Page 24 of Knot Quite Ready

Tristan whistles, "That's the fourth desk this week, Cas. At this point, just stop replacing it."

I turn away from our tracker, Jensen, and hear his sigh of relief as I fix my attention on Tristan. My fangs lengthen, and my muscles contract as I meet Tristan's disapproving gaze.

Fuck his look. My wolf doesn’t care that it’s unfair to take my rage and frustration out on Jensen, and a small part of me feels so much better when a drop of sweat runs down his face and into his mouth. The rest of me knows it's wrong, but the rest of me can fuck right off. I want my mate.

"Jensen, thank you. You may go," Tristan says, eyes on me the entire time, arms crossed over his thick chest, his wolf close to the surface. As it had been since the moment, I returned to the pack losing my damn mind. He's been the voice of reason, and that should have been enough to jolt me out of whatever I was going through, but it wasn't then, and it isn't now.

I see Jensen nod from the corner of my wolfed-out eyes, and I give a growl that has him bustling out of the room faster. He and other trackers have been around the clock to find Aneira once I realized I couldn't track her with our bond. But I didn't give a flying fuck if they had to scour every inch of this universe and the next; she could not have just disappeared. I want her found.

"I know it is easier said than done, but you need to rein it the fuck in. You have a pack to run, not a pack you need to make run away. Are you ready to turn into your father? If so, I will challenge your ass for Alpha right the fuck now."

I let out a feral roar of pure rage, but he doesn't so much as flinch. Usually, I would admire that. Right now? I want to rip out his heart so that he can feel a sliver of the pain I am feeling right now. But his words have the desired effect as I take a deep breath to clear my mind. I would never become my father; my rage comes from a place of love, not one of malice. While I know that, it was one thing to understand it and another to show it.

I give a slight now of understanding. There’s a beat of silence before Tristan nods and sits in the only chair I haven't destroyed.

“I still say we question the best friend. I’m not bothered; she’s fucking hot.”

I scoff," She's also mated to the Swiftwater Alpha. He will run a hoof up your insolent ass. Besides, I already text her every day for updates. Incessantly.”

Dropping my head into my hands, I rub my temples, trying to ease the ache that was almost permanent at this point. I haven't been able to sleep well, if at all. I am exhausted, angry, and overwhelmingly depressed. I may not have expected to meet Aneira, but being without her was downright painful.

I've dragged myself from a cesspool of shitty wolves, built a strong pack, and gained the respect of all those under my charge. So how the fuck can I lose my mate after meeting her?

As for Storm, I’d love nothing more than to question her friend in the only way I know how— violently, but I respect my mate too much than to hurt her by going for her best friend. Not to mention, I don't fancy having a herd of horses trying to kill me.

When I can sleep, I'm instantly transported to the moment I woke up only to meet the cold side of the bed instead of my mate. At first, I wasn’t too worried. Her insistence on wanting to be independent and her overall fear of being mated were enough for me to have a clear head. But my stomach sank when night fell, and she still didn’t appear, and I couldn’t feel our bond. I became frantic.

After digging around her apartment, I was able to find her best friend's information. Then I called Pierce, who was able to give me her number and where to find her. That leopard has his hands in everything, just like a cat, ever curious by nature. He even offered to come to talk to her with me since he knew her better. I tucked that in my back pocket as an option, but I opted for sending her a quick text that evening, to which she responded with;

Storm- I would ask how you got my number, but you shifters are obviously under the impression that you can do whatever you want, when you want, and fuck the consequences. I’ll have you know that mate bond or no, Aneira is MINE first. If she were missing for more than five fucking minutes, I’d be so far up the Fates’ ass they would make me the fourth sister out of sheer fear alone. But not all gross and shit like the ones from Hercules. Because seriously. What the fuck was up with that shit? And no, I’m not going to rub up on a milky-ass eye, drizzling eye jizz. I mean, really, Walt? Really?! Anyways, Aneira. She needs time to get her mind right. Believe me, I tried to talk her out of it, but she does need time to sort out her shitty past; then maybe she won’t fight your ass. She is under strict instructions to call me every day, or I will call Edward Cullen to rain some the sparkles of fury on that furry ass.

I chose to ignore the ranting and focused on the part about Aneria. She needed time. Time I could give her, but I couldn’tfeelour bond, which was more problematic.

Casimir- Duly noted. Any idea why I cannot at least feel our bond? How do you know if is truly okay? This isnt natural.

Storm- Reception is breaking up. Cant…Tex…Bye…

I narrow my eyes at the phone in my hand. Oh yeah, she knows exactly why.

Casimir- Nice try. I’ll be checking in with you every day. And soon, I’ll be making a visit.

Storm- As if I could ever be scared of Lassie. Go fall down a well werefucker.

Storm- Also, I’ll drop a gem on your were-ass. Being an Alpha-male doesn't mean you chase until they are too tired to run anymore. That's terrifying, not romantic. It’s recognizing that sometimes chasing is a long game. Give her a chance to recognize the difference between exhaustion and love. Otherwise, you’ll be chasing forever.

After a week, desperation started to leak into the very fiber of my being, and at that point the daily, ‘she’s okay.’ Messages weren’t cutting it anymore. So instead, I did something I didn’t picture myself doing…ever…I found her mate’s information and asked him for help. I figured if anyone could appeal to Storm would be her mate. Only to find out he is Calian Swiftwater and the area’s Councilman. Whether I just made things harder for my pack or more difficult has yet to be seen, but all he did was to assure me Aneira is safe, and I should trust his word.

It was a nice sentiment. However, it didn’t have the desired effect.

Casimir- Tell me, Calian, if Storm is suddenly missing and you can’t feel your bond, and you are told to sit and wait, how would you feel?”

He didn’t respond.Point proven.

In a short time, my circle went from only Tristan and my pack to add Pierce, Ramiro, and Imelda, who kept checking in on me, bringing food, and offering a listening ear.

Yesterday, Calian dropped by to check in on me, only to say that he could not interfere but that she was fine. It didn’t help. I need to know for myself that she’s okay. However, he was very interested in the pack lands, even though he didn’t mention legalities, thank the moon. I was not in the mindset to broach that topic at all. What I know for a certainty is that my ass isn’t going anywhere, pack or otherwise, until my mate came home or I could find her.

She didn’t make any promises to me. Not really. What was screamed under the influence of many, many orgasms wasn’t something I could bank on, but the threats I made were absolutely worth their weight in gold. When I got my hands on her, after I inspected every inch of her to ensure there wasn’t one scratch on her perfect body, I would turn her over my knee.

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