Page 19 of Possessive Mate

And the second she did, the guilt took over. How could she be dreaming about Hanson like that? What did Jason ever do to deserve this shit? Why couldn’t she just find a little peace?

Rolling onto her side, she grabbed her phone off the nightstand to check the time. It was just after six in the morning. The sun was late rising today. Sniffing, she smelled rain on the air.

Great, the day was going to be as miserable as she was.

Unlocking her phone, she did the very thing she knew she shouldn't do after a raunchy, head-spinning dream like that—she opened her gallery and looked for that favorite heartbreaking photo.

She and Jason smiled back at her, nothing more than a memory now, the last time she had truly been happy. And tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

“Fuck,” she snarled, wiping the tears away quickly when the pounding of a fist on the door made her jump.

“Who is it?” she called.

The door opened just a crack. “It's me. Can I come in?”

A wave of disappointment washed over Elena. What had she been hoping for, really? Hanson wasn't about to come to her bedroom just like that after all that had happened in the woods.

Fighting guilt and disappointment, Elena said, “Sure,” and Eddie slipped into the room, clicking the door closed again behind him.

Though he was her brother and a fellow werewolf, after all she had just dreamt, she felt too aware of how sheer her pajamas were, and so she pulled the bed covers right up to her chest as Eddie set himself down on the edge of the bed.

“I hope I didn't wake you,” he said, looking at her almost suspiciously. “Are you alright?”

Elena shook her head. “You didn't wake me, and yes, I'm fine. What's up?”

For a second, he continued to look at her with suspicion in his gaze. His raised eyebrow was more than a little annoying. She would have loved to give it a tug just to stop him looking at her like that.

Instead, she gripped the bedsheets tighter.

“I…I was just curious how much longer you intend to stay,” Eddie said, shrugging.

The hair on the back of Elena's neck rose. She barked defensively, “I can leave right now if you need me to.”

“Whoa, hey, no!” Eddie protested, reaching out to grab her hand as if he thought she might actually get up and immediately leave. “Why are you being so uptight?”

“I'm not!” Elena protested.

“Defensive, then,” Eddie said, watching her closely, clearly trying to read her. She hated it when he did that.

“Ed, I'm a lone she-wolf in a foreign pack's territory. I'm bound to be a little defensive and jumpy.”

Eddie cocked his head and looked at her without blinking. “Why is that?”

“Why what?”

Elena gulped. She already knew what he was thinking, what he was about to say.

“Elena, as much as I love having you here, why are you here?” Eddie demanded, squeezing her hand gently. “Why are you alone?”

Elena's insides shriveled up. For only a second, she thought of what it might be like to finally admit the truth. Then she thought of how her brother might look at her. She couldn't stand the look of pity in his eyes. And so, she shook her head.

“I just needed a place to find a little peace for a while,” she said, coughing a little when she struggled to clear her throat.

She eased her hand out from beneath his. Nothing could have prepared her for his next question.

“Elena, where is Jason?”

The lump in her throat reformed much harder than before, but it didn't stop her from snarling, “I told you, he's gone, and that’s that.”

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