Page 16 of Alpha's Unclaimed Mate

I frown at the response. “She’s been home the whole day?”

I drop the receiver and stare at the blank wall as my breathing grows labored.

What could be wrong inside the house? I call Ella to check if she had an accident in the kitchen, but Ella’s response fills me with deep dread. “No, she’s fine. Or she was, until she left the kitchen twenty minutes back. In fact, she was going upstairs to check on you. The silly girl must’ve gotten cold feet.”

My heart thumps a frantic rhythm against my ribs as I sprint down the hallway, barefoot and still wearing only my boxer shorts. Every step against the wooden floor feels slippery. The fear of losing something important makes my heartbeat speed up.

Despite my elevated hearing, the silence outside her room is deafening. I reach the door and tap on it urgently. The sound is loud, but I don’t hear any movement that suggests she’s inside.

Panic claws at my throat.

I try again. Louder this time. “Seren, are you there?”

This time I hear sobs, and my insides clench.

“Seren, can you please open the door? I need to talk to you.”

Of course she choosesnowto be stubborn. I grit my teeth and try to stay calm.

“Seren!” I let my voice get louder. She dislikes conflict, and if she knows I’m angry, she’ll give in faster. I press on, a little harsher. “Open this door!”

Silence hangs heavy in the air, broken only by the pounding in my ears. This isn’t right. She doesn’t ever hide from me. I try the doorknob, but it’s locked. That pisses me off.

“Seren, I’m serious! Open the door or I’ll knock it down!” The threat hangs heavy in the air, but it feels hollow even to me.

Her answer is a muffled sob. It’s faint, barely audible, but I hear it clearly. My stomach twists.

“Go away, Theron,” she whispers, her voice thick with emotion.

“Go away? What’s the meaning of this?” I bark back, frustration simmering in my voice. “Open the damn door!”

Another choked sob is my only response, and then the silence stretches, thick and suffocating. The scent of lilacs wafts faintly from beneath the door, laced with a salty undercurrent of tears.

My wolf stirs within me, a low growl rumbling in my chest. I can sense Titan getting more restless and possessive with each passing second. His need to get in, see her, is starting to overpower everything else.

Just as I’m getting ready to kick the door in, the doorknob turns. She opens the door just a crack, like there’s a criminalon the other side. My rage should be on fire with that, but the sight of her red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked face makes my breath catch. This isn’t the Seren I’m used to. This...this is a stranger, her eyes filled with a hollowness that punches me straight in the gut.

“What do you want?” she asks tersely.

Before I can stop myself, I reach out, my hand instinctively wrapping around her arm, pulling her close. “Seren, what’s wrong?” I ask, searching her face for answers.

She flinches, her body rigid against mine. “Don’t touch me,” she rasps, her voice barely a whisper.

My eyes scan her body, a primal urge rising within me to check for injuries, anything that could explain this sudden defiance. Finding none, panic gives way to cold fury. She clearly eavesdropped on my conversation with Luke.

“What did you hear?” I demand, my voice low and dangerous. My mind races through every snide remark, every callous statement I flung at Luke. Each one sounds worse than the last.

She pushes against my chest, defiance flickering in her eyes. “Let go of me, Theron!”

I hesitate, torn between the need to understand and my wolf’s possessive growl echoing in my head.

“Leave me alone,” she says, trying to push me aside and close the door again. Suddenly, the world goes dark. A surge of power courses through me, replacing my rational thoughts with a primal instinct to protect, to possess. My wolf has taken over.

CHAPTER 7

SEREN

Aguttural howl rips from Theron’s throat, his body convulsing as the beast fights to emerge. Claws erupt, canines lengthen, and his eyes turn wild as man and beast war within him.

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