Page 12 of Rejected Wolf Mate

He let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, no kidding. They’ve definitely pulled us in for a few ‘one last job’ jobs. But that’s part of our life.”

“So the Gray Wolf…” I said. “The council pulled you out of retirement to help with that?”

“Pretty much.” His warm smile vanished as he removed his feet from the table and leaned forward. “Though I don’t get how the Gray Wolf figured it out that quickly.” A low growl grew in his throat, and he bristled. “But he’s going to pay for dragging you into this. He’s going to regret that one.”

I tried to keep my face impassive. The whole thing felt so surreal, lying to Rand’s face about an attack that had never happened and listening to him plan on handling my boss, who had sent me here in the first place.

I shifted in my seat, trying to process it all. Suddenly, I became inexplicably uncomfortable. I coughed, looking away, wanting to be anywhere but here. More than anything, I wanted to talk to Thea.

“Can I borrow your phone?” I asked. “I lost mine when… you know…”

He didn’t hesitate, fishing it out of his pocket and handing it over. As he did, our fingers brushed against one another. I tried not to recoil, even as the electricity rippled through my fingers and up my body. For a moment, our eyes met, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was.

I retracted my hand, running my fingers through my hair, trying to shake off the sensation.

“Take as much time as you need,” he said.

“Thanks.”

I walked up to the bedroom and closed the door. Looking outside, I could see the changing leaves rustling in the wind and could practically feel the cool autumn air on my skin. My wolf stretched, flexing her claws, wanting to run outside and breathe the fresh air and hunt, preferably with Rand’s wolf by her side—

I pushed the thought from my mind, chastising myself. I needed to get my head in the game. This wasn’t the time to play around with ideas like that.

Taking a deep breath, I dialed a number I knew from memory.

“Hello?”

“Hey, girl,” I said, grinning. Hearing my sister’s voice gave me a bit of peace. I relaxed a little, knowing she was okay.

“Astrid! How are you? I was really worried, actually. I’m guessing since you’re calling from a random number that you’ve lost your phone?”

“Yeah. By the time I noticed, it was too late to turn back,” I lied. The truth was, I had thought it would be too suspicious if I pretended I had escaped kidnappers with my phone still on me. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay! I’ll be able to call you back on this phone—”

“Don’t,” I said quickly, trying not to sound too hasty or panicked. “I’ll give you a call. I don’t want to bother my friend lending me their phone.”

“Right. Any update? How’s it going?”

“It’s… going all right,” I said, glancing down at the floorboards as if expecting to see through them to where Rand was. “Complicated, but going all right. I’m at least where I’m meant to be.”

“And you still can’t tell me what’s going on?”

I winced. “You don’t want to know, trust me. It’s nothing bad, but the less you know, the better.”

A long silence filled the air, and I wondered if Thea had hung up on me.

“I don’t know if I like this,” she said after a long pause. “I know you said it was fine, but you’re not instilling me with a whole lot of confidence.”

I paced the room. “I know, but trust me. This will be over in a couple of weeks, and once it’s done, it’s all over.” I thought briefly about all the good that money would do, the type of life we’d be able to live when all of this was over. Except, that glimmer of hope and exuberance felt tainted now, more bittersweet than it had before I’d arrived in Brixton. Before seeing Rand again.

I shook my head to clear it. It didn’t matter. I was in the thick of it now. I couldn’t back out even if I wanted to.

“I trust you,” Thea said. After another pause, she added, “Please tell me they at least sent you somewhere cool. Like Hawaii, or even Yellowstone. Something neat like that.”

“If only,” I said. “No, it’s just a small town. About a day’s run.”

“Well, I’m going to pretend you’re at some luxury resort, anyway,” she said, making me smile. “I’ve got to get going, but thanks for letting me know you got there all right.”

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