Page 1 of Broken By Her Mate
Chapter 1 - Tolliver
Tolliver inhaled deeply as he came awake. He expected to smell the sweet and delicate scent of lavender. His body instinctively shifted, moving to the other side of the bed towardher. However, reality came crashing down on him when his hand touched cold linen rather than a warm body.
His eyes snapped open, and he stared at the space beside him. Of course, she wasn’t there. He’d been dreaming about Laila again, but she was gone. As always, he struggled to shake the dream and the memory of how she used to snuggle against him in the mornings. The recollections were so vivid that Tolliver could practically feel her soft, warm skin sliding against his.
Sitting up, he blew out a long breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. Laila Thomas was like a ghost, haunting his dream and his very existence. But he had to get her out of his head because he was the one who let her go… for her own good. Forgetting her was easier said than done, though. No matter how hard he tried, memories of her refused to go away.
He swung his legs over the bed and buried his face in his hands. A few minutes passed with him fighting through the typical wave of regret that assaulted him daily. As he did every morning, he reminded himself why he’d walked away from his mate. It was because he wasn’t selfish. That thought made him feel somewhat better, and he sat up and inhaled deeply.
The best way to shove back the lingering memories of Laila was to get his day started. Work served as a band-aid of sorts. One that he slapped over his emotional wound so he could pretend he was okay. Then, at night, dreams of her would assault him, and he’d wake up and put the band-aid back on.
“Like clockwork,” he muttered as he got up and headed to the bathroom.
Minutes later, he made his way downstairs. The worn floorboards of his family home creaked under his weight. Tolliver had plenty of repairs to do to his childhood home, but he’d been dragging his feet. He supposed it was because the creaky floorboards and other minor flaws were reminders of how long his family had lived there. Generations of Sterlings had occupied the big house on the hill in the town of Bellefleur. The house itself was family, and he didn’t want to change a thing.
As he made his way through the living room, he heard sounds coming from the kitchen. It was his sister, Elena. He’d caught her scent before he went down the stairs. She grinned at him when he rounded the corner, and he felt a blast of affection, for which he was grateful. Lately, there were times when his world got so black and white that he needed to be reminded that he was human… Well, sort of. An animal was lurking inside him, after all.
“There he is! Good morning, Tolliver.”
Tolliver raised his eyebrows as he watched her open the cupboards. “Morning. What are you doing here so early? Don’t you have a mate and a baby to keep you busy nowadays?”
Elena’s green eyes narrowed on him. “My mate and baby are fine without me for a few hours. You, big brother, I haven’t seen in a while. Welcome home.” She rounded the island with open arms, and he gave her a bear hug.
“Thanks, but you’re acting as if I was gone for years. I was only out of town for a few weeks.”
She rolled her eyes as she went to open another cupboard. “You don’t have a sentimental bone in your body, and that’s really sad.”
Tolliver lifted an eyebrow. If only Elena knew how wrong she was. He was plenty sentimental, considering that he spent just about every night reliving moments with the woman who was supposed to stay buried in his past. Tolliver was simply good at hiding what he felt from the world. He rarely hid his feelings from Laila, though. Their connection was otherworldly. Tolliver shook his head slightly as if to push away the thoughts of her that kept popping up.
“All the cupboards are empty, Tolliver,” Elena noted. “The refrigerator is too. What have you been eating?”
Tolliver sighed. “I got back yesterday, Elena. Don’t worry. I’ll go grocery shopping when I’ve reached the verge of starvation. I promise.”
Elena shot him a withering look. “Hilarious. I’ll get a few things for you on my supermarket run.” Her lips twisted wryly. “I guess breakfast is off. There’s nothing to cook.”
“That’s fine. I couldn’t stay for breakfast, anyway.”
“Tolliver.Can’t you take a day off? You just got home.” She waved a hand to the kitchen. “Stay here. Take a breather. Relax.”
“Day off? Relax? What language do you speak, woman?”
When she glowered at him, Tolliver sighed. “I have to go in today. We’re working on something important, and I’ve been picking up the slack foryourmate.”
His sister pouted. “Fine, and Ryder and I appreciate you.”
“Uh-huh.” Tolliver had been covering for Elena’s mate, Ryder, who was also his best friend. They had a two-year-old, and Tolliver wanted Elena to have her mate’s full attention and support. He wanted his niece to have her father around as muchas possible, too. Tolliver placed his hand on Elena’s shoulder. “We’ll have dinner and catch up soon, I promise.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “Go on, get out of here.”
***
Bellefleur was a small town, so it didn’t take Tolliver long to get to Mrs. Oswald’s coffee shop on Main Street. He adored the owner of the quaint cafe, Edith Oswald, who had been a major comfort and help to him and Elena when they were kids after their parents died.
It was still early, so the cafe wasn’t very busy. He was glad he made it before the morning rush. Edith was standing in front of one of the espresso machines when the bell over the door alerted her to a customer. Her eyes widened, and a megawatt smile spread across the elderly woman’s face when Tolliver stepped in.
“Tolliver!” She abandoned her task and scurried around the counter toward him.
Tolliver opened his arms to welcome her embrace. He wasn’t one for the mushy stuff, but for Edith, he had a million hugs to give. After all, the sweet old witch had once been his and Elena’s savior. She’d ensure the two young Sterlings were fed and clothed until Tolliver was old enough to take charge.