Page 72 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

“What are you doing out here?” I ask. “Didn’t you want to see Lucy and the others?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing to talk about. Can we just go home, please?”

“Sure,” I mutter, getting in the truck.

The night drags by with infinite slowness. Again, I spoil Amanda with her favorite food and wine, but she seems to barely notice.

I feel like it can’t get any worse, but the next few days only increase the agony. When Bae finally texts me to come and meet with him, I can’t wait to leave the house.

“I have to go and see Bailey,” I tell Amanda with some relief. “Will you be okay for a bit?”

“Yeah,” she answers. “I’m actually meeting with the girls.”

“Hey, that’s great!” I say with enthusiasm. “I think it’s a good idea. You guys have fun catching up.”

“We will,” she replies, smiling.

I kiss her goodbye, trying not to read too much into the way she pulls away and glances at the floor to avoid looking into my eyes.

Just relax. It will take time. Have some patience.

I’m still relieved to get in my truck and head into town. Bae, Rider, Peter, and I are meeting at a bar far away from Shelley’s. They are worried the others are spying on us, and if we have any kind of official meeting at one of our usual spots, we could get attacked.

I pull into the parking lot of the little dive and go inside, feeling completely out of place.

I’ve lived in this town my whole life, and I’ve never been in here before. It seems bananas when you think about how small the town is.

I see Bae, Rider, and Peter over at a far table and go to sit with them. Bae looks just as uncomfortable as I am, but the twins look chill.

“Hey,” I say, sitting down. “Where’s Kyle and Jack?”

“Running patrols,” Bae says. “We’re just waiting for our contact, then once we get the news, we decide what to do.”

“Contact?” I ask, confused.

“Me,” Nate says, sitting down at the end of the table. I almost don’t recognize him—his long, straw-like hair has been cropped short, and his leather, hand-stitched clothes have been replaced by jeans and a t-shirt.

“You look… respectable,” I say.

He nods. “Yeah. Undercover,” he mutters.

“How’s your sister?” I ask him snarkily.

Bae raises a hand. “Cut it out. He’s with us.”

“What?”

“Kelta and her elders are against us. The younger wild wolves aren’t. Nate has been invaluable the last few days, gathering intel for us.”

“Only if we can trust him,” I say, my voice getting loud.

Rider puts a hand on my shoulder. “Will you calm down? Are you trying to draw attention to us?”

“Sorry,” I mutter, putting my head in my hands. “I’m too stressed out. Tell me what’s going on.”

“They’re watching you,” Nate confirms. “They have scouts up in the hills, and Decker is putting together a small army over in Silverton.”

“Are they going to attack?” Peter asks.

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