Page 9 of Cuffed By My Mate

I sigh. “It’s a pack a little north of here. They’re… well, they’re bad news. I’d stay away from them to be safe.”

She nods but doesn’t say anything, her expression unreadable.

Way to freak her out,my bear growls.

I didn’t mean to! I’m trying to keep her safe.

I hold the door to the diner open for her, and she slips past me, her usual lightness replaced by something heavier, something I don’t like.

“It will be okay,” I murmur as I press my palm to the small of her back, guiding her toward a booth. “We don’t deal with them that often, and they’re not that big of a problem.”

She swallows hard but nods, still looking uneasy.

I hate that.

I hate seeing anything but happiness on her face.

We slide into the booth, and I hand her a menu, forcing a grin.

“Now, what looks good?” I ask, hoping to break the tension.

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

I keep the conversation light through lunch, making dumb jokes and steering clear of anything serious, but I can tell she’s still nervous.

We’ll just have to take care of the Red Fog pack so she doesn’t have to worry,my bear growls.

I nod.

And we need to do it fast.

FIVE

Vera

Oh my god.He knows.

That’s all I can think as Crew drops me off at the station and heads off to help Tucker with a call.

I force myself to smile and wave as he pulls out of the parking lot, acting like nothing is wrong. But the second his truck disappears down the road, I spin around and rush into the station, my heart hammering against my ribs. My steps are quick, my breath coming in shallow pants as I head straight for my desk.

I collapse into my chair and let out a big breath, my hands gripping the edge of the desk like it might be able to ground me.

What am I going to do?

I press my lips together, my mind racing with the same question over and over again, my stomach knotting itself tighter the more I think about it.

Crew brought up theRed Fog Packat lunch. He talked about them with disgust, with anger, withhatred.

And he has no idea that his mate—the woman he just claimed, the woman he just promised to spend his life with—comes from that very pack.

The pack he wants nothing to do with. The pack that has probably caused problems for Twisted Oak before.

The pack I ran from.

My fingers tremble as I run them through my hair, trying to calm myself down. I just found my fated mate, and now I’m going to lose him.

Because there’s no way Crew will forgive me for this.

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