Page 38 of Half Wolf Mate
“Why what?”
“Why do you care?”
“Despite what you think, I’m not a complete monster,” he said.
Nibbling my lower lip, I contemplated his words. I suppose he wasn’t. He’d finally taken the time to hear me out tonight, and he hadn’t flipped on me as I thought he would after I was caught in the enemy’s camp. He’d been polite since I was taken to his office. Plus, what Macy said about him helping people free of charge still lingered in my mind.
“I like it here. It’s insane that I got this place at a price I can afford,” I shared. “When I first checked it out, the rent was sky high, but I couldn’t find anywhere else. I reluctantly came back, and miraculously, the rent was cut in half. More than half, actually.”
“I know,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
He gave me a fleeting glance as we continued down the hallway. “I knew you had your eye on this place, and I had a chat with the landlord. He agreed to my terms.”
My jaw practically brushed the tiles. “You…when…what terms?”
“That I take care of most of the rent,” he said casually.
Stopping in my tracks, I gawked. “What?”
Sighing, he stopped, too, and turned to me. “Look, don’t read too much into it. I’m not such a callous bastard that I’d reject you as a mate and have you living on the street or in an unsafe neighborhood. I wanted to ensure you had somewhere decent to live until I had you thoroughly investigated. It doesn’t mean I’m interested in you, so don’t get too excited.”
Picking my jaw up off the floor, I let out a humorless laugh. “Just when I started to think you’re not a total prick, you go and show me that you are. Don’t worry, Cole. There’s no excitement on my part. Thanks for the financial aid. However, I’ll be moving out of this place as soon as I can now that I know you had a hand in me getting it.”
“Don’t be foolish,” he said. “It’s the least I can do…unless I get concrete proof that you’re as treacherous as your parents, that is.”
I may not know my biological parents, and it didn’t matter that they were supposed traitors. I was still insulted. What hurt the most was Cole putting me in the category as a traitor. I’d never get him to seeme,and that was depressing. After a deep, sorrowful sigh, I continued to my door and pulled my key out of my pocket.
“Sydney…”
I glanced at him, hoping the lighting in the hallway was too dim for him to see my eyes glistening with tears. Then I remembered that he probably had very acute eyesight.
“That was a low blow,” he said.
It was surprising to see him look and sound apologetic about anything concerning me. “Yeah, throwing my dead parents in my face is pretty low.”
“I’m—”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get this over with so you can go.”
As soon as I pushed my door open, that sensation of impending danger that I’d started to experience ever since my wolf was awakened hit me in the chest. However, it seemed Cole was way ahead of me in that department because before I even identified the threat, he spun us around, shielding me from something. His hiss of pain made me flinch without even knowing exactly what happened.
He whipped around and let out a growl while pulling something from his left scapula. I gasped at the sight of the blood-stained blade. It was identical to the one I’d stolen from the hunter.
“Oh, no,” I whispered. That’s when I saw the man in my apartment. Before I blinked, Cole made his way into my living room and had the intruder by the throat.
“Cole!” I instinctively gasped when fingers wrapped around my neck.
He spun around, still holding on to the intruder. His nostrils flared, and his eyes glowed red when he saw my predicament.
“Let him go, or she’s dead.” The familiar voice sent chills down my spine. From my periphery, I saw the scarred face that had been the source of many of my nightmares. It was the hunter who had attacked me in my motel room weeks ago.
“Hello, half-breed, we meet again. You didn’t think you could run from me forever, did you?”
My response was a strangled sound. No, I didn’t. I knew this day would come.
Cole released the other hunter, his gaze glued to the hand, squeezing the life out of me.