Page 33 of Craved By the Werewolf
I stepped closer, my hand finding her jaw, thumb brushing her skin. "That's not the point."
For a second, neither of us moved. Then the phone buzzed again in my palm, urgency cutting the moment short. I tore myself away and left the room.
I hit the east gate in under two minutes, pulse keyed for trouble. Instead, I found three teenage wolves trying to slip through the service entrance like a trio of guilty shadows.
Kai was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, wearing the smug look of someone who'd been caught doing worse. "Your little prodigies are trying to sneak back in, I thought I'd watch the fireworks."
I stopped beside him, taking in the sheepish faces. "You guys called me for this?"
Kai shrugged. "Hey, figured you'd want to relive your glory days. You know... sneaking in at all hours, smelling like really bad things."
I shot him a look. "That was you, not me."
He grinned. "You were just better at not getting caught."
The tallest pup—Kellan—shifted his weight. "We were just?—"
"Don't finish that sentence," I cut in. "You think pack life means you run wild and answer to no one? Wrong. You answer to me. And if you pull this stunt again—" I let it hang, letting their imaginations fill in the rest.
"Yes, Alpha," Kellan muttered.
I jerked my head toward the compound. "Inside. And if you're smart, you'll find ways to make yourselves useful for the next week."
They slunk past.
Kai watched them go, smirking. "You know they'll try it again."
"And you'll be the one on gate duty when they do," I said, starting back toward my quarters.
"Harsh."
"Not really."
I was already counting the steps until I could crawl back into bed beside her.
But when I stepped into my quarters, the bed was empty.
For a moment, I stood there, waiting for the sound of water running in the shower or her voice drifting from the sitting room. Nothing.
A frown pulled at me as I moved through the space.
She was gone.
My chest tightened. She wouldn't just leave. Not without saying something. Not after last night.
I crossed into my office and pulled up the security feed, scanning each camera until the east drive came up.
There she was.
Sliding into Mika's car, moving quickly, her head down. The passenger door shut, the car rolled toward the gate.
She didn't look back.
I stayed there, staring at the screen long after the feed went blank. My mind kept replaying the curve of her smile that morning, the way she'd fit against me like she'd been made for it.
I didn't understand.
I'd kept her safe. I'd given her what she wanted—what we both wanted.
