Page 24 of Moon Fated

I shuddered at the thought and reached for my toothbrush. But I was here with Rowan, wasn’t I? He’d been at my hotel room last night.

Had I given him permission to come with me today?

Not exactly. But not…not exactly.

Still. When he was around, my wolf seemed to be more steady. I was beginning to trust that she wasn’t going to rip someone’s head off unexpectedly.

What did that mean? Wasn’t it a thing that when you got out of one terrible relationship you were extremely likely to jump into another? Was wolf psychology the same as humans?

I paused by the door, taking a deep breath. The thought of relying on another alpha knotted my stomach. Sure, Rowan was funny. Nice. Adorable, even. But power transformed alphas, twisted them into beings who saw loyalty as a resource to exploit. I would not fall under the sway of any wolf's command again, especially an alpha.

All of it was impossible. Yet rehearsing that in my head did nothing to settle my wolf. That was a problem. I needed her for tracking, and then I needed her to take a backseat. The more I was around Rowan, the less she seemed willing to fade away like she had in Seattle.

With one last glance at the room that had been my refuge, I pushed the door open and stepped outside. The cool morning air kissed my cheeks, but my tranquility shattered when something smacked into my shins, sending me backward into the door.

I cursed, my hand instinctively reaching for the knife strapped to my hip before recognition hit. “Rowan?”

Rowan Steele unfolded himself from where he lay sprawled at my feet, startling me into a defensive stance.

“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed.

Rowan straightened up, towering over me with those piercing blue eyes and dark hair disheveled like he'd been…well, like he’d been sleeping against my door. His grin was sheepish. "Hey. I got here early. Didn't want to make you late."

"How early?" I scoffed, eyeing the leaves clinging to the same clothes he’d been wearing the night before.

"Early.” He brushed off his jacket.

I pursed my lips. “Were you sleeping here outside my door?”

Rowan yawned and covered his mouth. “I may have nodded off.”

I shook my head and started toward the stairs. “Unbelievable.”

“You’re mad?” Rowan’s steps were heavy behind me.

“Annoyed would be the better term.” The soles of my boots reverberated on the metal steps as I descended to the parking lot.

“Justin looked like someone pissed in his pop last night. I was worried he might do something.”

I spun as I reached the pavement and had to look straight up since Rowan was still two steps up on the staircase. “Blake was the only person who knew where I was staying, and he wouldn’t tell Justin.”

Rowan raised an eyebrow and glanced back up toward my door. I swallowed hard. “Okay, fine, yes. Justin could’ve followed us here, but he didn’t.”

“But he could’ve.”

I let out an exasperated breath. “Don’t you have a pack to take care of?”

The rumble of an engine sliced through the morning stillness, and I turned just as Blake rolled up in his battered old truck, kicking up a cloud of gravel and dust. Rowan dropped to the ground next to me, his shoulders tense.

"Why is Blake here?" Rowan’s voice was gruff.

“It’s his sister who’s missing. Didn’t we talk about taking his truck last night?”

Rowan shot me a look, his eyes dark. I stifled a grin.

Blake cut the engine and stepped out, his muscular build momentarily outlined against the glare of the early sun. He frowned as he caught sight of Rowan standing next to me. “Did he—?” Blake looked between the two of us. “Evelyn, did you?—?”

“Good morning, Blake.” I stomped toward the truck and hopped into the backseat. “You two can discuss what I did or didn’t do on the drive. Sound good?” I slammed the door closed.

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