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Instead, though, she does the opposite. Letting her gaze come back to rest on me, she gives me a quick once over before letting her attention drift past me and continues to take in her surroundings. That one look, her cool expression, is like a dagger to my heart; she dismisses me completely. My black-haired beauty turns back to Leila, smiling warmly and touching her on the arm as they share a joke. Her relaxed laughter fills the air as she follows Leila into her former apartment, closing the door behind them without giving me a second glance.
What the hell?
Slumping against the doorframe, I bury my face in my hands and curse. I want to go over there and burst in, hating the door for blocking my view of her perfect face, but what am I going to say? What would I do? My skin crawls with the need to go to her, so I grit my teeth and force myself to think, for once, before I act. Begging your mate for forgiveness while covered in another woman’s scent can’t be a good look, and it’s certainly not going to help me win her over. She’s clearly pissed off but is too classy to ream me out of it in front of strangers.
FUCK.
I slam the door shut and thump the back of it in frustration before heading to the bathroom. Turning the shower up to scalding hot, I try to scrub myself clean of all the women who’ve gone before; of the guilt that’s burned into my soul. How am I ever going to recover from this? When my brother, Rex, messed up with his mate, I told him to grovel like he’d never grovelled before.
I’m going to need to take my own advice.
CHAPTER 2
NATHAN
“What do you mean, ‘she said nothing’about me?”
Frustration gnaws at my insides as Leila rummages through the open fridge, pulling out leftovers and stacking them on the counter. My fingers itch to shut the door and shake her until she tells me every word that my mate said, from the moment they went into Leila’s old apartment, until the second she left.
Breathing deeply, I try to stay calm. Leila is with her fated mate, but their relationship didn’t start with a picture-perfect first meeting either, so I have to believe she isn’t tormenting me on purpose. She’s not that mean, well, most of the time, but she is annoying me by making me wait. Stupidly, I let my frustration get to me.
“Also, you don’t live here anymore. Technically, this is stealing.”
I shouldn’t have commented, and I regret it the instant the petty words pass my lips. Her bump is becoming more noticeable, as is her irritability. She is carrying a bear cub, after all. If it’s anything like its father, its natural grumpiness is probably rubbing off on her from the inside out. Leila leans back from the fridge and narrows her eyes at me, defiantly shoving a slice of cheese into her mouth and slamming the door closed.
“I am tired and hungry. Should I tell Marcus you won’t give me food?” She arches a dark eyebrow at me, daring me to tell her to put the pack's food back in the refrigerator, knowing that threatening to tell her husband will put any wolf back in line. I shudder, glancing over my shoulder to make sure he’s not actually here.
“Fuck, no.”
The last thing I need is an irate grizzly turning up here to kick my ass. I have enough problems as it is. Like how to undo the terrible first impression I made on my mate.
“Thought so.” She smirks before flicking back her dark hair and returning to her stolen food. Not even bothering with a plate, she shoves the Tupperware full of pasta into the microwave and digs cutlery out of the drawer. “What did you want again?”
One hand on her hip, she points her fork at me like a weapon and I ease back slightly, putting myself just out of arm’s reach.
“She didn’t sayoneword about me?!”
When Leila shakes her head, I’m stunned. And hurt to the very core of my being. That can’t be true. She’s my mate. How could she ignore this completely? Maybe she swore Leila to secrecy because she was so upset, or said such awful things about me that Leila won’t repeat them? Or maybe she doesn’t feel like she can confide in her because she’s not part of this pack?
“Why would she? Have you even met Maya properly? She only arrived an hour ago.”
Maya.
The microwave beeps and Leila takes out the food, digging in with gusto while I repeat my mate's name over and over in my head. She eyes me curiously while she chews and swallows. She’s not lying. I can’t believe it, but there’s no deceit in her tone or body language.
“We didn’t meet,” I admit. Leila frowns and tilts her head at me in question, confusion written all over her face. She really has no idea Maya is my mate.
Shit. Do I tell her? If Maya didn’t mention it, something tells me I shouldn’t either.
“I saw her going into your apartment,” I hesitate, struggling to figure out exactly what I should divulge. “I thought we had a… moment.”
Leila snorts in disbelief, picking up a napkin to wipe her fingers as she smirks at me like I’m delusional. My heart sinks. My mate is refusing to acknowledge the mate bond with me, or my sister. This doesn’t bode well, and I can feel myself breaking out in a cold sweat. It’s only right that we speak to each other privately first, but I’ve seen my brother go through rejection. The idea she might want to be rid of me, before this even starts, burrows itself under my skin. I pace the kitchen, unable to contain my anxiety.
“Nathan Jones, she has barely set foot inside the door and you’re already sniffing around? Can’t you let the girl have one night in peace before you pounce on her?!”
“It’s not like that. This is different,” I growl, stopping and gripping the countertop so hard my knuckles turn white. Leila rolls her eyes at me, but when she sees the wolf flashing in my eyes, she hesitates, knowing I’m serious about this. Sighing, she tilts her head back and looks up to the ceiling, searching for divine inspiration. Despite being laid back most of the time, she knows how stubborn I can be.
“Youdoknow she’s Dean Reynolds' sister? You can’t mess her around, Nathan,” she warns. I grind my teeth so hard I expect them to shatter in my mouth. Even though I know why Leila’s saying it, my entire being bristles at the mere suggestion, especially from my sister, that I would be anything but respectful toward my mate.
