“I’m sure.”

“Let me know when you’re out of the office and I’ll have someone fix it.”

“Will do. Thanks, Bells.”

Titan didn’t move from where he was, and I was okay with that. I felt as safe with Titan as I felt with his human counterpart and he was good for Nenetl. She wasn’t howling anymore. She wasn’t speaking, but I was used to that. It was enough that he’d broken through her panic attack.

‘He’s going to give me back control. Do you want me to leave again?’Chris asked after a while.

‘No. It’s okay. I want to go back to my room. I’m tired.’

‘Okay.’

I stood to grab the tear-away clothes Bells kept in her bottom drawer, when I felt Titan’s snout hit the back of my shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

Titan rubbed his body against my hand, then bones began to crack. I turned around, and grabbed the tear-away clothes and placed them on the desk, leaving my back to him. Chris’ hand reached for them and, when I was sure he was wearing them, I turned around again.

“I’d like to go to my room please,” I told him quietly.

Chris nodded, and unlocked the door. He looked to make sure there was no one nearby. He nodded at me again so I followed behind him. Once we were back in my room, I texted Bells to let her know I was done for the day.

He stood inside my room after closing the door behind me, unsure of what to do. I didn’t know what to say, either. I thought about apologizing when he beat me to it and began to speak.

“I’d like to explain,” he started.

“It’s okay. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“You trust me. It’s only fair I do the same.”

I sat down on my bed and watched him pace a bit.

“I told you Titan doesn’t talk much,” he started, when I nodded, he continued, “I found my mate two years ago.”

My heart sank. If he wasn’t marked and his wolf was quiet, it had to mean she passed away.

“I’m sorry. How did it happen?” I asked.

He looked at me and cocked his head, “How did what happen?”

“How did she die?”

His eyes widened and then he shook his head.

“She didn’t die—well, she’s dead now, but we weren’t mates when she died.”

It was my turn to be confused. When he noticed my confusion, he walked over and sat down at the other end of the bed.

“When I met her, she told me she needed time. She wanted to get to know me before she accepted me. She strung me along for a year, asking for things. Expensive dinners, expensive stuff. I gave it all to her, until I found out she was just using me. She never had any intention of accepting me. The entire time, she wanted someone else.”

“She rejected you,” I whispered, but Chris shook his head again.

“I rejected her when I found out what she did. Titan didn’t speak to me for a long time. He wanted us to keep trying. He said if we’d kept trying, she might’ve loved us eventually.”

“You didn’t think so?”

“When I found out she was accusing Luna Evie of witchcraft because Alpha Cory was mated to her, I knew there was no hope. Tracy wanted to be luna. She would never be happy with me. With us. I convinced Luna Celeste to let me go down to the dungeons, and I rejected her.”