Page 13 of The Wolf King's Mate

I started to search Enzo’s apartment, looking for his. I was crossing my fingers that he’d left the device inside, even if that seemed unlikely.

His closet was bigger than I expected, and mostly empty. On hangers, Enzo had two pairs of jeans, and two button-up shirts that still had tags on them. There were a couple of white tank tops, one black t-shirt, and two long-sleeved tees with the names of bands I didn’t recognize. Those both looked old and very worn.

Tucked away on a shelf, I noticed two pairs of brand-new shoes.

In the custom-made dresser, I found a drawer full of folded boxer-briefs that still smelled like a store, having clearly never been used. A drawer of new socks, too. The only clothes that actually looked like they’d been through the wash were three drawers of unfolded sweatpants in shades of gray, black, and navy.

I wandered back to the bedroom and opened the nightstand drawers. When I found a phone in one of them that was empty otherwise, I barely held back a cheer.

Except when I tried to turn it on, it was dead.

Dammit.

I looked through the rest of the nightstand drawers, but no charger appeared.

Guess the Alpha really didn’t have a use for a phone.

I had nothing else to do, and no way to even tell what time it was, so I spent the next little while digging through bathroom drawers and cupboards, hoping I’d find a charger.

Nothing was organized. It was chaos. He obviously purchased the things he liked in bulk and just tossed the extras in the cabinets, because the stuff was literally in grocery bags, just piled on top of each other.

I itched to organize it as I looked through, but that would make it seem way too much like I was interested in him or trying to make his life easier or something. I wasn’t. I just wanted to call my brother before he got himself or the rest of our family killed.

With a frustrated huff, I sat back on my heels after I finished looking through the last of the stuff.

I’d gone through everything else, except…

The kitchen.

My robe was abandoned at the foot of the bed, so I made my way into the kitchen in my sports bra and spandex shorts. When I found a charger in the back of a drawer, I almost let out a whoop of victory.

It would take a few minutes to get the phone to start again, so I plugged it in and headed for the shower. Might as well get clean myself more thoroughly, if I wasn’t hiding anymore.

I grabbed the robe on my way, tossing it back on the hook. Now that I knew every single item in the room, I was actually feeling pretty comfortable there. That would change if the Alpha was with me, of course, but it was nice not to be worried for the moment.

Stepping toward an overflowing clothes hamper, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and froze.

Turning quickly, I surveyed my appearance.

The blood drained slowly from my face as I lifted my hand to my throat. To the scars the Alpha had left there. They weren’t raised. They weren’t dark red, either. They were just pink enough that there was no way anyone could deny what they were.

An Alpha’s claim.

Not the mark of a deep wound, or a cruel cut, but one left in a place that everyone in their right mind would call barbaric. Right across my throat, where no one could miss them. Even the highest turtleneck would show a little of the markings.

Emotions flooded me. I didn’t have names for them. Sadness? Anger? Overwhelm? Fear? Hurt? Relief?

I wasn’t sure.

I didn’t have to hide anymore. That was a massive weight off my shoulders. I didn’t have to hold back the truth about what I was, or keep everyone at a distance.

But I wasn’t free. Not free to be myself, or free to live how I wanted. I still couldn’t date. I still couldn’t have my own place, or wander a grocery store without worrying about the way I smelled, or get a job away from an Alpha.

I was just trapped in a different way, now.

Unless Enzo changed his mind.

Considering he was at the very top of the food chain, I would probably die if I tried tomakehim change his mind. That wasn’t a risk I should take.

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