"Do you have to leave?" my mom asked, her painted mouth pulling down into a pout.
"I have work tomorrow, Mom," I reminded her.
"I know, baby." She wrapped me in her arms and planted a smooch on my forehead. "Will you come visit us again soon?"
"Sure," I said, nestling into her embrace. Her hugs were not to be beaten.
My dad hugged me next. He didn't have much to say, and neither did I. The secret I kept from them seemed to steal all other conversation from me as well. I felt terrible, but this was the only way until I found a solution. Whatever that would be.
Braden walked me to my car and stuffed the duffel bag into my trunk. Beth smiled and waved from where she stood on the porch with our parents, her dark curls falling around her, making her look like a little china doll. She and my brother were absolutely perfect together—so much so that I couldn't even be envious.
"We'll figure something out," he whispered into my ear while we hugged. "Call me, 'kay?"
I nodded and rubbed my face into his chest. He was one of the things I would miss most about home. That and just feeling safe. As exhilarating as it was to be on my own, it was lonely too. Especially when I was dealing with the heat alone.
The five-hour drive passed too quickly. I unloaded my duffel and trudged up to my apartment. My neighbor poked her head out and stared me down. I flashed her a smile, but she just disappeared back into her room. Well, that's one way to meet her.
After unpacking my duffel bag, I slumped into a hot bath before showering and putting on pajamas. It was only four o'clock in the afternoon, but there was no way I was going to socialize anymore after this weekend. I'd hardly had any time alone between the three of my lovely family members. Four, if I included Anna.
Mate. My body began to ache. I grabbed my blanket from my bed and bit onto it. I just wanted to make this all go away. The heat, the longing, the loneliness. This has been so much worse than I ever anticipated.
I could reject Tandan. After all, what was the point of waiting for him to come around? He didn't want me, and when he acknowledged the bond, it was out of estranged jealousy. But I couldn't really reject him. My family would disown me. Wolves who broke tradition by rejecting their mates, even domesticated wolves, were considered inferior to our kind. Unworthy to live.
Even though I knew I shouldn't, I texted Matt. We hadn't spoken all weekend, and I wondered if he'd found someone who would treat him better. He deserved it, the best. His response popped up before I could blink.
Matt: Wut up?
Me: Nothing really. Wanna come over?
Matt: What's my incentive?
Me: Popcorn, pepperonis, Lucky Charms, Netflix...
Matt: Lol. I'll be over in ten.
The thought of not being alone brought me some relief. I was worried about what I would do if left to my own devices in this state. Before he arrived, I brought out all my pillows and blankets from my room and built them into a makeshift sofa on the floor in front of my small flatscreen, a graduation gift from my grandma. The popcorn just started popping when he knocked at my door.
Smiling, I pranced over to the door and pulled it open. My smile fell to the carpet under my bare toes. Tandan stood in the hall, dressed in dark wash jeans and a navy tee that fit snugly over his arm muscles. I gulped.
"What are you doing here?" I demanded.
A smirk raised to his face while he looked me over. "So you're finally home."
"Finally?"
"Yeah, I've come by three times this weekend and you weren't here. Where were you?"
I stared at him, unable to comprehend his behavior. "Are you—" I cut myself off and, with a deep breath, tried again. "Why are you here? How did you even know where to find me?"
"I have the key to Angelica's employee files. It wasn't hard, cupcake," he said while stepping closer to me, his hands tucked into his deep pockets.
"Why are you here?" I repeated more firmly, the skin on my hands pulling taught over the rounded knuckles.
"Why do you think?"
Throwing my hands into the air, I hissed, "Beat's me, jerkface!"
His charming expression was quickly replaced by cutting eyes and a scowl. "You walked away from our conversation on Friday. That wasn't very nice."
"Oh, because you suddenly decided to acknowledge me as your mate? I find it funny that when you do, you're only demanding answers. Such a loving mate you are."
A threatening snarl was hurled at me before he took one large step towards me. Without thinking, I backed into the apartment to get away from him. My body was on fire, the aching more painful now. The door slammed shut behind him as he stalked towards me.
"Stay away from me," I hissed.
"I have, Lee," he said in that devastating timbre. "I have tried so hard to stay away from you to be faithful to Lorrie. Do you have any idea how hard it is? I don't even know you, but you plague me at all hours of the day. All hours."
"I wouldn't know," I snapped, "because I knew my mate was out there somewhere, and I didn't want to break his heart by falling in love with someone else first."
While that was true, it wasn't like I'd had many offers up to this point anyway. Matt was the only guy to even glance twice my way.
His broad frame trembled as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I can tell it hurts you, but things just happen sometimes. Lorrie and I met and she was irresistible...I couldn't say no."
"Well, I surely damn can," I thundered, pointing to the door. "Now get the hell out of my apartment."
"Watch your mouth," Tandan spat back. His coal-black eyes reeled open. "Treat your mate with a little respect."
I was so filled with rage that I lost it. My growl reverberated off the walls, off the inside of my skulls, and made my human throat hurt. When I started to march past him to the door, ready to drag him out, he grabbed my baggy shirt and yanked me against him. All the anger and hurt I felt evaporated. My head tilted back to lock eyes with him.
"You can't get rid of me," he spoke quietly, jaw rigid. "I won't let you."
I dug around deep inside of me to grab a hold of the resentment festering for him. There was plenty of it to find. My heart rattled furiously around in my ribs, desperate to be unchained. Forcing my face to harden, I planted my hands on his chest and shoved him off. The strength of my other side was enough to put space between us, but his hands were still balled up in my shirt.
Now that we were standing apart, my stomach was revealed. Gasping, I jerked to the side. Instead of freeing myself, he took advantage of my momentum to pull me back to him. This time my back was pressed flush to his front. I could feel everything. Our height difference was so severe that my head rested at the center of his pecs.
His steel arms enfolded around my waist as he bent down to breathe in my scent. I could feel the blood rushing through my veins. All I wanted was for his teeth to be in my neck. All I wanted was to bear his mark. The desire was so strong I got lost in it, lost in its warm swirls and musky smells. My mate was here, he was touching me, and I didn't want him to stop.
Then there was a knock at the door.