Page 31 of No Harm No Howl

“Then what?”

“I don’t remember anything after going to the restroom. I don’t even remember going back to the table.”

“Gia, this isn’t good, babe. You need to talk to Russ about this. Does he know what’s going on?” Gerri asked, her tone suddenly very serious.

“He knows that I don’t remember a damn thing that happened. He thought I was kidding or something. I was so upset, I accused him of taking advantage of me when I was drunk.” She still wasn’t sure that he wasn’t to blame in this situation. For the marriage, the mating, the memory loss. All of it.

“I think you’re dealing with something more, babe. You need to talk to him,” Gerri said.

“Like what?” Gia asked.

“I don’t know, but I don’t have a good feeling about any of this. I need to make some calls. I’ll get back to you. You need to talk to Russ. Have him come to your room. Don’t let anyone in other than him.”

“Fine. Call me back when you can,” Gia said begrudgingly.

She disconnected her call with Gerri and tried like hell to take a deep breath. Her stomach growled, reminding her that food was a requirement. Grabbing the room service menu, Gia called in an order and then hopped in the shower before her food came.

EIGHTEEN

RUSS

Russ paced back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. He had no idea what the hell Gia was up to, pretending like she didn’t remember that it was her idea to get married with an Elvis impersonator as the officiant. Or her begging him to make her his mate.

He was pissed because the whole remorse act was fucking ridiculous. How the hell could she not remember anything they had done?

“Fuck this,” Russ grabbed his keycard and headed out for a walk. He needed to clear his head before he lost his shit. His wolf pushed against him, demanding to take control of their body after the shocking denial of their union with Gia.

“I’ll get the car myself,” Russ said and handed the valet the tag for his keys.

The valet nodded and handed Russ his keys.

He needed to be somewhere he could free his wolf, and it certainly wasn’t on the Strip. He needed to get away from the city … away from Gia. Hell, he’d considered booking a flight home and leaving her ass there, but he knew he’d never be able to do that. He just needed time to think. To lick his wounds from her harsh words of denial about their marriage and mating. It’s like she had two different personalities in her vying for who was going to be in control.

One was hot and sexy and wanted him more than anything on the face of the earth. The other was a work-driven, task-oriented woman who wanted nothing more than to climb the corporate ladder just to prove she could do it.

He’d never felt so damn conflicted in his life than when it came to his mate. This should be the happiest time of his life, filled with celebrations and love for the fact that he had not only found but claimed his mate.

But here he was, speeding away from town, needing to find a place away from the public to unleash his beast before he snapped.

His phone buzzed, and he ignored it, not wanting to deal with anyone or anything. Before he realized where he had driven, the red hills of the Valley of Fire came into view.

“Perfect.” Other than a few visitors, the place was wide open with plenty of room to run free, even if he was doing it in the heat of the day.

Once he had found a spot to park away from prying eyes, he hopped out of his car and quickly shifted into his wolf form, sprinting across the red sand. His goal was to leave his human emotions and all thoughts behind for a short time. Hopefully, that would stop the very real ache he’d felt in his chest from his mate’s harsh rejection.

Russ focused on the terrain and getting a glimpse of a world so different from his home. It would almost be too easy for him to remain in his wolf form and walk away from everything. His home, his family, his business. He would have a horribly lonely existence without his mate by his side. Now that he’d claimed her, her rejection of their union was more than he or his wolf could take.

The further Russ ran, the more enticing the whole staying in wolf form forever sounded. He could easily live off the land … find a nice cave to call home when he needed to seek shelter from the elements.

Though, as he looked around, he knew he’d never be able to stay in the perpetually sunny Valley of Fire.

Russ came to a sudden halt, hitting the brakes in his wolf form. His ears twitched, picking up sounds that he shouldn’t be hearing in the middle of the barren desert. The click of a radio, the open static before someone spoke into it.

“He’s here. I just saw him. He should be headed your way.”

Though the words were whispered into a long-range two-way radio, he could hear them perfectly thanks to his animal’s superior hearing.

“Mags is taking care of his woman. This asshole dies here today.”

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