Page 17 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

She muttered irritably to herself, and I could sense the anxiety emanating from her. “I should be furious with you,” she said. “After the way things ended. And I want to be. But for some stupid reason, I’m not as mad at you as I thought I would be. I’ve imagined running into you a thousand times in a hundred different ways, and none of them ended up with me talking calmly to you in your house.”

I winced, but she kept going.

“And instead of being angry with you, all I want to do is…” She cut herself off, turning a brilliant red and looking away.

I wanted her to keep going, but I knew she wasn’t going to, and I didn’t want to press her. So instead, I focused on the first part of her rant.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “About leaving the way I did.”

“You should be,” she said bluntly, and I winced again. “Why did you?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I wanted to tell her, but the words stuck in my throat. And I wasn’t sure if telling her would change anything.

“It’s…complicated,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “Very explicit. It all makes sense now.”

“I’m sorry.”

She groaned and rubbed her temples. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just getting irritable. I haven’t been cooped up for this long in years. I hate it.”

I grimaced again, knowing I’d feel just as stir-crazy in her position. I didn’t blame her.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to go on a hunt tomorrow,” I said.

Her head shot up, eyes lighting up. “Really?” Her eyes darted out the window, staring longingly at the leaves rustling in the wind.

“I’ve got some business I need to take care of in the morning, but after that, I should be free.”

She chewed the inside of her lip, still looking outside. Some of the tension I’d seen in her shoulders since she’d first come back to the mansion released, and when she looked over at me, the expression in her eyes had softened a bit.

“I’d like that,” she said. “Thanks.”

“Great.” I pushed myself away from the island. “It’s a plan.”

I wanted to say more, but I’d never been great at talking. Hell, I’d spoken more since Stella had gotten here than I had in months. When I tried to say more, the words stuck in my throat like a bone.

I just nodded and walked away, feeling her watching me as I did.

Chapter 9 - Stella

I paced back and forth irritably in the house, looking outside with longing. I was beginning to get a little stir-crazy. My wolf was flexing her claws, aching to be set free. She wanted to go running through the woods, to smell the prey and hunt it down.

Sam had promised to go hunting with me at some point today, but he hadn’t said when. He’d been in a meeting for most of the morning and still hadn’t come back.

What bothered me more than being stir-crazy was that I was equally frustrated by Sam not being here. I wanted him here. I couldn’t believe I was saying it, but not having him here made me feel weirdly empty. And my wolf wasn’t helping matters, pining over Sam and his wolf. Being in his house, surrounded by his scent, just made her worse. It was hard to keep myself in check when his scent made me want to jump his bones every time I saw him.

I should be furious with him, not infuriatingly attracted to him.

The door opened, and my head spun around. Sam’s scent immediately grew stronger, and my wolf growled contentedly, happy that he was back, her excitement flooding into me. Or maybe we were just in agreement, and I didn’t want to admit it.

“Sorry I’m later than I expected,” Sam said. “The meeting ran long, and Alek and Klyte kept derailing it, even when Oliver, Luke, and Evelyn were all telling them to knock it off.”

“I get it,” I said. “Well, sort of, but are you still up for the hunt?”

“I promised, didn’t I?” When I nodded, he said, “In that case, I’m ready when you are.”

“Brilliant,” I said, grinning broadly.

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