Page 42 of Half Wolf Mate

Nothing he told me was new information, but it still hurt. I yearned to be accepted, to have a family. I wanted to be let into the fold of the Moon Guardians Pack.

“I know that,” I whispered. Gazing at him, I asked, “Are you implying you want to claim me?”

Our eyes locked, and I waited for his response with bated breath. If he said yes, that would provide a salve for the open, bleeding wound of rejection I had in my heart.

“I…Sydney…” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”

I exhaled, embracing the bite of my disappointment.

***

That night, I sat in my room—a guest bedroom at Cole’s place—and stared out the window. The picturesque view of the city from this high up was comforting. I got so lost in how pretty the stars looked against the backdrop of the dark sky that I jumped when a knock sounded.

I shuffled off the bed and hurried to the door. Cole stood on the other side, holding my backpack.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey.”

“I forgot this in my car. I stopped by your apartment to grab it.” He held up the bag in offering.

Taking it, I breathed a sigh of relief and clutched it to my chest. “How did you even know I needed it?”

“It’s practically been glued to your person since I met you.”

I laugh at that. “True.”

“Since I forbade you from going back to your apartment, I figured I’d get it for you. It seemed important.”

“It is.” Inside was the little box with the mementos that reminded me of my mother and Aunt Lydia. “Thank you, it was sweet of you.”

He nodded and glanced into the room. “Is the room alright? If you need something—”

“Everything is fine,” I replied a little too abruptly. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful or that I didn’t want to see him. His proximity kept reminding me that he’d never see me as anything more than someone he felt obligated to help.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. It wasn’t often I saw Cole uncertain about anything.

To quell the uneasy silence, I asked. “How are your injuries?”

“I’m almost completely healed.”

He’d said the weapons the hunter used were made of a special kind of silver that could mortally wound most shifters. If they hit vital organs, that shifter might be a goner. Cole said his healing process took longer than was typical because of the silver.

“That’s good.”

“Good thing that hunter had poor aim, huh?” His eyes twinkled with humor.

I gasped. “Oh my god, don’t even joke about that.” Seeing him get stabbed and shot still haunted me.

His soft chuckle sounded foreign coming from him. Soon, his smile turned into a frown. “I should apologize for earlier…”

I sighed. “Please, don’t. You were right. Your pack comes first. You have no loyalty to me, a virtual stranger, and I’m fine with that.” I had to work overtime to keep my expression schooled. “I should get some sleep. See you tomorrow?”

He frowned. “Sure.” With that, he walked away without a goodnight.

Closing the door, I sagged against it and exhaled. Hiding the intense feelings I had for him was no easy task. This whole mate bond thing was becoming a pain in the ass…or the heart.

Chapter 19 Cole