Page 11 of Tolerated By the Sigma (Mate Hunt 7)

Back in the bedroom, I grabbed the clothes I had borrowed from Ryder the night before. He must’ve pulled them off me while I was shifting, because they weren’t stretched or ripped.

I tugged them on, and then grabbed my phone off the floor and dialed Del’s number. It was a Saturday, so I knew she wouldn’t be at work.

“Hello?” she groaned into the phone.

“I need a ride back to my place.” My voice was just as flat as it had been with Ryder, but I didn’t think I could change that.

There was a long pause, and I heard blankets rustling. “You and the wolf?”

“Just me.”

Another pause followed. “Am I allowed to ask why? And what happened?”

I shoved a random, tangled chunk of yellowish hair out of my eyes.

Shit, I hated it yellow.

“His wolf bit me, and I turned. Now he’s decided that he’s not willing to be more than a platonic mate, and I’m not okay with that. My wolf isn’t furious that we’re separate right now, so I think she’ll be fine at my house. Therefore, I’m leaving.”

Another pause followed, and I heard more movement, followed by murmuring. “I’ll be outside in three minutes. Rocco will talk to Ryder.”

“Thanks. Not for the Ryder thing, but for the ride.”

“You know I’ve got your back. And whatever happens with him, you know this technically makes us sisters.”

My lips curved upward. “I’ll be a damn good sister.”

“As long as you don’t get in cars with drunk humans anymore,” she drawled back.

I snorted. “Not my best moment.”

“Definitely not,” she agreed. “But next time, you know you can call me too.”

I heaved a sigh. “I know. I was just… embarrassed. I didn’t want you to think I was lonely or desperate or anything.”

“Well, are you lonely or desperate?”

There was a long pause as I debated an answer, while I walked down the stairs. I finally said, “Maybe.”

She sighed. “You can tell me that shit, Char. I know it’s weird being one of the only single human women in town, but you’re my friend. I love you to bits, and you should know by now that I’ll take a crowbar to my mate’s brother’s bike if I need to, to let him know just how much of an ass he’s being.”

I laughed, but it was a sad noise. “I don’t want to mess things up for you and Rocco.”

She scoffed. “Me and Rocco are solid, Char. You don’t need to worry about us.” I opened the door, and hit the button to hang up my phone when I saw Del outside already. She waved me toward her car, her eyes flicking up and down the row of houses as she did.

“Hurry, close the door,” she hissed, as I dropped into the passenger seat.

“Whyhurry?”

My wolf was definitely at the surface, pushing at me a little, but not trying to get out. If she’d tried, she probably would’ve won. I didn’t exactly know how to fight her, yet.

“Ryder was watching out the window. If one of the other guys saw you in his underwear, with your boobs bouncing out of that muscle-tee, we would’ve had a problem.” She pulled away from the driveway.

“Considering I just asked him to have sex with me and he told me to fuck off, I highly doubt that,” I countered, buckling my seat belt.

“He saidwhat?”

“I mean, he didn’t say it just like that. He was taking a cold shower, I asked him if he wanted to have sex instead, and he told me no. He said that he would never want that, and he wanted us to be platonic mates. So he didn’t swear at me, but… well, it felt like it.”

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