’t help but wish I was the one guiding her to discover her wolf and step into her power. Instead, I’m stuck here, my duty to my pack and to her keeping me chained to this desk and searching for any trace of who the leak could be.
“Chill man, I’m sure you’ll be able to soon. You said you’re close to finding something?” I vaguely hear Zeke’s question but my mind snags on the thought of seeing her as her wolf, at running with her through the woods and letting our shifted forms revel in the bond that thrums between us.
I can’t help but take some pride in the fact that I will get to see her in her wolf form soon enough. I had thought there would be no way the other day when I first locked eyes with her, even as the mate bond pulsed between us like a beacon home. The panic on her face was evident almost immediately, souring the glee that had warmed my chest at finding my mate.
My heart shattered into a million pieces when I saw the words of rejection on the tip of her tongue. It had hurt just as much for them to leave my own lips. But my pride got in the way. There’s no way that Everett Whitlock could let his mate reject him. No way that I could let her have that power. I’m not a pup panting after his woman. But I do have a plan, one that formulated as I saw her response to me, and her lack of connection to her supposed fiancé. I wanted to tear that ring from her finger the moment I saw it, but I knew I had to be patient. A woman like Skylar Draven couldn’t be forced to do anything. No, she has to come to the conclusion on her own, I could see that the moment I looked into those defiant golden eyes of hers, every bit the alpha as our team.
I’ll make her beg to be mine, beg me to claim her—fuck, I can’t let my thoughts go back in that direction again … not yet.
“Earth to Everett.” Zeke chuckles, drawing me out of the cloud of lust that has filled my mind.
“Ya, I found a few suspicious logins that coincided with the attacks on our pack. I have to look into it more since they signed in from a fake account.”
Zeke nods, rubbing a hand over his stubble in thought. I may not know who from our pack was responsible just yet, but when I find out who betrayed us I will be the one pulling the trigger. They signed their death warrant the moment one of our betas was slain by the Langleys. There will be no room for apologies or redemption. Not in pack life.
“I won’t let that happen again.” The declaration slips from my lips, every word laced with venom. Zeke doesn’t even blink at the abrupt change in conversation. No, judging by the far off look in his eyes, he’s thinking the exact same thing. Not only will I do anything to keep my pack safe, I will lay down my life to protect my mate.
“If she isn’t ready to fight as her wolf next time, she won’t be going. I don’t care if I have to lock her in the compound myself and have her hate me for the rest of her days. I won’t lose her.” And it’s true, I would let her hate me, because I know she would, but she would be alive to do it and that’s all that matters. I’ll give her every weapon at my disposal, train her myself if I have to, but I won’t put her in danger again if she isn’t prepared.
“Trust me, I know,” Zeke murmurs with a haunted look in his eyes, as though the memories are replaying in his mind. I’m on edge, and I only saw her as she was being taken to the medics. He had to witness that bear attacking her, had to experience that bone chilling fear of watching our mate about to be ripped apart and not knowing if he’d be able to get there in time. “But you didn’t see her when I locked her in that car. We have to remember she’s an alpha too, and being cloistered for her safety goes against every instinct she has, especially when we’re putting ourselves in danger.”
I nod in understanding and put myself in her shoes. I doubt I’d be able to hold onto my sanity with the panic that would come over me in the same situation.
“Well then, you better make sure she’s ready.”
“She will be,” he assures. “I could feel the difference in her already, she and her wolf are coming together and building back their trust.”
I nod, needing to believe that. If anyone could train her to reconnect with her wolf it would be Zeke. He had to do the same thing after unknowingly repressing his shifter side for years.
“Where is she now? Did she go back home with her pack?” I ask, bracing myself while yet a shred of hope lingers in my chest, holding onto the thought that she came back and I’d get to see her.
“I took her back after the training.”
My heart plummets as that hope floats away, but he continues. “But I was able to place trackers on a few of the limos and cars in the garage without anyone noticing.”
“Well,” I prompt when it becomes clear he’s going to take his sweet time, relishing in his plan.
“One of the cars left tonight and made a stop at Opal Moon,” he says with a smug smirk.
I bristle at the news, though. He knew she was out at her pack’s club this entire time and he didn’t bother to lead with that.
“What the hell are you doing here then?” I growl, my anger building at his negligence. I wish I could stick him with the job of looking through the logs so I could go there myself. But I know I’m the best one to look through them. I’m not sure he’d have a clue what he was looking at if I sat him in front of my computer and left him there. He’s a master with a sniper rifle, but a laptop would be his undoing. Either that or I’d find electronic pieces shattered across my office by the time I returned.
“You demanded that I get back immediately to fill you in on Sky’s training.” He chuckles, giving me an incredulous look.
“I did not,” I lie.
