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The female is ours, the wolf roared.Who else could have a claim to her?
The letter didn’t say.
He slowly sank onto the bed, unsure of what to do. Should he go and try to find her? Should he bring her back to Tumblewild against her will and claim her, as was his right?
Gabe frowned. That’s what Randy, Trace, and just about any other werewolf would do in this situation. But he wasn’t them. He wanted Ella to come to him freely. He didn’t want to chase her down and force her to choose him. That wouldn’t be any kind of choice at all.
His thoughts started spiraling. What if she breaks the bond by mating with another male, only to realize her mistake afterward? What if the asshole who mates with her is abusive or crazy? What if he’s perfect for her, and Gabe wasn’t her true mate after all?
The different scenarios and what-ifs kept coming, weighing him down and making him even more unsure of what to do.
Letting out a slow breath, Gabe made a decision. He would be here for Ella the moment she decided to return, but he wouldn’t follow her and try to make her see reason. He had to trust that the goddess knew what she was doing by tying them together.
That was about all he could do.
Chapter 9
“What makes you so sure about this?” Jeremy asked. “Is it that you just want to stay in Dark Claw?”
I nodded, thanking him for giving me an easy out. The truth was that I didn’t really care that much about staying with my pack. I would miss the bakery, and part of me didn’t want to leave the home I had grown up in with my parents and, later, with Mariam. But more than anything, I just wanted to distance myself from Gabe and put everything that happened in Tumblewild behind me.
“Who did you have in mind? You said someone in Dark Claw might be interested in being chosen mates with me?”
Jeremy nodded slowly, carefully, like he was trying to think of how to best say what he was thinking. That couldn’t be good. The pause was heavy as he maneuvered his rental car into the airport parking garage. The rental company was located next to the parking garage, making the return quick so we could easily catch the flight home.
“Have you ever met Neil?” he asked finally.
“I don’t think we’ve ever spoken to each other, but I know who he is, of course. That’s not who you’re thinking of, though, right? Wouldn’t he be more interested in a betafemale type? Maybe someone from another pack?”
I chewed on my lip nervously. The sooner I was mated to someone else, the sooner the thought of Gabe wouldn’t make me want to run back to Tumblewild. Mariam disliked Neil for whatever reason, but I knew beggars couldn’t be choosers.
I knew I was leaving just in time, too. Being close to Gabe and watching him kiss Samantha was too much for me to take. My wolf had almost taken her head off when she was pressed against our mate.
He won’t be our mate for long, I reminded her.I’ll find someone for you who will be a better fit.
She gave me an irritated snort, and I had to agree that the promise sounded hollow. But even if we wanted Gabe, he was clearly entangled with someone else. Maybe he would mate with Samantha right away, and I wouldn’t have to mate with Neil or anyone. I sat up a little straighter at the thought; only one of us had to find a chosen mate for our bond to break. Maybe I could afford to take this slow if he didn’t.
It took me a minute to realize Jeremy had said something and was now looking at me, waiting for a response. “Sorry, what did you say?”
He sighed. “I asked if you would be interested in Neil courting you? You know…maybe getting to know each other a little bit to see if you’re compatible.”
Dating. Jeremy meant dating, but that was kind of a taboo thing in our pack. Dating said you were going against waiting for your true mate, and it seemed to encourage promiscuity, so most of Dark Claw called it courting. Whatever it was, it wasn’t exactly encouraged.
“Yeah, I’d be open to that,” I said. Maybe having a chosen mate wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Jeremy bought me a ticket back home, even though I offered to pay for the high-priced, last-minute flight myself. We never really had any reason to interact beyond him complaining to me about Mariam’s behavior and then trying to find her when she went rogue, but he seemed like a nice enough person. He was tired, more than anything. Being an alpha was taking a toll on him. Trace appeared to handle the stress much better, and I had to wonder if that was because he had an excellent beta couple in Justine and Randy or if it was because Mariam helped take some of the load off of him. Or maybe he was just better at being an alpha, period.
Jeremy spent most of the flight asleep or checking his emails, so the conversation between us died until we touched down in California. It was just as well. I was tempted to ask him about his own plans for finding a mate, but that was probably inappropriate. The last thing I needed was for Jeremy to think I was interested in courting him, too.
“I need to head over to one of the human city council meetings, but I’ll get you a cab back to Dark Claw,” he said quietly when we were far enough away from the other passengers so that they wouldn’t overhear. He seemed like he wanted to say something else but wasn’t sure how to. I stared at him, waiting.
“I’ll talk to Neil if you’re sure that’s what you want,” he offered, giving me an unreadable look.
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s for the best.”
He looked thoughtful but didn’t answer. Instead, hehailed a cab, paid the driver, and shut the door behind me. With a small wave, he blended into the crowd, and I tugged my seatbelt into place.
The cab driver was playing some soft jazz, and it was soothing. I allowed my mind to drift back to the look on my alpha’s face when he asked for the hundredth time if I was sure about leaving Gabe for good. I couldn’t understand why he was so hesitant on my behalf. After all, he had seen Samantha and Gabe making out at the mating ceremony, too. Obviously, the goddess had made a mistake pairing us together.
