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“Hello?” I called out as I wandered past the dark living room and kitchen, assuming he was still in the back bedroom. I was right; he was in bed, scrolling through his phone.
“Hey,” he mumbled, setting it to the side.
“What are you looking at?” I asked curiously as I settled beside him in the bed. He started to wrap his arms around me before stiffening and moving away.
“Just trying to find something online to help.” His voice was tight. “I smell him on you. And someone else…and sex.”
Without warning, the sound of his bones shifting filled the room, and he tore through his shirt and boxer shorts. His wolf looked at me with longing and anger. I scooted off the bed, upset at myself for causing Patrick to lose control. I walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower before stripping off my clothes and laying them in a neat pile on the floor.
The hot water was soothing and helped calm my stiff muscles from the stressful night. I grabbed my shampoo from the rack, grateful that Patrick allowed me to stash some of my things at his place. I used his soap to scrub my entire body vigorously twice over.
When I was finally satisfied that there were no lingering smells on me, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a large towel around my body. I padded across his bedroom to grab some extra clothes from his dresser.
Patrick was back in human form, but the wild look remained in his eyes. He was close to shifting again. He gave an appreciative groan when I dropped the towel and slipped into an oversized T-shirt. I could see in the mirror that his fangs were showing, and his erection was clearly outlined under his sheet.
He sighed with satisfaction when I returned to the bed, this time smelling only like myself and soap. His strong arms encircled me, careful not to touch me below the hem of the shirt. I frowned, knowing without a doubt that he was turned on by my near nudity. Any other night he would already be removing the last of my clothes and fingering me to my first orgasm. My own body reacted to that thought, inspiring me to rub suggestively against his hardness. Islowed to a stop when he didn’t return the motion.
“Did you find out anything helpful about true mates?” I asked hesitantly, hoping that the topic wouldn’t set him off again.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore tonight, Mare. The stuff on those sites probably isn’t even accurate. Let’s just get some sleep and deal with it in the morning.”
I couldn’t disagree with that. My body was exhausted, even though my mind was going a thousand miles a minute. What if the male werewolf tracked me to Patrick’s apartment? And what happened at the hotel after I left? Surely someone would contact Jeremy if there was a huge scene, and that was something I’d have to deal with, too.
My breath caught in my chest, realizing that this was precisely what Jeremy hoped for. My true mate would do more than just keep me in line; with the bond complete, he’d be able to read my mind and anticipate my every move. And he would have every right to punish me as he saw fit.
There was only one option. Tomorrow I would leave the Dark Claw pack and the only family I had ever known.
Chapter 3
“You really think this is your only option?” Lance shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. Patrick had given him a stern look when he arrived but had calmed significantly when we made no attempt to touch each other. To be fair, Lance had sized him up the same way. Men.
Gossip was already spreading through the pack about my true mate being here. If Lance was correct, the male was going from house to house trying to find me. Ella had started texting me shortly after Patrick and I had woken up with the sunrise. She wouldn’t understand my desire to run away from my mate, so there was no point in trying to explain it to her. All her messages went unread and unanswered.
“It’s not forever, just until he leaves or gives up looking for me,” I said, as much to myself as to Lance. I tried to reassure Patrick of the same thing, but he didn’t seem convinced, either.
Lance set his jaw and crossed his arms. My eyes strayed to his bulging muscles. “Then I’m coming with you,” heannounced. “There isn’t much for me here with the Dark Claw pack anyway. Maybe we could join another pack. Or start our own.”
I rolled my eyes at his suggestion. Starting our own pack would be much more fun for a male shifter. They wouldn't have to conceive and birth the line of original members.
Patrick growled at the last comment because of the implication of sex. His arm found my shoulder and wrapped around it possessively. Lance’s eyes narrowed at the sight, and he bared his teeth at Patrick.
“Enough,” I said, shaking loose from Patrick’s embrace. “I can’t ask you to do that, Lance. I don’t know when I’ll be back or even where I’m going. Besides, if he finds me and you’re there….”
Lance reached for me as I opened the truck door and pulled me to him, kissing me deeply and causing my heart to race. I didn’t bother to finish the thought; we were all thinking the same thing. If he caught one of them with me, he would probably kill them on the spot and ask questions later.
Patrick wasted no time ripping Lance away, snarling as he grabbed his shirt by the collar. “She’s mine,” he fumed, the deep voice of his wolf speaking through him.
I stepped between them, trying to diffuse the situation and avoid bloodshed.
My intervention took some fire from Patrick’s eyes, and he released Lance. Maybe some space would be best for the three of us and our friendship.
“Keep in touch and let me know how everything is going, okay?” I asked as I returned to the driver’s side door. Neither man responded, both still eyeing each othersuspiciously. I sighed and started the truck. Pulling away from Patrick’s apartment felt different. I looked at the two male werewolves in the mirror, not knowing how long it would be before I saw them again.
I let out another deep breath as guilt flooded me. Against my better judgment, I turned left off his street and headed back home. Regardless of my differences with Ella, I still needed to say goodbye to her. I slowed to a stop in front of our childhood home, breathing in the familiar sight.
I forced myself to walk the stone path to the front door. Just as I was about to turn the handle, Ella swung the door open.
“Um… hi, Ella. I just need to pick up a few things.” I contorted around her and slipped inside.
