Page 44 of Wolf Mate

“Then you should try textinghernext time.” The corners of his eyes wrinkled, and his scowl deepened.

Shock kick-started my brain. “Wait. I texted you? I thought—”

“Here I thought you were actually taking me up on my offer to help you.” He laughed bitterly. “I should’ve known.”

Maybe I was super exhausted to the point of misreading signals, but it sounded very much like I had hurt his feelings. My chest constricted. I hated that I’d made him feel that way. “She texted me earlier, and I just replied to my last text because myvision was blurry and I couldn’t see straight.” Leaving out that last part probably would’ve been better.

As expected, his jaw clenched. “I texted you about thirty minutes before your message, so you messaged me instead of her. And what thefuckdid Slade do to you to get you in this condition? I swear, I’m going to kill him.”

“No one saw anything.” That must be why he was this upset. “He put a perimeter spell around us and set some aversion spells between the campus and where we practice. You don’t have to worry about exposure.”

A vein bulged between his brows, somehow making him more attractive. “That’snotwhat I’m upset about, Skylar. Look at you. It can’t be healthy to wear yourself down like this. He has to stop pushing you.”

I was equal parts livid and flattered. The two emotions collided like hot and cold, but unlike ice cream and hot cake, this wasn’t pleasant. “Ido what I want. You don’t get to blame him for this.”

“He didn’t pressure you to keep practicing today?” He cocked his head, waiting for my answer.

The bastard. I hated to make his point for him, so I straightened my shoulders, which wasn’t very effective since I lay in bed, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Nope. It wasallme.”

He grimaced. “Oh my gods.” He waved a hand in front of his nose.

I froze. I hadn’t farted, right? Surely I’d know if I had.

“That was a stinker.” His eyes watered.

That was it. I needed to die. Forever. He would never let me live this down, and if he told Keith … my blood fizzed. “I swear, it wasn’t me. It must have been you.”

Now I was wide awake from shame. I sniffed, trying to smell the offending odor, but I didn’t smell anything other than his alluring scent.

My face flamed.

Ithadbeen me. I was immune to my own stench.

“What?” His forehead wrinkled, and he burst out laughing. “No, you didn’t fart. Is that why you turned bright red?”

My body sagged against the bed. “Itwasyou. Thank God.”

“No, it was definitely you.” He smiled dazzlingly. The indifferent man I knew slipped away into someone who had my heart sputtering.

In that moment, he was being genuine, and the happiness he radiated made me feel almost whole. With my blood fizzing like it was, I could sense his emotions, and they were different from the times I’d sensed them before.

I shook my head. “Not buying it. You just told me I didn’t fart.”

He rolled his eyes, but the grin didn’t disappear. “When people lie, it smells like sulfur.”

I sat up so fast that the world spun, but all I could focus on were his words. “Noway. I’ve never smelled anything like that before, and I’ve known when people were lying.”

“Humans and coven members can’t smell lies.” He tapped his nose and winked. “But shifters and vampires can.” His expression dropped. “So I know Slade pressured you to continue whatever it was the two of you were doing.”

Shit. That had gone sideways. “I’m my own person, Raffe.” I placed my hands on the mattress to steady myself. Sitting up had been a mistake, but I wasn’t willing to admit it. “Unlike you and your crew, Slade didn’t bend my will to his.”

His head jerked back. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I guess we were having this conversation. Fine with me. It was overdue, if pointless. Like a warning shot before a warstarted, it wouldn’t change a damn thing. “You know what I mean. You’re not stupid. Your group—especially you and Keith—bark and expect everyone to roll over and show their belly.”

He smirked, catching me off guard. “Really, Sky? Dog jokes?” He shook his head. “I thought you’d be more original. You don’t think shifters hear that all the fucking time?”

Those weird somersaults returned at his use of my nickname. “Not really.” I bobbed my head, which was a huge mistake because the room spun faster. Acid inched up my throat, burning. “With you all being wolf humans, animal behavior plays a big part in your roles. Wolves submit the same way dogs do, so I’m not making dog jokes. Besides, dogs and wolves are a ninety-nine point nine percent DNA match, so you’re definitely relatives.” Being with Raffe and talking about my passion—animals—had returned my blood to normal.

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