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I left messages for several alphas and hoped they’d get back to me with some answers. I was determined to get to the bottom of Zander’s mysterious missing wolf. Since I had nothing to report yet on that matter, I hadn’t told the other packs what had occurred. I wanted to figure out some theory or reasoning before panicking over the hunters. We needed a plan and solid knowledge of the hunters if we were to defeat them, or the lives lost would be an even bigger tragedy.
After I finished with the calls, I got as comfortable as I could and started reading through everything again, slowly and meticulously this time.
I was a quarter way through the second journal when Tori came in through the front door. A glance at the clock had me wondering why she hadn’t called me to pick her up.
Dropping everything at once, I went to hunt down my mate, my heart beating a nervous rhythm. What state of mind would she be in after spending time with her brother? It’d been several hours, and who knew what sick ideas he’d planted in her head and what doubts about her wolf he’d brought back to the forefront?
Catching her scent heading upstairs, I frowned when she didn’t head into my room but the guest room. That wasn’t a good sign.
Tori had left the bedroom door open and was sitting on the bed, looking flustered. I didn’t want to startle her or invade her space, knowing she didn’t like when people, situations, or things were thrust into her orbit. She wanted to be the one to invite you in.
Tapping my knuckles on the door frame, I leaned against it. “Hey, little wolf.”
She frowned at me, her mind obviously still working through something. “Hi.”
“Are you all right?”
Her shoulders hunched, then she dropped them and shook her head. “Even in the wake of a shocking murder, this town seems way too concerned about sticking its nose into people’s personal lives.”
Putting my hands in my pockets, I laughed. “I warned you the town would be hyper-interested in our relationship, even more so with a wedding.”
“Fake.Fakerelationship.”
My heart stuttered at how quickly she corrected me, even though there was nothing to correct. In my book, we’d crossed the line from fake to real from day one. I was trying my best to open her eyes to that without putting too much pressure on her and scaring her off.
“We’re not really mates, either," she continued. “So it’s ridiculous that shifters expect us to bite each other or claim each other or whatever it is shifters do. People need to butt out and mind their own business.”
She crossed her arms and actually pouted. Despite what she was saying, I couldn’t resist the cuteness of my mate.
Reining in my wolf was challenging since her mention of biting and claiming had him going nuts and wanting to take care of that right now. Fuck, I wanted to do that right now, but my little wolf hadn’t grown up knowing the intricacies of shifter relationships. She didn’t understand mates, let alone fated mates and the pull between them. How could somebody not raised as a shifter instantly accept such a strong bond? It would be one thing once the bond was sealed. Then she’d know without a doubt what we were to each other. But to explain it beforehand would be near impossible.
Watching her closely, I wondered if now was the right time to tell her about our connection. We were alone, so now couldn’t be a better time. Struggling to find the right words to say, I stopped when a heavy sigh left my mate.
“It didn’t help that visiting my brother was emotionally exhausting. I wasn’t up for the battle with the nosy town, and I guess I’m being a little more sensitive than usual.”
I strode over to her and sat down on the bed, taking her hand and stroking her palm with my thumb. Touching her was a need I couldn’t deny, especially when she was hurting.
“How so, little wolf?” I let my scent surround her and help her calm down. She’d lie and say it did nothing, but wolves relied heavily on scents, especially those of their mates, to ease them when they felt strained and disconnected from the world.
That was how I viewed Tori at that very moment: disconnected and trying to make sense of everything. I wanted to fix all that and make her see that she belonged here with me and that I’d take care of anything coming our way. She only had to be happy.
Tori was quiet for a moment and then rested her head on my shoulder. “First of all, you should know that Kyle and I were close. I mean, extremely close. We got along better than most siblings. Even though he’s older than me, he was my best friend from the day I was born. We were glued to each other. He practically raised me since our parents were always busy with work.”
She sneered when she mentioned their work but continued.
“He helped take care of me. I turned to him for everything first because he was the one who raised me. Losing our mom was brutal for both of us. We were closer to her than to our father. She made an effort to be home more and not let work take her away all the time.”
Sadness coated her voice. I hated hearing it, but she needed this conversation to heal.
“If it wasn’t for Kyle, I don’t think I could’ve handled her death as well as I did.”
Kissing her head and afraid of ruining the moment, but wanting her to get everything off her chest, I asked cautiously, “What about your father?”
Having recently learned that her biological father might be Jaxon Hyde, I wanted to know more about the one who had raised her. Her family was always a touchy subject, and her father even more so.
She peered up at me from under her lashes. As I looked into her eyes, I saw how weary her soul was. This wasn’t just physical exhaustion; her mind, body, and soul needed a complete reboot. What Tori needed was to get away from everything and fully relax and recharge. I desperately wanted to make that happen for her, but as long as the hunters were still looking for her, she’d never get what she needed.
Tori blinked rapidly and chewed on her lip. Whatever she wanted to tell me was obviously difficult to get out. I waited patiently. When it came to Tori, I had all the time in the world, which was just as well. My little wolf didn’t enjoy being the center of attention, and she only gave what she thought needed to be said.
