Page 53 of Destined Mate

My heart quickened. I wasn’t sure what he was vowing to do. “You need to focus on strengthening the territories and settling everything political with the queen. You don’t need to focus on helping me. I’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

Instead of waiting for him to answer, I pulled him into a brief hug, then broke away. I was getting dangerously close to staying.

“Be safe.” I placed my phone in his hand. “What’s your number? We can stay in touch.”

He grinned. “I’d like that.”

Once he’d typed in his information, we headed downstairs to find Bodey and Theo standing across the room from each other, glaring. Jack, Lucas, Miles, and Michael stood behind Bodey, all tense as if they might need to reel Bodey in at any second.

When I moved toward the front door, Bodey grabbed my bag and said, “I’ll carry it to the car.”

Theo shook his head. “I’ve got it.” He grabbed the handle, trying to take it from Bodey.

Bodey didn’t budge.

“Man, I don’t want her to go, either, but you’re going to make it harder on us if you keep doing this shit,” Jack chastised.

Lucas huffed. “That’s sad whenhe’sscolding you, man.”

Miles glowered at Theo but remained silent, which I’d learned was his usual demeanor.

Bodey didn’t release my bag. His eyes were locked on me, his expression twisted in agony.

He didn’t want me to go.

Eliminating the few feet between us, I kissed his cheek. My lips tingled from the memory of last night, and I ignored Theo’s low growl of warning.

Leaning toward his ear, I whispered faintly so only he could hear, “I hope you find her.” Then I pulled back.

If I thought he’d been sad before, I’d been wrong. His shoulders were hunched, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. His eyes remained locked on me as he released his hold on my bag. He looked heartbroken.

Everything within me screamed to stay. “Thank you for everything.”

Theo opened the door, and I hurried through before I couldn’t.

I’d thought I knew pain.

Suffering.

Anguish.

Nothing had prepared me for this moment. As I walked to Theo’s truck, I could feel Bodey’s eyes beaming into the back of my head, and I wished he’d run after me, tell me he was wrong. That he didn’t need to find her.

But he never did.

So I got in the truck, kept my gaze forward, and left my heart behind as I headed back to my own personal hell.

* * *

The entranceto the neighborhood appeared in front of us, and a lump formed in my throat. We’d gotten back too quickly, and I wasn’t mentally prepared for whatever came next.

I twisted my hands in my lap. I wanted to be back with Bodey, with his arms around me.

“Are you okay?” Theo asked. Rain started to fall, which seemed appropriate in the circumstances, and he turned on the windshield wipers. His expression softened as he examined me, but his eyes were hard. “You seem to be struggling with being back here. You and Bodey looked awfully close.”

If I didn’t play this smart, he’d grill me for information like he’d done on my first night there. I shrugged. “Not really. It’s just that none of them treated me differently there. They were nice and considerate—two things I’ve never experienced before.”

Theo took my hand in his as he turned into the neighborhood.

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