Page 19 of Cuffed By My Mate

“When your mate gets sick of you and tosses you aside,” my dad continues, “don’t you dare come crawling back here. You won’t be welcome.”

The line goes dead.

I stare at the phone in my trembling hand, my breath coming in slow, uneven bursts.

And then…

I toss it onto the bed beside me and stare up at the ceiling.

Their words circle in my head, but as I sit there, letting themsink in, I realize something.

I’m not sad. I’mrelieved.

I have beencut off. I never have to go back. I never have tobeVera from the Red Fog Pack again. It’sfreeing. It’s like taking a deep breath after beingunderwaterfor too long.

I press a hand to my chest, grounding myself in the steady beat of my heart. Now, all that’s left to do is come clean to Crew. I need to tell himeverything—how I got here, why I came, what Iwassupposed to do.

I need to lay itallout, because now, there’snothingtying me to my past.

I get dressed and head downstairs, running through what I’ll say. By the time his headlights flash through the window, I feelready.

Icando this.

Iwilldo this.

I stand as the truck pulls to a stop. Heading for the door, my heart races. The second it swings open, I look up at Crew, my lips parting?—

But then Iseehim.

And my stomachdrops.

His expression is wrong.

His eyes—dark, stormy, unreadable.

My bearwhinesinside me, pawing at me, nervous, and I know right away.

Heknows.

My breath catches.

“I can explain,” I blurt out.

EIGHT

Crew

I’m notsure what to do or what to think.

What I do know is that I can’t stay here. I don’t want to say or do something that I can’t take back. I need to get my head on straight, and then I’ll come back and deal with my traitor mate.

My bear growls inside of me. He’s not happy about leaving our fated mate. I’m not either, but how can I trust her?

When I left to meet the Alphas, I thought that Griffin and Ryker were going to tell all of us about something that had happened with the Red Fog Pack, and I was right. I just would never have guessed what the news would end up being.

Vera, my mate, my love, is the daughter of the Red Fog Pack’s Alpha. She’s a traitor, a spy sent here to help them take us down or do God knows what else to our pack.

Getting that news was like a sucker punch to the gut. I didn’t know how to react. At first I didn’t want to believe it, but they showed me proof.

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