Page 43 of Wolf Mate

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ginormous arms scooped me up and cradled me against a freaking brick wall with the sandalwood-amber scent and the faint buzz where my skin touched my savior’s soothing me.

Red flags flew everywhere in my mind, but my body wasn’t listening. Imeltedintohisembrace.

Raffe.

He always seemed to be near when I needed him most. A troubling fact that only strengthened my feelings toward him. Deep inside him, there was a nice, caring guy even if he was good at hiding it.

The world spun as he marched down the hallway, and even though my eyes were closed, I could feel the anger coiled in his body. He waspissed.

Buttons to our apartment lock beeped as he entered the code to get inside.

I groaned. I hated that he knew the code, but I couldn’t fault Lucy for sharing it with him. He was her cousin.

At the noise, his breathing quickened. My head moved with each ragged breath, helping me stay awake. Inside the apartment, he marched straight for the couch.

The door shut behind us, and I took a deep breath, wanting to hold his scent inside me a little longer after he deposited me on the couch. But I didn’t feel cloth underneath me. Instead, Raffe sat down, still holding me in his arms.

My eyes fluttered open. His face was right over mine, and his gaze was examining me all over.

He grumbled, and his ice-blue eyes glowed, making him more breathtaking. I blinked a few times, wondering if this was a dream. But if it was a dream, I’d rather he not be scowling at me.

“Are you gonna answer me?” he rasped, his eyes brightening.

I blinked. “Whuh?” My eyelids grew heavier, and it was a struggle to keep them open.

“What did he do to you?” Raffe gritted out, his nostrils flaring.

“Nuttin’,” I slurred. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stay awake. “Halp.” Between my fatigue and being in his arms, I fell fast asleep, warm and safe, feeling like I’d finally come home.

“You ready to go?”Lucy asked from a few feet away.

Go? Where?I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. I tried to pry my eyelids open, but before I could do anything to respond to her, Raffe said, “I’m not going. I’m staying here.”

Raffe. What was he doing here? Then my memories came crashing back. He’d seen me exhausted again, and he knew I’d been drained. He’d come to the elevator, instead of Lucy, to help me into the apartment.

Silence stretched between us, but after what Slade had said, that didn’t mean they weren’t communicating.

After a sigh, Lucy murmured, “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.” Then a door shut.

He scoffed. “So do I.”

I turned my head toward him … and a soft pillow touched the side of my face.

A sour taste filled my mouth, and my eyes fluttered open.

My purple butterfly mobile hung right over my head. I was in my room.

The bed dipped beside me, and theyankhappened. I turned my head and locked eyes with Raffe. He lay on his side, facing me with his hair messier than normal, his expression strained. The worry in his irises had weird sensations flipping through me.

I expected him to inundate me with questions, but he remained stoic. The only sounds I could hear were the pounding of my heart and his steady breaths.

My eyelids were still heavy, but not like before. His nearness had awakened something strange inside me. I cleared my throat. “Thank you.”

He lifted a brow. “For?”

“Helping me,” I said slowly to make sure my fatigue didn’t slip through. He’d been angry earlier, and I didn’t want to reignite that. “I expected Lucy to come, not you.” I was still confused about why he’d been there, but I could ask Lucy about it later, after I got more rest.

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