Page 25 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

“What, really?” I ask, surprised.

“Yeah,” she answers, laughing softly. “I made my wedding dress, as well as this jacket. It’s hard to find clothes that fit me well.”

“That’s amazing!” I say, meaning it. “Anything you want to do, I support you completely.”

“Thank you, Kyle,” she says softly.

The conversation kind of dies after that, and after I park behind Bae’s store, she heads off into town, looking confident and calm. As I watch her walk away, I feel my own anxiety rising again.

I know it’s because she’s my lucky charm and around her, I feel safe. But I’m also stressing out because when she’s out of my sight, anything could happen to her.

Some people say this kind of anxiety is unnecessary—a kind of hypervigilance that is unfounded because the world is safe. Those people are fools. The world is dangerous, and anything can happen at any time.

After a day of working in Bae’s store, I meet up with Leslie to head home. She got a casual job at the ice cream parlor that she’s happy with, even if it’s not going to be her permanent job.

A few days go by, and it gets more and more difficult for me to let Leslie out of my sight. Even when her parents have her car brought over from Silverton, I insist on driving her to and from work.

“Kyle, is this really necessary?” she asks, sighing as she gets into my truck one morning. “I’m perfectly capable of driving myself, or meeting up with the girls and getting a lift.”

“I just prefer it this way,” I answer, focusing on pulling out of the driveway so I don’t have to look at her. “I can manage.”

“But I’m supposed to be doing this myself,” she protests. “It’s about my independence.”

“And I want you to feel independent,” I agree. “But I also want you to be safe.”

“Why wouldn’t I be safe?” she asks, a bit exasperated.

I don’t answer, I just glare at the road. I’ve been back in Silver Meadows for over a month now, and I still haven’t adjusted. Living with the Sawpit Pack, I was always on alert, in a permanent state of stress. Fights broke out daily, even between friends. Theft and destruction of property occurred often, and when we went out to hunt, it was every wolf for himself.

“Is Silver Meadows dangerous?” Leslie asks softly.

“No,” I answer automatically. “But there’s always a threat to the pack’s safety.”

“What do you mean?” she asks, sounding alarmed.

I realize that I’ve stepped in it and I better pull myself out fast. “Just the normal things,” I say, making an effort to sound reassuring. “The packs in this area compete for resources, just as the towns themselves compete for tourism trade. It’s not a big deal, but we are always checking things out, just in case.”

Leslie stares at me as if she’s not convinced, but she doesn’t press the issue any further. Luckily, we’ve arrived in town, so I can safely keep my secrets a bit longer.

Leslie goes off to work, and I help Bae out for a few hours. At lunch, we go to meet Jack, Seth, and Carson behind Shelley’s.

“Thanks for coming in on short notice,” Bae says to the others. “I had a text from Kelta early this morning, so I needed to call an emergency meeting.”

“What’s this about?” I ask warily. I hadn’t been aware there was official pack business today.

“It’s the Sawpit Pack,” Bae says, sitting down. “They’ve moved territory again.”

I feel a horrible, deep chill in my bones. Fear rises in me, and it sends my wolf into a snarling frenzy of defensive rage.

I try to stay calm, wondering if the tempest in my soul is visible to the others.

“What’s the news?” Jack asks.

“They’ve pulled out of the territory to the south,” Bae says. “The space around Mount Wilson near Ophir.”

“That’s good news,” Carson says. “If they kept pushing there, they would be heading towards Silverton. We’d have to go to war against them to protect our allies.”

“Yes,” Bae agrees, nodding. “But as things are, they have pressed north past Norwood towards Orchard City.”

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