Page 46 of Holiday Surprise

“Don’t think so, Luke’s looking for her.”

He must have handed the phone to Lily because she was clear as a bell talking next.

“Hey Luke. Syd’s not with you?” she asked.

“Would I be calling if she was?” I responded more sarcastically than I meant to.

Lily just laughed. “Guess not. Well, she left the store late this morning to sort things out with Chasity and spend some time with you. I told her that no matter what you said, this can’t be easy, and you need your mate by your side.”

I groaned remembering the look of hurt on Syd’s face that morning when I left her standing in the driveway to go meet with the adjuster.

“Let me guess, you told her you already had everything under control.”

“Maybe,” I admitted.

“What is wrong with you Alpha’s. Don’t you know that our biggest job as a Pack Mother is to just take care of you guys? Let her do her job, Luke. Do not push her away right now. She’s hurting too,” Lily lectured.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said sheepishly. “So, do you have any idea where she might be?”

“No not really,” she admitted. “Hold on,” she said, and the phone turned to muffled voices again like she was covering the receiver. “Hey, you know Sydney better than anyone, where would she go if she were upset and overwhelmed?”

I wasn’t sure who she was asking, but I was a little surprised to hear Thomas respond.

“Home. She’ll likely be in her room, so tell him to start at her house. Oh, and also tell him to check her closet if the house seems empty. When she’s really stressed, she likes to hide in small dark spaces.”

“Did you get that?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, I got it. On my way,” I told her.

“Good luck,” she said and then disconnected leaving me to wonder exactly how and why Thomas Collier knew something so personal about my mate.

It was only a few minutes’ drive to Sydney’s house, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her car parked there.

I walked to her front door and tried the handle, cursing under my breath when the door swung open. Not again. I still needed to have a long talk with her about personal safety and remembering to lock her damn door.

Inside there were no lights on anywhere. I took Collier’s advice and headed straight for the bedroom. Nothing. Aside from a rumpled bed, there was no obvious sign that she had been there. I started to leave, then stopped and checked the closet first. I switched on the light, but no sign of Sydney.

Then as I was walking out of the room, I heard her soft snoring. I stopped and looked around. It took me a minute to realize she was part of the crumpled blankets on the bed as she was fully covered from head to toe.

I pulled the blanket down and found her sleeping peacefully.

Relief washed over me. I didn’t want to disturb her, so I stripped out of my clothes and slid into the bed next to her. I gently rolled her to me without waking her, but my entire body relaxed with her tucked in close to me. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Sydney

Chapter 20

I awoke and it was dark outside. My stomach was grumbling in protest from missing lunch, but a quick glance at the clock told me I missed dinner, too.

I stretched and felt like the weight of the world was on me. Taking in a deep breath, I caught the smell of my mate. Groggily I looked over and realized the weight of my world was literally Luke’s arm draped across my chest and pinning me to the bed.

I wracked my brain but couldn’t remember talking to him or him sneaking into bed. I must have been out harder than I thought.

I noticed from his breathing pattern change that he was awake. I looked over at him and he was staring at me.

“You found me,” I whispered.

“I’ll always find you,” he said. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I honestly didn’t mean to.”

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