Page 35 of Hunted

Maybe this will be a good thing,Luke thought.

He considered Dominic’s offer as he thought through everything he had experienced with Abigail. His father’s role in their split was clear. And Luke had never been more hurt by anything than his father’s manipulations. Shame burned through him as he remembered what Dominic had said.

I have to take responsibility for this, too.

The other alpha was right. Luke’s role in this had been bigger than he cared to admit. He had allowed his father to play him like a third-rate idiot.

“Okay,” Luke said finally. “Thank you. I think I’ll take you up on your offer.”

Dominic’s jaw was clenched as he nodded, though Abigail did not seem to sense the tension between the two alphas.

Instead, Abigail, his mate, smiled happily at him.

Luke stepped forward and stuck his hand out. Dominic took it after a while, and again, his reluctance was obvious.

“I’ll have one of the wolves show you to your lodging,” Dominic said after they let go of each other’s hands.

Luke nodded as Dominic gestured and a wolf shifter appeared at his elbow.

“I think I’m going to go to my room,” Abigail announced, and Dominic stroked her back one last time before he nodded and let her leave.

Luke followed the wolf shifter who led him to a row of what seemed to be empty cabins, close to the gates that led to the compound.

“This is it,” the wolf shifter said, and Luke nodded his thanks as he made his way into his new home.

Chapter 16

Abigail

Therawfeelingdidn’tleave Abigail’s chest for a few days. She felt as if two people were living inside her head, one who wanted nothing more than to run into Luke’s arms and reestablish their bond of trust while the other was horrified that any part of her could consider giving him a second chance.

Conflicted, Abigail threw herself into her work but noticed that everything she attempted rang false. The children grated on her nerves, and she told herself that they could tell, even when she was trying to hide her frustrations.

No matter what she did, nothing seemed to work as she expected. This distressed her. Her life’s passion had become like an untuned piano. She struck familiar chords only for them to come out flat and tinny.

She wanted to believe that Luke had nothing to do with what Christian had told her, but it flew in the face of everything she had known about her former mate. Why had he never shared with her that his relationship with his father was strained? They had been close, but he hadn’t confided in her.

The other side reasoned that he had been embarrassed and didn’t want to appear disloyal. It made sense. If the whole pack believed him to be close with his father and seemed to rely on that belief, why would a loyal pack member want to shatter the illusion? What good would it do to refuse to align himself with someone the pack respected?

Both arguments made sense and Abigail didn’t know what to believe. Sooner than she had thought possible, however, the pain dulled. She woke up from a night of restful sleep feeling peaceful and open. The scent of blueberry pancakes tickled her nose, and she followed it to the kitchen.

Dominic stood before the stove in jeans, flannel, and a frilly apron, flipping perfectly round cakes and humming some indiscernible tune in a shaky tenor. The scene was so comical that warm laughter bubbled out of Abigail’s chest, shaking the last strands of the knot loose.

Turning to regard her with a grin, Dominic motioned toward a barstool and slid her a plate with three steaming pancakes chock full of fresh blueberries, a dish of butter, and a crock of maple syrup.

Though she was not usually one to indulge in such heavy meals, Abigail’s stomach was cramped with hunger, and the smell of maple and blueberries made her want to drool. Even before adding butter or syrup, she loaded a forkful and crammed it in her mouth.

Chewing slowly, she closed her eyes to concentrate on the intense flavor before swallowing and reaching for another bite. In so doing, she made inadvertent eye contact with Dominic, who attempted to hide a chuckle. She started to put her fork down, but he shook his head.

“No, no, eat! I’m glad you enjoy them!”

Abigail blushed and looked at her plate. “How’d you know?”

“Know what, that you love blueberries? Luke told me.”

Biting her bottom lip in consternation, she shot him an apologetic glance. Nic pursed his lips and shrugged. “He cares about you. He’s been asking about you a lot, and I mentioned that I was concerned you hadn’t been eating. The pancakes were his idea.”

About to protest that she had eaten plenty, Abigail tried to think back to her last meal and couldn’t remember what she’d had. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry everyone. I guess I got so wrapped up in the whole thing that I… forgot. That must sound stupid.”

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