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Doesn’t he get it? We ended a long time ago…
CHAPTER11
FERAL
“You said this room was my territory,” I remind him. “I’m asking you to leave it.”
For a moment, I expect him to argue again. I don’t know why. When we were in a committed relationship, we went nose to nose all the time. As much as he had the same urge to protect me as other dominant shifters, when it was just the two of us, he could see past my omega wolf and really seeHelene.
And then I rejected him, and over the last three years, he basically put me on a pedestal. He had this idea of what kind of female I used to be—that Ishouldbe—and he did everything he could to keep her.
It’s time he remembers that I’m no Saint Helene. I make mistakes; big ones, obviously. I’m not perfect. I can’t be controlled, and I’m not always going to do what he thinks I should. I’ll make bad choices, but they’re mine to make the same way the consequences are mine alone.
I think he’s finally figuring that out. He doesn’t argue, but he doesn’t throw himself at my feet to beg my forgiveness, either. As if some of the luster of my shine is finally wearing off for him, he rips his gaze away from me and stalks over to the dresser.
Yanking open the second drawer, West grabs one of his t-shirts. I watch as he tugs it over his head, then heads for the door to the bedroom.
I don’t say anything as he goes. I asked for space, but it’s only fair that I give him the same—until I hear him snarl.
I tiptoe out of my territory, inching out into the front room of the den in time to see him glowering at a piece of string hanging from his clenched fist. With another snarl, he flings it away from him.
“Fucking shoelace,” he bites out, talking more to himself than to me. “Had to snap off on me.”
So that’s what he’s doing. He’s putting on his shoes. He got dressed, and he’s covering his feet. That’s a sure sign that his human half is in control. Shifters go shoeless when they plan on shifting, so his wolf is definitely taking a back seat to whatever’s going on with West right now.
Somehow, I don’t think that’s a good thing.
He leaves the shoe with the broken lace the way it is before jamming his foot in the other one. No socks, I notice, but he doesn’t seem to care. He’s in such a rush to get away from me that he doesn’t bother with them.
He doesn’t wear shoes inside. When he goes on patrol, he either leaves as his wolf, or strips outside. He stocked the cabin with plenty of clothes, but when I asked about his shoes, he admitted he had another pair that went missing from the outside.
It explains his need to do constant patrols around the cabin. Wild animals might make a nest in a pair of boots, but they won’t run off with them. Anyone who would is someone West considers a threat to us.
Well, tome.
Pulling on his only pair of shoes means he’s not going on patrol. But if he’s leaving…
“West? Where are you going?”
He doesn’t even look over at me. Rising up from the couch, he announces to the room, “You told me to leave. Did you miss the part where I said I’d do anything for you? You want me gone. I’m going.”
I only wanted him out of the bedroom so I could sit and think in peace without his wolf tempting me to do things I shouldn’t.
“Are you…” My voice is small, but I can’t help it. “Will you be coming back?”
He laughs, but there’s no humor in it as he makes his way over to the front door. “You know I will. I can’t stay away from you.” Jerking the doorknob, he yanks it open. His eyes never leave my face as he gives his head a rough shake. “Even if sometimes I wish I fucking could.”
* * *
I’ve never been rejectedbefore. West slamming the front door in my face after making his pronouncement? It’s the closest he’s ever come to rejecting me, and I don’t know how to handle it.
And isn’t that something?
Because I asked for space, I retreat to the bedroom. West’s scent just about slaps me in the face. I should’ve realized that he’d imprinted on every inch of this room over the last few days. I didn’t. Sandalwood hits me and my knees go weak.
My wolf wants to go after him. I do, too.
I don’t. It’ll only make the situation worse.
