AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Quinn gestures at her mate’s chest. “Helene, this is Chase.”
Something about him is so familiar. Not his face. Handsome as he is, it’s a different type of male beauty. West has a classic face, straight lines, symmetrical features, soft lips. There isn’t an ounce of softness on this rugged male. His hair is shaggy, his dark gold eyes a warning blazing out of his face, his entire body a dangerous coil. Looking at him, I get the idea that he’s only seconds away from attacking at any given moment.
And Quinn allows him to wrap his brawny arm around her waist, tucking her into his side.
Of course. Because she’s the other half of his soul. The other half of his bond. In the entire world, she’s the only one who’ll never be touched by the feral’s madness—and she has been since the moment he first imprinted on her a long time ago.
“I know you.” It just slips out. Not his face. I’ve never seen his face.
But his wolf… I know him.
Quinn’s eyes go from a bright gold to a burnished shade. “You do?” Swiveling her head to glance up at her mate, she says, “You never mentioned that you met Helene before.”
Her overt jealousy rubs against me like sandpaper on my skin.
I thought that, after she rejected West, she’d get over her dislike for me. Our entire conversation, I was sure I was right. And she did—until she thinks about me having some kind of relationship with her chosen mate and, suddenly, all bets are off.
Oh, Luna. I have to fix this.
“Let me explain. His wolf… I recognize his wolf. I’ve sensed him before, always there and gone again before mine could reach out for him.” With a delicate shrug, trying to assuage her blazing possessive and undeniable envy, I tell Quinn, “I never saw him, but my wolf knows his. She’s happy to see how much better he’s doing. It must be because of you.”
Quinn gives her head a small shake, her sheet of hair swaying around her slender shoulders. Her eyes brighten, her wolf ceding control back to her human side.Phew. “A mate bond does a lot to tame a feral,” she admits.
Then, laying her hand on his arm again, giving it a gentle squeeze, she says, “And I guess you weren’t as stealthy as you thought, watching me, if Helene Dupuis of all wolves knew you were skulking around, baby.”
Not sure if that’s meant to be an insult or not, I decide that it’s time to take my leave. Especially since Chase is thrumming in place, watching me closely. I can only imagine what Quinn’s told him about me. He doesn’t like me being near his mate.
I’m happy to oblige.
Their stay in Hickory is a short-lived one. They’d brought Chase’s truck to pack up as many of Quinn’s belongings to take back to their cabin. Once it was full, they left, eager to make it home before night fell.
Reaching out for West, I notice that he disappeared, too. He must have let pack territory after his chat with Chase, because almost as soon as I walked away from the mated pair, I could sense that he was gone.
Again.
I tried one last time before I turned in for the night. I could’ve sworn I caught a hint of sandalwood on the breeze before I closed my window and crawled beneath my covers, but when I searched for him, all I found was the empty hole in my chest.
Ignoring the constant ache that has been my companion for far too long, I turned off my lamp and fell into a sleep where I dreamed that West was right beside me, and no other wolves could come between us…
CHAPTER5
RING
Ifell asleep in my cabin. I’m one hundred percent sure of that.
When I wake up again, feeling lightheaded andoff, the first thing I notice is that I’m not in my bed. Mine is a lot softer than the mattress I’m laid out on, and my blankets are thinner.
The second thing I notice? My shifter senses are dull. It’s like a hazy cloud has been dropped over my eyes, messing with my vision. My ears feel like they’ve been wadded with cotton. And my nose… I can’t smell a thing.
Which leads me to the third thing: without scenting sandalwood, I don’t notice that West is pacing at the food of the bed until I pull myself up into a sitting position and he stops, swiveling on his heel, his dark grey eyes watching my every move.
“West…” I tap into my wolf, reaching out to make sure it’s him and not some kind of dream. And that’s when I realize afourththing: my wolf is gone. Like someone’s caged her, putting her somewhere I can’t find her, I’ve been completely cut off from the other side of me.
That should’ve been enough to slap me wide awake—but it isn’t. My head feels heavy, like I need to just lay back down and, when I wake up again, this will have been another dream.
But then West speaks, breaking the illusion.
“How are you feeling, Helene?”
