Page 21 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

“And smiling more,” Tannen added. “A lot more.”

“Couldn’t have something to do with a certain shifter currently living at your place?” Mark asked, nudging me with his elbow.

I shot him a look. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I’m just in a better mood?”

“Oh no. Trust us,” Tannen said. “We can definitely tell you’re happier.”

“You’ve smiled more in the past week than I think I’ve seen you smile in two months,” Klyte stated. “And that’s nothing on the fact that you’ve said more words since Stella got here than I think I’ve ever heard you say.Ever.”

“She seems good for you,” Evelyn chimed in, beaming at me. “And I like her. Which, considering all you told me about her before this, I’m not surprised.” She nudged me playfully. “It is nice to see my best friend happy.”

“I think she’s still planning on leaving,” I said, trying to keep my voice and expression neutral. I didn’t want Stella to leave, but I didn’t want everyone else realizing how badly I wanted her to stay.

Based on the looks the others were exchanging, it didn’t seem as though I was particularly convincing.

“Well, for our sakes, I hope she stays,” Klyte said. “I much prefer ‘mildly more talkative and happier Sam.’”

Evelyn shot him a look, but I was still smiling. Klyte could be a bit much sometimes, but I couldn’t deny there were times when I appreciated his humor.

“Look, weren’t we trying to talk strategy about how to beat a demon?” I asked.

“Well, there’s a bit of a problem there,” Rand answered. “Apparently, Akron’s moved dwellings. He hasn’t been seen in days. Neither have his underlings.”

I tensed, all my attention now on Rand. “He’s coming?”

“I don’t know.” Rand slouched forward in his chair. “For all we know, he’s gone to ground.”

“You don’t think he’s coming here, do you?” Malcolm asked.

“I don’t think we can rule anything out,” Jameson said. “But I think it’s unlikely. Based on everything Rand and Tannen have found out, it seems like he takes things slowly. But we’re stockpiling iron just in case.”

“Do we need to tell Stella?” Evelyn asked.

Jameson shook his head. “I don’t think we need to worry her yet. The minute we know more, we’ll tell her.”

The meeting went on for a bit longer. We talked about tracking Akron and contingency plans, but even the looming threat of a demon couldn’t dampen my mood. Everything seemed brighter now. Just having Stella nearby was enough to make things better. We hadn’t spoken about what would happen next, or if the fact that we’d slept together had changed anything. But that our relationship might be evolving into more now made everything seem brighter. I would have been happy just having her near me, but if it became something else, I would probably look like a smiling idiot for the next year.

But all that good will and cheer evaporated when I came home and saw Stella curled up on the couch. She was deep in thought, biting her thumbnail as she stared into the empty fireplace. The uneasy, haunted look on her face was enough to make me stop dead in my tracks.

She glanced up when she heard me, alarm and hesitation crossing her face for a fraction of a second. Then she took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for something.

“Hey, can we talk?” she asked. The tone in her voice made me uneasy, and I paused for a moment.

“Sure,” I finally said. “What’s up?”

“It’s about what happened the other day.” The way she said it was enough to send a knife straight through me. I knewwhere this was going, and there was no way for me to avoid it. But I kept myself stoic.

“What about it?”

She took a deep breath, then spoke all in a rush. “I think it was a mistake. I had a great time with it and everything, but I just…I don’t think we should do that to ourselves.”

“What do you mean?” That euphoria I’d been experiencing, that hope that something might be able to happen between the two of us again, evaporated instantly. I tried to keep my expression impassive, but I could feel my shoulders sagging, and I doubted I was able to hide the hurt in my eyes.

“I mean I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get too close.” She was talking to the floor instead of me, which somehow made the whole thing worse. “I’m leaving soon. Once this demon stuff gets taken care of, I’m not planning on staying. I want to explore the world and be my own person.”

My stomach sank with every word. It was hard to hear. I’d been hoping that somehow I could convince her to stick around after everything was done. Brixton was a good place, and it would be better with her here. And I wanted her close. I had thought about her nearly every day since I’d left her, and having her here again felt like fate giving me a second chance.

But if she wanted to leave and see the world, I couldn’t stop her from doing that. I wasn’t going to keep her caged if it was going to make her miserable. More than anything, I just wanted her to be happy.

---