Page 19 of Plus-Size Mate

Before Winter could respond, a yawn broke free from her lips, one that made her jaw ache.

With a sigh, her mother added, “Listen to your mom and go and get some rest. We'll discuss this further when you've had a good night's sleep.”

Winter glanced at the grandfather clock. A good night’s sleep sounded good, though in truth, the night was nearly over.

“Send my love to Grandma,” Winter said, relieved at the thought of finally ending the conversation.

She had promised not to do anything drastic, but what if they found no other option?

Chapter 5 - Eddie

Even after a shift and a run through the woods, Eddie couldn’t face going back inside the manor, and so instead, he hopped up onto the firewood store and sat, gazing out at the moonlit sky. Little more than a claw scratch in the sky, it was nowhere near full, yet it did lend a little relief to Eddie’s sore nerves.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head up to the sky, allowing the light of the moon to wash over his face, breathing the chilled evening air deeply.

Sometimes, he wondered if staying with the pack was for the best. Of course, he loved every one of his packmates—they were practically his brothers and sisters—but sometimes, just seeing the way they all were together made him feel like an outsider. It was worse now that most of his oldest and closest friends were mated off.

Things were so different from the way they used to be, hunting together, playing together, spending almost every waking moment in the presence of his closest packmates, living and dying by the code they’d created during their years in the black ops together.

Yet, everything had changed. They were retired. The pack didn’t need him like they once had. They had their mates now. And the thought of being the only one left without a mate, growing old and dying alone, terrified him.

Maybe it would be better to go it alone. Better yet, maybe he should take wolf form and leave his human form behind for good.

No, stop it!he scolded himself angrily. Was this what Carly had brought him to? How could one she-wolf makehim question every single aspect of his life like this? He was beginning to feel as if he might be going insane.

“Eddie, is everything alright?”

“Shit!” Eddie cursed, his hands grabbing hold of the wood store roof.

Glancing down, he found Jack staring up at him, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, head cocked to the side with curiosity.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jack said, his expression deepening with concern. “I thought you’d heard me coming.”

Eddie scoffed angrily at himself. He ought to have heard the alpha coming. He was a werewolf, for goodness’ sake. If he couldn’t even hear footsteps coming his way, then what good was he to anyone?

“I guess I was just distracted,” Eddie admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

Jack gestured to the space on the wood store roof beside Eddie and asked, “May I come up?”

Swinging his legs a little, Eddie scooted sideways and said, “Sure.”

Besides, Jack was alpha, he couldn’t exactly say no.

In a flash, Jack was up and settled down on the roof beside him. Staring out at the night sky just as Eddie had been doing, Jack asked, “What’s going on with you, Ed?”

Eddie gritted his teeth, wondering what to say. He could tell his alpha the truth, that he was all messed up inside, thanks to Carly. Or worse, that something about Winter the witch had set him off balance. Or he could just do what he always did.

And that’s just what he did—he shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

Jack nudged him with his shoulder and growled, “You know you can talk to me. I may be your alpha, but we’re still friends.”

Eddie scoffed. “I would if I knew what to say.”

Silence surrounded them. Only the evening insects buzzed about the place as Eddie gripped the rooftop just a little tighter.

Finally, it was Eddie who broke the silence. “Do you ever feel lost?”

Jack stiffened beside him. “Lost how?”

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