Page 24 of Wolf Mate

“Are you okay?” Slade clasped his hands in front of his chest like he wasn’t sure what to do with them.

“Not sure ifokayis the right word, and I have so many questions.” I yawned, and my steps became more sluggish. “But I don’t have the energy tonight to ask any.”

He chuckled, his shoulders relaxing. “That’s fair. You had an eventful day, and it was also the first day of classes.”

I’d been here a little over twenty-four hours, and my life had turned upside down. One question came to mind that I’d had my entire life, and for the first time, I was with someone whowouldn’t think I was a freak and shun me if I asked. At least, not for that.

We strolled to the front of the apartment building, and I paused at the steps. “What exactly am I?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I might be able to find an answer.” He pulled out his phone. “Can I have your number in case I learn anything?”

That was a no-brainer, and that damn hope surged, expanding my chest. I rattled off my number. “Will you text me so I can save your contact on my phone? I don’t answer calls or messages from strangers.”

He winked, and my phone dinged in my back pocket. “Done.”

I stumbled, my legs almost giving out again. It felt like I had weights tied around my ankles. “Okay. I need to go inside. I’ll see you later.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you inside? It’s the girls’ apartment complex, but you’re allowed visitors.”

I was tempted to let him help me, but after years of relying on myself, it didn’t feel right to trust someone I’d just met. Besides, I didn’t want Lucy to get caught up in any of this. “Nah, I’m fine. See you later.”

I hurried to the door, the edges of my vision darkening. Somehow, I made it up the elevator and into the apartment before I blacked out.

Lucy jumped from the couch, her eyes wide. “Hey, are you okay?”

I didn’t pause as I walked through the living room and headed to my bedroom. “I’m not feeling well. I need sleep.”

“Uh. Okay.” She sounded worried, but she remained in the living room, not pushing me for answers.

I shut the door and stripped down to my bra and panties, wanting the dirty clothes off me. Then I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

My phone dinged.I peeled my eyes open and stared at the ceiling. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where the hell I was. Cold tendrils of fear clutched my chest, and I bolted upright. This wasn’t my bedroom.

Reality crashed back in. I was at EEU … and the events of the night before stole my breath.

It hadn’t been a nightmare, and even though I didn’t feel as exhausted this morning, my eyes were still heavy with sleep.

Another alert came from my phone, and I snagged my jeans from the floor and removed it.

Two things registered simultaneously.

The first was that it was nine thirty and I hadn’t set my alarm last night. Thank God someone was texting me, or I might have slept through the morning and missed my eleven o’clock statistics class. The next was who was texting me.

Slade.

His message was short and sweet:

I found the answer. Meet me behind your apartment. I’ll be there in ten minutes.

My pulse thudded and my blood jolted. All signs of fatigue disappeared, and my blood revved back to life. Being this close to an answer had me damn near doing cartwheels.

I snatched up clean underwear, a bra, a pair of jeans, and a violet sweater from my closet and rushed into the bathroom to take a shower. I needed to wash off whatever residue was left from last night.

Within ten minutes, I’d showered, put on a dash of makeup, and pulled my wet hair into a messy bun. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and my hair would dry fine this way.

Luckily, Lucy wasn’t here to pepper me with questions. I slipped on my sneakers, grabbed my backpack, and hurried to the elevator, going faster with each step.

I made my way to the back of the apartment near the woods. Slade was already there with two cups in his hands.

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