“Stop calling me Cupcake.”
The wolf growled in what was clearly agreement, and I leaned away a little. His growl cutoff immediately at my reaction.
That was weird.
But it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that a wolf could follow my car through the forest. Particularly when I thought about how slow I’d driven on the way to Moon Ridge
I wasn’t just going to let him ride with me, though. He was a freaking wolf. What if he got tired of waiting and bit me?
“How do I get out of this mate hunt thing?” I asked, after a beat of silence.
“You don’t.” Graham almost looked apologetic.
Maybe I liked him more than Ethan after all.
“At least let me give you my phone number, in case something happens with Nico’s wolf and you need backup,” Graham added.
Okay, when he wasn’t beating around the bush, Idefinitelyliked Graham more than Ethan.
“Fine.” I grabbed my phone. He rattled off his number, and I added it to my contacts without sending him a message. I didn’t want him to have my number unless I actually needed something. The last thing I wanted was him checking in on me.
Well, maybe not the last.
But it definitely didn’t sound appealing.
“Let him know if you need Nico’s address,” Ethan called out, as I reached over to roll my window up the rest of the way.
I gave him a thumbs-up, though I had no intention of following through.
Despite what Nico’s friends said, there had to be some way out of this mate hunt thing. If I could get away from the wolf or play along long enough, maybe it would end.
I could hope so, at least.
I pulled out of the parking lot, and when I peeked at the rearview mirror, saw a wolf trotting away.
Though my stomach tightened a little bit—he knew where I was going, and he probably knew how to get there better than I did—I ignored the feeling.
And I started my drive back home.
The excitementand fear of the morning faded away as I drove, leaving exhaustion in their place. By the time I parked in my apartment’s assigned spot, I could barely keep my eyes open.
Staying up all night was truly a questionable decision.
Hell, after what had happened because of it, it was worse than questionable. It was just a freaking mistake.
I slipped out of my car.
And stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Wolf Nico laying on the sidewalk like a normal dog. Just staring at me.
I stared back.
His tail wagged, just once.
The furry, cuddly-looking bastard was happy to see me.
I finally dragged a hand through my hair, pulling the tangles away from my face. Finger-combing the naturally straight strands after my one hour of sleep hadn’t been enough to deal with the mess of an all-night readathon. I’d switched positions too many times, and my hair paid the price.
“Guess your friends were right about you being able to find me,” I said.
