Page 38 of Destined Mate

Wanting to appease Theo, I walked to him and touched his shoulder. Hopefully, this time, Jack would remain quiet and not ruin my attempt to defuse the tension.

Theo’s gaze turned to me and softened, reminding me of the little boy who used to hide with me in the woods. There was my friend. The one I trusted. The older we got, the less often I saw him.

“This is a crappy situation for all of us, and I’m sorry.” I forced a smile, and it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. “I’ll be home soon.”

That seemed to appease him, and none of the advisers added anything. Thank gods.

“You’re right. This can’t be easy for you, either.” Theo frowned. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. You’re the one they’re forcing to stay here.”

I didn’t have to turn to feel the displeasure wafting from the advisers. Theo was determined to insult them at any opportunity.

I couldn’t stand here and let the advisers think I was ungrateful…especially Bodey.

“They’ve been kind, but I miss my friends and family.” Namely, Stevie, but I left that out. She was the closest thing I had to family, but Mom and Dad weren’t far behind. They did care about me and tried to treat me the same as my siblings, but it was clear I wasn’t blood.

“I’d better let you rest so you can come back home sooner.” Theo bit his bottom lip, not happy, but there was nothing he could do. “Let’s go,” he said to Pearl and Charles.

I dropped my hand from Theo’s arm. I’d suspected my touch would calm him, sensing he wanted my approval, but I was surprised that it had also affected Bodey. Maybe he was afraid of brushing me off and hurting my ribs.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Bodey said as he moved beside me again, placing a hand on my lower back. “But let me be clear—if you come here again without talking to me first and ambush Callie, I’ll do more than kick your ass.”

Theo swallowed and nodded, though his attention kept homing in on where Bodey was touching me. He strolled over to me and tugged me away from Bodey and into his arms.

I groaned, the pain radiating through my midsection.

Bodey growled, “You’re hurting her.”

“Oh, shit.” Theo released me and stepped back. “I’msosorry. I didn’t think about it.” He caressed my cheek, and I had to grit my teeth. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, he bent down and kissed the same cheek. I winced, unable to keep my emotions in check.

His lips were warm and rough, which I now knew was a horrible combination. Not only that, but it was sloppy. As soon as he pulled away, the air hit, making the wet spot cold. The urge to gag was overwhelming, so I reached up and wiped the saliva off with my sleeve.

Jack snorted behind me but thankfully didn’t say anything. The laughter only had Theo’s neck cording as his gaze remained on me. “I’ll call you tonight.”

“Okay.” I smiled. The thing was that he and I needed to talk more about this whole mate thing he was still determined to pursue. I didn’t want to remain with my pack, even when he took over the alpha role. Too much had happened. And the way they’d all disrespected me for the past seventeen years wouldn’t change.

“Let’s go.” Theo frowned and gestured to Charles and Pearl. He walked out first with Pearl on his heels, only nodding at me. Charles didn’t even acknowledge me.

As soon as the three of them left, Bodey slammed the door. He turned around, his gaze on me.

My stomach fluttered, and I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

Jack snickered. “That wasfun. I kind of wish he’d run his mouth more so I could have gotten involved.”

“Man, this is fucked up. Theo’s more erratic than Zeke.” Lucas cracked his knuckles. “How are we going to handle what happened? You know Zeke was probably aware he was coming here.”

“From what the book indicates about the last coronation, Theo acted just like Zeke once did: desperate to prove his strength and dominance.” Miles blew out a breath. “It’s best if we don’t feed into it.”

Rubbing his hands together, Bodey frowned. “I agree. We don’t need to feed into it. I need you three to go to my parents’ house to inform them of what happened. Mom needs to keep an eye out in case Theo comes back.”

My blood heated, and my back straightened. My ribs screamed at me, but I didn’t care. Bodey was acting as if I couldn’t take care of myself. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

The corners of Bodey’s mouth tipped upward, trying not to smile. “I’m not saying she’ll stay here with you. She’ll just keep an eye out since you answered the door without telling me.”

Did he think that explanation made things better?

“Man, just pack link with your parents the same way we’re doing with ours.” Jack tapped his head. “You can tell them yourself.”

“You better watch it.” I lifted my chin, narrowing my eyes at Bodey. “If you say or do something Bodey doesn’t like, he might get Janet involved, like he’s doing with me.”

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