Page 12 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

I’d seen it enough times to know it was a thing. And when I’d first met Stella, before everything bad had happened, I’d wondered if she was my fated mate. But I’d left with no hope of ever getting that question answered. I’d assumed that, based on everything, I had been wrong, that Stella and I weren’t fated to be together. But now that she was back here, I was even more certain that she was. There was no other explanation. She could have gone anywhere, but she came here. Hell, what if Evelyn hadn’t come across her in the woods? Too many things had converged to bring her back to me.

But when I looked at her, it was obvious she didn’t feel the same conviction. She still didn’t trust me. I wasn’t sure if she would ever trust me again. But I would spend the rest of my life proving to her that she could. I knew I would do anything to win her trust back.

Chapter 7 - Stella

Sam’s house looked exactly like the type of house I would have imagined him to have. It was decent-sized and roomy, but practical. It opened onto a nice foyer with a stairwell going up one side. The hardwood floors were warm and inviting, and I could see a kitchen island peeking out from behind one doorway further down.

“Your room is upstairs,” he said, nodding up the steps as he came to stand next to me. “Can I get you anything?”

I was going to say that I was fine, but then my stomach began growling loudly. Sam’s mouth tilted upward in a small smile. It was the same reserved smile that had made me notice him when we’d first met, and something in my stomach tightened.

“I’ll get you something to eat,” he said. “Do you still like pizza?”

“I don’t know many people who don’t,” I said.

“I’ve got a frozen one if that will work.”

I nodded, the lump in my throat swelling, making it hard to talk. Why did he have to be so sweet? I wanted to be angry with him, but that wasn’t exactly easy when he was offering to make me food.

“I’m going to take a shower, if that’s okay,” I said. “Evie gave me a couple of sets of her clothes, so I have something to change into.”

“There’s a bathroom up the stairs and to the left. Right next to your room, actually.

“Thanks.”

A few minutes later, I was stepping into the shower, relishing the feel of the nearly scalding water on my skin. I hadn’t had the chance to take a bath in anything but rivers since I’d run away. Finally getting to enjoy a shower again was one of the best sensations in the world.

As the water ran over me, I let my mind process everything that had happened in the last few hours. Sam was back in my life. He was offering to protect me. The entirety of the Silver Wolves were willing to help me. It was the type of kindness I’d never seen in my pack. My old pack now.

But that meant I was reliant on them. And half the point of me running away was so that I could become my own person and make my own decisions. How could I do that here? What if the same thing that had happened at my old pack ended up happening here, too?

And then there was Sam. That felt like an even knottier situation. Part of me—a lot of me, in truth—was happy to see him. I had missed him since he left. But at the same time, I didn’t want to get too attached to him. Not after he’d already abandoned me once.

But that was another thing—I didn’t even know why he’d left me. I wanted an explanation from him. But at the same time, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to hear it.

It was hard not to think about the way he looked, though. He was still gorgeous. His scent was still enticing, and my wolf still paced eagerly at the thought of being this close to him again. The years had hardened him in a way that made him even more attractive. The boyishness in his face had been replaced by a strong jawline and high cheekbones, and the baby fat from when he was younger had been transformed into pure muscle that rippled whenever he moved.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized in embarrassment that my breaths were growing shallower, and a heat had started up between my legs.

I groaned, closing my eyes and forcing myself to think about anything else other than Sam. But it didn’t do me any good. I wanted to run my fingers along his muscles, to have him hold me in his arms and pull me against him. To—

I growled in frustration and turned the hot water to freezing.

***

I came down a little later, and the smell of pizza wafted up my nose, reminding me of how hungry I was. I hurried to the kitchen to find Sam pulling a pizza stone out of the oven and placing it on the counter.

“Perfect timing,” he said, glancing up at me as he grabbed a knife. Then he did a double take, and he bit his lip to hold back laughter. “I, uh, don’t think Evelyn’s clothes fit you particularly well,” he said with a grin.

I grimaced. He was right. The shirt was too long and went all the way to the thigh, and the jeans were rolled up so I wouldn’t step on them.

“Yeah, yeah. Make fun of it all you want,” I said.

“You look cute in it,” he said. “I don’t think many women could pull off that look. But it still might be better if we get you some clothes that actually fit you.”

He put two slices of pepperoni pizza on a plate and handed them to me. I scarfed the food up in about two minutes. Though it was just frozen pizza, it was probably one of the bestthings I’d ever tasted. I was already reaching for another slice while Sam was still working on his first.

“There are a couple of shops in town I could show you,” he said. “You can probably find something there.”

---