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Relief flooded through me at the thought of seeing Trace and going home. He rumbled his approval, sharing my feelings. Our wolves were back together, as well, curled up and content to be reunited.
I frowned, remembering how quiet my wolf had gotten over the whole ordeal. She had only spoken a time or two,and I had been so preoccupied with Patrick that I hadn’t stopped to consider why she was silent.
She was probably confused. She knows your friend as an ally but is also loyal to my wolf. She’ll be fine, Mariam.
There was only one thing left worrying me.Promise me that you won’t harm Patrick,I begged.
Trace didn’t answer verbally but instead unloaded a cascade of emotions on me. I sighed. Maybe some discussions were better to have in person.
Chapter 19
I sat at the fountain for a while, savoring being back in Trace’s company. Now that he knew I was safe and that I hadn’t tried to escape from him, he was in a much better mood. He was, dare I say, even a little playful?
We have an approximate location of your hotel based upon cell towers, and now that I can see your surroundings, I know exactly where you are. I’ve actually stayed in that hotel before.My wolf yipped with the knowledge that our mate would be able to find us. She was more than ready to return home and leave the loud and confusing city behind.
Trace’s wolf licked her face, mirroring her happiness. Despite the adorable scene unfolding before us, a wicked smile grew across my mate’s face.I bet I’ll be able to find you from your scent alone when I arrive. Care to make a wager on it, Mariam?
My heart pounded in my chest at the thought of Trace tracking me throughout the hotel. He might be right about the whole scent thing; it was basically a beacon for mates to find each other, but I would give him a run for his money.You’re on.
He grinned at the challenge.I’ll be there in about ten minutesif you want to run and hide in your room. If you stay where you are, I’ll find you in no time. Besides, half of the fun will be collecting my winnings as soon as I lay eyes on you. Being alone in your room will make that much easier.Trace tried to throw sexy ideas into my head, but I was too focused on what he said.
I frowned- ten minutes? How had so much time passed?
I’m going to need to turn off our connection again, Trace.
No, he said flatly. His wolf barked, echoing his dissent.
I have to warn Patrick. I don’t want him to wake up and find me gone with no explanation. Besides…we were sharing a room.
Trace fumed. It was quickly apparent that sharing that information had been the wrong choice.
I’ll deal with him when I get there. But you, little wolf, if you shut me out again, there will be hell to pay.The threat made me pause, but only for a moment. I felt the pull to submit, and it took every ounce of my willpower to overcome it. The only thing that saved me was trying to think logically. Chances were, I was already in some hot water for severing the connection earlier. I might as well do what needed to be done and face the consequences later.
Trace snarled at my thoughts, eager to set me straight, but before he could, I shut the door between us and locked it. My wolf and I were alone again in my mind’s eye.
I rode the beautiful elevator up to the room, this time not bothering to admire it. My heart started to pound when I got off on the fourth floor. Werewolf metabolisms were no joke; his body had probably already burned through all the alcohol. He must have woken up to find me gone and lost control.
I ran down the hall, hoping that he wasn’t trying to clawhis way out through the door. Thankfully, when I got there, it was still in one piece. I fumbled with the key card until finally, the door opened, and I was greeted with a few hundred pounds of overjoyed werewolf fluff.
I smiled fondly at Patrick’s wolf as he celebrated my return. I ran my fingers over his coat, stroking its silky softness. I was grateful to see him again in that form. It had been too long since our last run together.
And as much as I hated to admit it, I probably wouldn’t be seeing Patrick again after this. Trace would never trust me to spend time with him, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to defy my mate on such a big issue. I was already feeling the strain caused by disobeying him and shutting off our connection, even though I knew it was the right thing to do for Patrick’s sake.
My wolf howled at the idea of losing our friend again. “Hey, can you shift back? I need to talk to your human,” I whispered to the oversized puppy.
Within seconds, Patrick appeared before me in human form.
“Why did you leave?” he demanded, eyes flashing. “I woke up, and you were gone. My wolf forced the shift, Mariam. Do you realize how painful that is?”
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly, trying to look away from Patrick’s naked body. “I know you didn’t want me to do it, but I needed to tell Trace I was okay and that I wanted to go home to him. I reestablished the connection, and I found out they were already on their way here.”
Patrick froze. “Are you telling me that Trace Everett is staring at me right now, in all my naked glory?”
I giggled at the thought. “No, I closed that door before Icame back so I could tell you what’s going on in private.”
“Here’s to small blessings, I guess,” Patrick said, sitting back down on the bed. “So, this is really over then, huh, Mare?”
I nodded sadly. “Are you going back to Dark Claw? I’m pretty sure Trace’s pack wouldn’t mind if I just left with you, to be honest. They probably all think I’m crazy for running from him twice.”
