Page 62 of The Wolf's Mate

“And you can tell him about the wolfsbane. Make a plan to track it down together.”

I don’t like waiting. Not when the urge to find the only known cure is literally calling me. I think about the sick souls lying in bed. How many of those wolves can I help? How long do they have?

We can’t gamble our time when lives are at stake.

But I don’t think Tallie would let me go. She’d drag my ass back to Rip, and I don’t need to give him more reasons not to trust my judgment.

So I relent. For now.

The call is still there, still ringing in my mind. But it’s a little easier to ignore.

“Fine,” I sigh. “Let’s go back to your house. I need to drag Grass back home, and then I suppose I’ll face my mate.”

And make sure he knows just how pissed I am.

Chapter 28

Hettie

Idon’t go straight home after wrestling Grass from Tallie’s house. The big grump is pissed at me for taking him away from his new best friend, and I don’t have the heart to keep him against his will for long. I take a walk with him, hoping it will help me clear my head. The faint call of the wolfsbane is getting easier to ignore, but I’m not sure for how long.

Part of me wants to say fuck it and follow the call. After all, that’s what I’m here for. To help save the pack by counteracting their curse. If I went alone, though, I’m risking my safety and the wrath of my husband. I want to do this the right way, and I just have to trust I’m doing the right thing.

I trudge ahead through the thick snow and chilling winds. Besides that, it’s beautiful. Our town looks picturesque, like one of those paintings by Thomas Kincade my mother loves so much. Smoke burns from chimneys, and snow covers the roofs of houses.

After making my lap around town, I let Grass run back to Tallie. Better he’s there while I talk to Rip. I make it back to the packhouse and up to our room in record time, only to find the room empty.

Disappointment sinks in.

I tell myself I don’t care. I tell myself it’s better that he’s not here, so I can spend a few hours by myself, relaxing. I tell myself it’s better this way.

It’s all a lie, of course.

With a sigh, I strip, taking off the layers of clothes I put on this morning until I’m down to my bra and panties. To kill some time, I decide a good soak in the tub will do me some good. Taking a walk with Grass didn’t help clear my mind, but maybe this will.

I head into the bathroom, turning the water on and waiting for it to get hot. My preferred temperature is molten-lava hot and not a degree below. Once the water is to my liking, I take off my panties and bra and ease myself in.

The hot water hits my skin, a shocking contrast to the coldness of my body. I moan, sinking into the tub until I’m submerged from the neck down. My eyes flutter closed, and I lean my head back, trying to turn off my overactive brain.

It works for approximately ten seconds, until I hear the door creak. My eyes pop open. Movement from the other side of the wall keeps me still. Footsteps grow louder but finally stop just right outside the door.

I know it’s Rip. I can feel him. Sense him.

I’m not sure if I want him to come in or walk away.

The handle turns, and I suck in a breath as Rip pushes it open, strolling in.

“The door is shut for a reason, asshole!” I glare, trying to hide how much his presence is really affecting me.

Rip only smirks, looking far too smug. Bastard.

He’s shirtless, because of course he is, with his pants hanging low on his waist. I can see the patch of dark hair on his lower abdomen, leading down and disappearing inside his pants. My eyes roam down, stopping at his crotch. Images of his rut flood my mind. Him fucking my mouth like I was little more than a whore. It was fucking hot as hell.

Rip’s smirk only grows, reading my wayward thoughts as I quickly look anywhere but there.

“What do you want?”

“Tallie told me you heard the call today.” He crosses his arms over his chest. It wasn’t what I expected him to say, and I’m a little peeved Tallie would disclose that to him, but I know she did it out of care for me.