Page 31 of Redeemed Wolf

I sent my dad a quick text telling him not to worry, that my phone had died but I would see him at work. Then I drove straight to the lab. What I needed now was a distraction. My brain was all over the place—or rather, it was onlyoneplace, on Silas, but I needed to forget about him. This level of obsession wasn’t healthy.

I was never at the lab this early. I didn’t even recognize the guard on the night shift. The parking lot was deserted, and I was grateful to have the place to myself. I took a long, hot shower and grabbed the change of clothes I’d left in my locker. By the time I sat down at my station, I felt almost like myself. Almost… except for the nagging voice demanding I go back to Silas’s bed. I wished I could say that didn’t sound like a great idea.

Dad came storming in, his eyes fiery. “Carter, do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? You left work and then stopped answering texts and calls.”

I shrugged. “I said I was sorry. It’s not like I let the battery die on purpose.” I should’ve felt guilty about lying to my dad, but I was an adult, not a child. I was totally capable of taking care of myself, but he was always going to treat me like a baby. Maybe if he’d given me a little freedom before now, I would’ve already lost my virginity, and I wouldn’t be stuck on Silas like some kind of addict.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he crossed the lab and leaned his hip against the desk beside me, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re telling me your phone died? That’s it? That’s all that happened?”

“Yeah. Not sure what else you want me to say? I would promise it won’t happen again, but it might. I am human, after all.”

He seemed to flinch, then took a deep breath. “Fine, but you know you can talk to me if anything else is going on, right?”

“Of course.” I forced myself to look him straight in the eye until he finally stood up and made to leave. He was my dad, not my keeper. It would be weird if I shared my sex life with him. It was none of his business.

While I watched him leave, though, I had a brief moment of panic. I might not want to tell him about my night with Silas, but he could help me get back onto even footing. “Hey, Dad?” I called, stalling him before he was out the door.

“Yeah?” He turned and came back toward me.

“The nightmares… they’re back,” I said, picking a familiar symptom, one he wouldn’t second-guess. “They don’t seem to be getting better. Do you think you can adjust the dosage on my meds?”

“Of course,” he said, nodding. “I’ll get you some new pills by lunchtime. Can it wait that long?”

“Mm-hm, I’ll be fine until then.” I was caught somewhere between relief and regret, my head reeling and my heart torn. Would it be enough to change the way I felt about Silas? Did I want it to be? Would he be mad when he found out what I’d done? “Thanks, Dad.” I gave him a tight smile.

“You know I only want what’s best for you, right?” he said, his eyes too perceptive as he scanned me head to toe, as if he couldseethe voice in my head. “Everything I’ve done, it’s to help you.”

“I know.”

He waited one last second, then strode out of the room, on a mission.

My phone buzzed in my pocket with an incoming text, and I reached instinctively for it, only to pause, hand hovering in midair. It was Silas, I just knew it. He wanted to know where I was, if I was okay. His roommate would’ve no doubt told him where I went. I could too easily imagine at this very second that Silas was racing to get to work. I thought of how possessive he’d been last night, the way he’d growled and called me his. He would be watching for me today, waiting to ambush me at lunchtime.

Three more texts came through before Sandra arrived half an hour later. “Morning, Carter. How was your night? Do anything fun?” she asked. I couldn’t remember a single time she’d asked me that before.

“Uh, no, not really. Just got some Italian for dinner.” That wasn’t a lie. “You?”

“Nope, just stayed in and watched a movie with my boyfriend. What about you, anyone special in your life?”

Was it just me or was she watching me extra closely?

“Not yet. Maybe one day.” I turned away and made it obvious that I was in the mood to work. Instead of putting in her earbudsand listening to music, though, as she usually did, she worked in total silence, her eyes flicking to peek at me every few minutes.

Great, a babysitter. Just what I need.

The texts finally stopped coming in, and when I glanced at the clock, I saw it was after nine. Silas would’ve started work by now. Maybe I would get a reprieve. Except once the buzzing had stopped, I found that I missed the texts. I might not have been ready to talk to him yet, but now I missed knowing that he cared enough to check up on me. Had he given up on me already? Didn’t he care about me?

Not knowing what his messages said started to eat at me, this nagging worry that I’d lost something important with Silas. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I discreetly pulled my phone from my pocket and peeked at the screen.

Silas:I missed waking up with you this morning.

Silas:Are you okay? Pacey said you seemed freaked out.

Silas:Are you at work? Can you please tell me you’re okay? Did I do something wrong?

They were all variations of the same concern, until the very last text he’d sent.

Silas:I’m just about to start work. I hope I’ll see you at lunch, but if you need me before then, all you have to do is ask. I’m yours.

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