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But no sign of her. Unease crawls over my skin. I can no longer escape the thought that’s been prowling at the edge of my consciousness. The thought that something’s happened to her.
My heart pounds in my chest at the thought of Adeline in trouble. The image of my woman being plunged into a situation that's way out of her control stirs my emotions. Her brothers! Have they found out about the two of us?
I move towards the cell phone I’d put on my drawer, waiting for her to call or text, and as my hand reaches for it, I freeze. Phoning Adeline will only make things worse if she is, in fact, in trouble. My call would only convince her brothers we have something going on.
Stop thinking about that! Adeline is fine. She's just tired.
Or she wants nothing to do with me…
The thought almost has me doubling over in pain. Is this the part where I let her go? The answer to the question is instant. Primal. A roar from the deepest part of my soul.
No!
It turns out once a selfish bastard, always a selfish bastard. I can’t leave it like this with Addy. I want one last chance to make her happy.
I consider ringing the Blood Born pack but that would be like adding more coals to a furnace. The new pack isn't aware of my relationship with Adeline. If they found out about it, it would be the end of us. They want nothing to do with the High Ridge Pack and Adeline is a member. The daughter of the Alpha, in fact.
Besides, how would the new pack help me? Storm into High Ridge Pack's territory and save Adeline? I doubt it.
I’m left with one option. The Moonlit Bar. If there's one place I'll find her, it's in the confines of that bar, talking to her fellow mates. Although, seeing Adeline would definitely break my heart. What if she’s there, talking to some other wolf?
What if she looks at me with cold disdain?
Shaking my head I grit my teeth. All those are questions I don’t have an answer to. There’s only one thing I know.
I'm in love with Adeline.
I grab my coat and walk out of my apartment. My neighbor is still there, still looking at the parking lot and now muttering to himself.
"Hey," I say, hurriedly closing my door so I won't have to continue a conversation with him.
"Hello, Luke," he finally talks, eyes settling on me. Then he looks back at the parking lot and continues muttering words I can't hear.
My neighbor's weird behavior is the least of my worries. Today, my phone is empty of Adeline's texts and calls. I'm beginning to miss her presence, her burning touch and her silvery voice in my head.
I decide not to take my car to Moonlit because I want to stay unnoticed, or rather, I want to sneak into the bar and find Adeline there, unaware of my presence.
The stuffy confines of the packed bar greet me as I stroll inside. All the regulars are there — except Adeline. Her usual seat is empty and there's no sign of her brothers either. It's impossible that Adeline had decided to stay at home without taking a bus to my place.
I go to the counter where her cousin, Carl, is pouring drinks. He beams at a customer before spotting me and then the smile vanishes. That reaction is enough to tell me he isn't happy seeing me here.
"You shouldn't be here," Carl grunts, reaching for a used mug. "Get out."
"Where's Adeline?" My tone is cold and I'm not going to show this man I'm scared of him — because I'm really not. I just want Adeline.
"I don't know." Carl's lips are quick to spill out the lie but his eyes give him away. He puts the mug on a shelf behind him and begins to wipe the surface of the counter with a napkin.
"You do," I sneer at him. "And I'm guessing you know who I am, too."
"Oh, please." Carl's groan is coated with mockery. "I do, but this is a bar filled with people like you. You do something funny and they'll tear you to shreds."
He's right and I'm more interested in walking out of here alive than revealing myself to the High Ridge Pack. I take a deep breath and try to subdue the rage inside me.
"Where's Adeline? That's all I want to know."
Carl leans forward. His voice drops to an almost inaudible whisper. "I know I can't make decisions for Addy and she seems to like you a lot. But you don't know what her family will do to you when they find out. So, just walk out of here and don't come back."
"No way. I want to see her."
