Page 83 of Rejected By a Wolf

“The guards are gone,” he muttered, as if to himself, still pacing the length of the tent.Back and forth, back and forth.“Makes sense, considering… Of course they’d be gone.” He was rambling.

“The guards?” Sophia looked over to the flaps at the tent’s entrance. They had left? Not that it mattered much to Sophia, she wasn’t planning on going anywhere anyway. Still, it didn’t make much sense.

That was when Sophia noticed the way the sunlight refracted off the tent’s fabric, its light too low, too golden. The sun was setting. Sophia had a creeping feeling she slept much longer than she wanted to.

“I overslept!” She gasped at the realization, jerking up in the bed, the fog that clouded her thoughts dissipating. “You alreadyfought,” she exhaled, her stare going cold. “You didn’t wake me!Whydidn’t you wake me?”The nerve of him! “What if something had happened to you and I wasn’t there?”

Gods, the thought of something happening to him sent her on edge. She didn’t like the thought of it. Not one bit.

Antonio continued to pace, hands clasped behind his back and head down. “And Casper never came. I have no idea where he is.Fuck,where is he?” Still pacing, still rambling.

What the hell was going on with him?

“Antonio, what are you going on about?” If he was standing here -alive- that meant he had won his battle. So why was he acting as if he hadn’t?

“I needed him, he knew that. How could he just… disappear?”

“Casper?” Sophia rolled the covers off her, flipping her legs over the side of the bed. “Casper always disappears when he’s needed most. It’s what he does. Haven’t I told you that before?” In a lower tone she muttered, “He’s certainly done it to me enough.”

Finally, Antonio stopped pacing, turning to look at Sophia. “Why would he do that? He knew I needed him.”

Sophia shrugged. “It’s what he does best.” And she was finally over it. But now he had done it again and for some reason Sophia couldn’t quite grasp, Antonio was the one currently upset by it - not her. “Why did you need him?” Unable to hide her irritation over the friendship they had created without her, she added, “Maybe if you two decided to share all your secrets with me you wouldn’t be stuck in this situation. MaybeIcould’ve helped you.” Maybe? She absolutely fucking could have helped him.

Why couldn’t those two guys understand that?

Antonio didn’t say anything, but his steely eyed look disturbed Sophia. Something was going on in that mind of his, and it couldn’t be anything good.

Fear for Antonio gripping Sophia, she decided to forgo her anger toward him for letting her sleep through his match -for now- and made her way over to him.

“What’s really wrong?” She tried to maintain a certain calmness in her voice, working to hide the fear that was pricking at her. Resting her palms on the sides of his face, she asked, “Why do you need Casper so badly?” Finally, he seemed to recognize she was here, focus returning to his eyes as he looked at her. “Maybe Casper got caught up in something and is running a little late. Could that be possible?”

Antonio released a breath, pressing a hand against hers and leaning his face into it. With a slow shake of his head, he said, “No, we were supposed to meet one another immediately after my match.”The one I missed!Sophia thought, but didn’t dare say it. Not now. Not while Antonio was like this. “But he never showed. I have no idea where he could be, but we’re running out of time.”

“Running out of time for what?”

Antonio’s eyes flicked to the far side of the tent, the one illuminated by the setting sun. Realization dawned upon Sophia, unsettling her.

Thesettingsun.

“Didn’t you tell me earlier that youdidn’thave time to see me after your match?” A nod. “So why are you here?” It was after his match.

“Because Casper’s not.”

She still didn’t understand. “Please stop speaking in tongues.”

He seemed to shake himself out of whatever trance he had been in, his stare growing stern. “Casper was going to split meaway from here tonight. To keep me away from you during the full moon. But he’sgone.”

“Casper knows I’m your mate?” The friend she always wantedmorewith now knew she was a werewolf’s mate.

Antonio nodded slowly, and when he did Sophia realized she wasn’t upset Casper knew. Not one bit.

Sure, she wanted nothing more than a romantic relationship with Casper most of her life. But not anymore. Now she wanted no one more than the ruggedly handsome man standing in front of her.

A new realization struck her - she wasexcitedto spend this night with Antonio.

Of course, she was also disappointed in Casper, wanting more than anything to believe Casper simply got caught up in something and didn’t choose to disappear again. But she knew better, deep down.

He was gone.Again.

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