Page 48 of Wolf Forgotten

The thought of leaving Cole and Eli behind made my wolf growl and my stomach twist into a million knots. I couldn't run.

I finished the last bite of my breakfast and sighed contentedly. So what if my phone had a tracker on it? The food more than made up for the invasion of privacy.

“Go get changed. I’ll meet you in the gym.” He grabbed our empty plates and took them to the sink.

I went upstairs and changed into black shorts, a strappy sports bra, and a red form fitting racer back tank top. Even though it was cold, I knew I wouldn't be once we started working out. Looking at myself in the mirror, I could tell I had lost some muscle definition in the short stint away from working out.

I threw on a zip up sweatshirt and ran down the stairs, nearly knocking over Sara as I flew off the bottom step. “Woah, hot stuff. Check you out.” Sara’s hazel eyes swept over me and she wiggled her eyebrows and then grimaced. “You’re going to work out? Yuck.” She pressed my cellphone into my hand. “A gift.”

Examining it, I couldn't stop from scrunching my nose in distaste. “Thanks. Is it now complete with stalker chip and everything?”

Sara laughed and followed me out onto the deck. “It will only be used if needed. We all have them in our phones. No biggie.” Sure it wasn’t a big deal for her, she’d grown up this way. It made me feel powerless and not trusted.

“Does the pack always workout together? Why aren’t you in gym clothes?” She was wearing leggings, an oversized sweater, and boots.

She followed me down the deck steps and across the lawn. My legs were freezing, and I regretted wearing shorts, the cool air making goosebumps rise on my skin.

“I try not to embarrass myself or remind the pack I'm the weakest link." There was sadness in her voice, and I wanted to hug her, but then she laughed. "Girl, you are going to get eaten alive in there. I think I’ll stay and watch for a while.”

We walked in the roll up door and it was like the air had been sucked out of the room when I entered. About a dozen sets of eyes landed on me and Sara and did a slow sweep of us.

Crap, maybe I should have worn capris or pants instead. Before I could talk myself out of it, I walked right up to the giant whiteboard where they gathered to see what was planned.

“We have a workout planned for the women over near the kid zone,” Manny said as he stepped up next to me with his arms crossed.

I turned and looked to where he was referring. Five women were gathered chatting with Sara, who had made a beeline for them almost immediately. I glanced over at Manny and then back at the board, which had a warmup, weightlifting, and a workout.

I had a distinct feeling that these wolves treated women as less than equals with pretty much everything. I understood they were part wild animal and with that came thoughts that might seem like they were stuck in the past, but it got under my skin. Hell, regular human beings treated women differently.

However, I wasn’t raised in the way of the wolf, so I decided right then and there that their rules didn’t apply to me.

Chapter Twenty

Eli

To say I went to bed disappointed was an understatement. The night before, Cole had come in with Ivy and they finished helping me clean up the kitchen. After a quick peck on the lips, she followed Cole up the stairs, holding his hand.

Having the same mate was going to be harder than I thought. I saw how moody Cole had gotten when I'd had my hands on her during the pack meeting and then at the cookout. If he wanted, he could easily take me out of the equation.

When I woke up and went to make breakfast, Cole was already at the stove. Her scent lingered on him, and it took everything in me not to run upstairs, bust down the door to Cole's bedroom, and take her to my room instead.

So, I did what any man would do and went and hid in the garden. I didn't really need to do anything besides make sure rodents weren't bypassing my safeguards. I hated when the squirrels dug up my root vegetables or buried their damn nuts in my pots. If cats liked us, I'd get a few of them to chase the assholes away.

The greenhouse was already heating up nicely as I opened the door and stepped inside. My aromatic herbs hit my nostrils, and I breathed deep.

Wolf.

There was a faint scent of an unknown wolf by the other door into the greenhouse. I could barely smell it in human form, but it was there. Walking across the room, I sniffed again and winced. Whoever had been inside my greenhouse needed a bath.

I texted Dante since he was in charge of protecting our territory. It was probably nothing. Our land was well protected.

After watering a few plants that were a bit dry, I headed to the Wolves' Den for a workout. It didn't take much for us to stay in shape, but not strength training and conditioning our human halves made our wolves cranky.

"No, this workout looks just fine. I appreciate your concern though." Ivy's voice was easily recognizable as I approached the roll up door.

It took a second for my eyes to adjust from being out in the sun, but when they did, a low rumble built in my chest.

What the hell is she wearing?

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