Page 15 of Broken Trust

“Don’t you mean eight years ago?” Atlas’s hands were resting in his lap, but Kellen wanted them touching him in some way. He might be horrible when it came to the whole dating—or mating—thing, but he couldn’t deny how much he craved Atlas.

“Sweetheart, I’m two hundred and twenty-seven years old.”

Atlas shoved Kellen away and hopped down before he started rubbing his temples. “Give me a second to process that.”

“You’ll live just as long as I will.”

“Stop!” Atlas held up a hand as he stared at the floor. “Too much is coming at me at once. I haven’t even had time to fully deal with you biting me last night. Look what’s happened since.”

Kellen shot to his right and caught Atlas when the guy’s knees buckled. He sat on the floor and pulled his mate onto his lap. “Take deep breaths, Atlas.”

“System overload. I’m trying to come to grips with one thing when I’m hit with something else. My brain feels like a car when smoke is coming from under the hood.”

Kellen stood and carried Atlas upstairs. He lay his mate on the bed and then sat next to him. “I didn’t mean to overload you. How much sleep did you get last night?”

“None.”

Kellen crawled in beside Atlas and pulled his mate’s back to his chest. “Neither did I. We could both use some.”

“What if those other two find you?”

“I have a security system. If anyone comes near my house, I’ll get an alert on my phone.”

“But we’ll be sleeping.”

Kellen kissed Atlas’s nape. “Trust me. I’ll wake up.”

It was a distinctive sound that Kellen couldn’t ignore. He would be out of bed, outside, and in his wolf form before anyone got close, especially with his mate in the house.

“Tell the truth. You set all that up to alert you if one of your hookups came by unannounced.” Atlas yawned.

“You’re probably not going to believe me, but you’re the first guy I’ve brought here. I like my solitude and don’t need some guy banging on my door.”

“So why did you bring me to your sanctuary?”

Kellen hadn’t planned on it. He’d been set to go to Atlas’s apartment. That was until he smelled his mate’s distinctive scent and felt the pull. “Because I discovered that you were my mate.”

Frowning when Atlas didn’t reply, Kellen glanced down and found him fast asleep. Pulling the guy closer, Kellen closed his eyes, joining his mate moments later.

Chapter Five

Atlas gazed at his neck in Kellen’s bathroom mirror. He was positive he’d have deep purple bruising from the brutal grip last night. But the handprint outline was already turning a light green and yellow, as if a week had already passed.

Had he slept that long? Atlas doubted it, but he eased into the bedroom anyway and grabbed his phone off the nightstand. Kellen must have felt it in Atlas’s back pocket and set it aside. It wasn’t unusual for Atlas to wiggle out of his clothes while he slept if he’d fallen asleep with them on. That would explain why all he had on was his underwear.

Nope, it was nine o’clock the following morning. Why on earth did his bruises look almost healed? Oh hell, was he turning into a wolf since Kellen had bitten him?

He glanced at the guy still asleep and decided he would wait until Kellen was up. Atlas could suppress the mounting fear for another hour or two. Right now he was starving since the jackass last night had made him drop his food.

That way Atlas could have a meltdown on a full stomach. It would give him something to throw up when he found out he was going to sprout fur and howl at the moon.

After he’d left the bedroom and headed down the spiral staircase, the rich aroma of coffee floated his way. Atlas inhaled deeply, wondering if Kellen had his coffee pot set on a timer.

The morning sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a soft golden glow over every inch of the house that Atlas could see from where he stood. He stepped into the living room and looked around. The sunlight made the room look even more inviting.

Turning around, Atlas made his way to the kitchen, craving that first morning cup of coffee. Hopefully Kellen wouldn’t be upset if he cooked breakfast. After storming out of the living room last night, he’d poked around the kitchen, noticing how well stocked it was before he’d found the ice cream.

Atlas walked in and looked around, trying to spot where the coffee pot was. A stranger was leaning against the counter, one arm crossed over his chest, the other holding a mug.

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