Page 22 of Rejected Wolf Mate

I had left for her safety. I wasn’t going to feel guilty about that. So why did I suddenly wonder if it had been a mistake?

And that wasn’t the only thing that had begun to nag at me. In a way, this whole situation was my fault. They wouldn’t have gone after her if it hadn’t been for me. Or, if I’d held her closer, the way the other Silver Wolves had clung to their mates, then she would have been here. With me.

Or maybe she wouldn’t be here at all, a voice, defiant and stubborn, broke through the thoughts. For all you know, she could be dead because some monster or another of your enemies got hold of her years ago, and it would have been your fault. The best way to protect her was to leave.

I realized Astrid was watching me, drumming her fingers, her head tilted.

“I get it,” I said. “I won’t push it. But if you change your mind and want her here, let me know. I know how important she is to you.” I paused, chewing over my next words, wondering if they were the right choice or if I should bite my tongue. “She’s important to me, too. I like Thea. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

She blinked, some of the tension in her shoulders releasing as surprise flickered across her face.

“She liked you, too,” she said. “She was pretty upset when you left. Which is why I think keeping her away is best for everyone. After all, once this Gray Wolf stuff is taken care of, I’m leaving. I don’t want to get her hopes up. She’s not a kid anymore, but…” Astrid shrugged. “I know what she’s like. Bringing her here would just make everything messy at the end of it.”

Something wriggled inside me and settled in my stomach as she mentioned eventually leaving. We both had to have known it would happen. It wasn’t as though she’d ever hinted she was remotely interested in sticking around. But the thought that she would leave after all this had never really crossed my mind, either. And the more I thought about it, the unhappier it made me. Now that she was back in my life, I didn’t want her to leave.

I thought about telling her as much right then. I even opened my mouth, the words halfway out, when I stopped. What good would it do? She was still clearly angry with me and didn’t trust me. Telling her I wanted her to stay would make it worse.

“Food will be ready soon,” I said. “Why don’t you find something on TV to watch while it’s cooking.”

She nodded, leaving me alone with my increasingly annoying thoughts.

Chapter 9 - Astrid

Moonlight streaked through the trees as I padded through the woods, freshly fallen leaves crunching beneath my paws. I moved slowly, listening to make sure Rand hadn’t followed me, but the only sounds were that of prey scurrying away and the wind rushing past me.

I relaxed. I was just being paranoid. Rand was at a meeting, anyway. There’s no way he would know where I’d gone.

Eventually, I came to a clearing and waited. Almost immediately, the scent of sea breeze wafted toward me, and I turned to my right just in time to see a slender blond wolf stepping out of the trees. She regarded me with dark eyes before sniffing the air, then shifted into a stunning woman with short blond hair. A moment later, I shifted as well.

“Hi Dana,” I said.

Dana gave a curt, almost imperious nod, looking as though she had stepped in something unpleasant. I had never been able to figure out if that was just the way she normally looked or if she just really didn’t like me.

“Anything new?” she asked.

I nodded. “They don’t know who the Gray Wolf is. But right now, I think their main theory is that you guys released me on purpose.”

She nodded, unsurprised. “He thought that might be a possibility. It’s better than them thinking you’re one of us, though. What else?”

“They’re looking in the west at the moment, like we wanted. In terms of their own information, they don’t know much. They think there’s about twenty of you.” I paused as I considered whether or not I wanted to say the next part. They needed to know, but part of me worried I would confirm something that had been creeping up in the back of my mind since this whole thing started.

I bit the bullet. “I also heard that they think you’re up to something more sinister than just gathering information. The Wolf’s Council asked them to look in on you before I even showed up.”

Dana blinked, though I couldn’t tell if it was out of confusion or skepticism. “That’s… interesting,” she said. “Are you certain?”

“Yup.” I hesitated again, studying Dana. I didn’t know her particularly well, not as well as some of the others in the group. I didn’t know how good her poker face was. Currently, she looked like stone, but something flickered across her face that raised alarm bells in me.

I debated whether to ask the question at the tip of my tongue. In a way, it felt as though it would be dangerous to ask. At the same time, it felt vitally important that I know the answer.

“Is there something else going on here?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her face settling into a mask I couldn’t penetrate.

“Just that some things feel off. I can’t explain it more than that.” I hesitated again before saying, “They know about Aspen, except they mentioned multiple deaths. Not just one. You don’t happen to know anything about that, do you?”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t on that mission, if you’ll recall.”

“Yeah, but you’d know if other people had died surely.”

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