Page 216 of Altius
“I do love you,” I said, sending him a strong but slightly worried pulse of affection through our tenuous connection. “Can’t you tell?”
From how his brows softened and his shoulders relaxed, I realized that not only had my feelings reached him, but that I’dbeen unconsciously tamping down on my end of our bond the entire flight.
Poor Wyatt. He’d probably been hiding his nerves for hours, waiting for me to say I regretted mating him.
As the plane stopped at the gate and they started unlocking the door, I wrapped my arms around my mate and held him tight. “I love you, Wyatt. Never doubt that.”
All but crushing me in his massive arms, Wyatt kissed the side of my aching head. “I know, baby. I know. Just like hearing you say it, that’s all.”
What a straightforward, easy-to-please man.
Just tell him you love him on a regular basis—and cure his waning syndrome before your bond disintegrates into ether.
Ourwaning syndrome.
Simple. No problem at all.
***
The elevator could not reach the sixth floor fast enough.
Cal, Cal, Cal—his name was my every thought, echoing in each frightened beat of my heart.
My boyfriend would know what to do. How to correct the mistake I’d made by one-sidedly bonding my scent match, suffering from waning syndrome, outside of a heat.
Cal was a world-class expert in designation science. The pheromone stud. And my staunchest source of support. Whose presence had subtly replaced Kelsey’s as my go-to in trying times.
My ruggedly handsome rock.
Rushing down the hall, chased by Wyatt’s laughter, rolling suitcase clipping at my heels, I was desperate for Cal to give me one of his lazy smiles and tell me everything would be all right.
It took two swipes of my thumb to unlock the front door. I charged inside, dropping my luggage in the foyer and sidestepping Tenny, our furry welcoming committee.
The lack of movers and boxes didn’t register. Nor did the silence.
All I saw was the open door to the primary suite—and the vast, empty space beyond.
Nothing. There was nothing.
Not a single lingering trace that the room had once housed my sister’s business.
Or of my absent lover, who was supposed to be setting up his bed and home office right here, at this very moment.
Where was Cal?
“The hell?” Wyatt’s voice echoed through the barren room.
I turned, finding him standing in the doorway behind me, with Tenny rubbing at his ankles.
We stared at one another in confusion.
“Did something happen?” I asked. “Something you agreed not to tell me?”
“No. I didn’t hear from Cal all weekend. Just some texts from Alijah and Joaquin, but they were totally normal. Wanted to know how things were going, if you were happy, that sort of thing.”
Messages.
That’s right. Cal hadn’t texted me anything either. Not even a packing update or to let me know the movers had arrived. I’d been too overwhelmed by Rory’s texts to notice.
