Page 12 of Cruel Mate

“It means, I know all too well what it’s like to fall into the trap of being a bully,” Jack said. He sighed as he lowered his hand from Zander’s shoulder. “Just look at the mess I made with Bonnie before we were reunited.”

“This isn’t like that,” Zander protested, shaking his head firmly. His entire body shivered with cold fear. “You and Bonnie were fated mates from the beginning, whether you knew it or not.”

“Be that as it may,” Jack shrugged, looking Zander dead in the eye, “we were raised in such a brutal pack we had no idea of the difference between teasing and outright bullying. Or worse…”

He trailed off, the sympathy in his eyes only growing. The lump in Zander’s throat grew with it. He hated feeling this pathetic. And yet, whenever he and Jack had these heart-to-hearts, it was always the same. Jack was sometimes far too wise for his own good, and for Zander’s.

“I’m not bullying Layla,” Zander growled, though even as he said the words, he felt something odd clawing at his stomach. Was that guilt?

“Even if you were, I’d understand,” Jack said. He pursed his lips before he added, “Don’t let Bonnie hear me say this, but Layla is pretty hot.”

He glanced over his shoulder, almost as if he expected his mate to be standing right in the doorway, ready to give him a good clip around the ear. When he looked back at Zander, he continued, “All I’m saying is that we’re out now. There’s no need for us to follow in the footsteps of our old pack. This is our chance to become better than they ever were.”

Zander gulped. He knew his alpha was right, and yet, he had no idea of where to begin. “Are you trying to tell me I should be nicer to Layla? Because if you are, I’m not sure how nice I can be when she is such a pain in the ass.”

Jack clapped him on the back then and laughed. “I’m sure the two of you can at least be civil if you try. You won’t have to worry about it for a while, though.”

Zander’s stomach twisted. “Why not?”

“Layla came to me just before dawn and volunteered for the next messenger assignment,” Jack explained. “I’m not sure how long she’ll be gone.”

Bile choked Zander then, and he just barely managed to keep his composure. He was sure, now; it really was guilt that burned in his stomach, making acid rise into his throat with a vengeance.

He struggled to clear his throat discreetly before he said, “Ah. I suppose that’s a good thing. It’ll give her chance to cool down.”

Jack looked at him with a pointed expression that suggested maybe she wasn’t the one who needed time to cool down.

And Zander felt another wave of guilt crash over him. Usually, messengers took a few weeks between assignments, taking time to catch up with family and rest after days or even weeks away from home. And yet Layla had only gotten back to Nightstar during the full moon bonfire the night before.

The clawing sensation in Zander’s stomach only grew. Did she leave because of me?

Chapter 6 - Layla

Needing time to clear her head, Layla was all too happy to hike from Nightstar to the ally pack’s territory in the next town over. Sure, it had taken her all day and all night, sleeping for a couple of hours under the cover of the forest between towns, but eventually, she arrived to find familiar faces welcoming her.

The werewolves of Pine Valley had always been friendly, and though they smiled and greeted her just as they always did, Layla couldn’t help but feel something was a little off. The small pack—much smaller than that in Nightstar—appeared quite subdued. And there seemed to be a dark cloud over the town even though the sun itself was blazing down on Layla’s back to the point she was forced to pull her hood up to stop her neck from burning.

Even for a werewolf, the sun could be hell, especially when your skin was as fair as hers. Yet, luckily, her skin was still thick enough to stand her ground when two strangers in leather jackets stepped out from an alleyway in front of her.

“Hey there, missy,” one of them snarled as Layla sniffed the air. Their scent immediately told her two things: they were werewolves, and she didn’t have any idea who they were. She had definitely never seen them in Pine Valley before.

“We’ve never seen you in town before,” the second shifter commented. The way the two of them looked her up and down was almost as annoying as when Zander did it.

Urgh, stop thinking about him! She thought, angry with herself that even during a confrontation, her mind could find its way back to him.

“That’s funny because I’m here often,” Layla said, crossing her arms over her chest. “And I’ve never seen the two of you around here, either.”

The two men looked at each other, smirking. And when they looked back at Layla, her stomach twisted. It was clear that whatever they were thinking, whatever had just passed between the two of them, it wasn’t good.

Fuck! she thought when the two of them grabbed her, one arm each.

“Get off me!” she snapped angrily as they barreled her into the alleyway they’d slunk out of.

“What’s in the bag, she-wolf?” the first of the men growled. His scarred face drew close to hers as they pinned her back against the brick building. The uneven, rough stone dug painfully into her back as they seemed to press all of their weight into her.

“None of your goddamn business!” she spat back at the two of them, baring her teeth. She was a messenger. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d been attacked for pack secrets, or even the things she brought to trade with other packs, but this was one of the few times they’d actually managed to pin her down. Usually, she was too quick for them.

Why didn’t I react quicker? She wondered. Then she growled low in her throat, angry with herself when she realized the answer. She had been too distracted by her own damn thoughts.

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