Page 2 of Broken By Her Mate
“Hi, Edith.” He gripped her shoulders and gave her an affectionate once-over. “You look lovely, as always.”
She batted his arm and then smoothed a hand over her gray hair. “Oh, stop. You flatter an old woman.”
Tolliver chuckled. “You really do look great.”
She beamed. “So do you. Welcome home, sweetheart.”
Tolliver was always amused when she referred to him, a twenty-eight-year-old, hardened wolf shifter, as asweetheart. “Thanks.”
He glanced around, his gaze stopped, and he zeroed in on the table at the far-right corner at the back of the cafe. It used to be his and Laila’s favorite table because she loved the view through the window while they had their coffee. His heart fluttered as he saw an image of her sitting at the table, laughing uproariously at something he said because only she found his lame jokes funny.
“Tolliver? Did you hear me?”
He blinked as Edith’s voice interrupted his trip down memory lane. The image of Laila disappeared. “Uh… I’m sorry, no.”
“I asked if I should get you your usual. Black, one sugar?” Edith’s gaze moved over his face. “Are you all right, dear?”
Tolliver glanced at the table where the ghost of Laila lingered. “I’m fine. Yes, I’ll take my usual. Thanks.”
***
Tolliver stepped into the Black Ops building, wearing his typical scowl. His mood had plummeted gradually because today, everything he saw, smelled, and touched reminded him ofher, the mate he’d rejected years ago. His co-workers took one look at him and gave him a wide berth.
Benny and Francisco, two junior black ops members, were the only ones with the guts to say something to him.
“Morning, boss,” Franscico said brightly.
“Welcome back. How’s it going?” Benny asked.
“Mm-hmm,”was Tolliver’s only response.
The two exchanged amused glances because they were accustomed to the head of the IT department’s grunted responses. He seemed in a sour mood because he didn’t bother reminding them that Alpha Zach was the boss, as usual.
Tolliver made his way to his office. As he gulped his now lukewarm coffee, he stepped inside and almost collided with his best friend turned brother-in-law, Ryder. “Ryder, what the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at home with your kid. That’s whyI’mhere early to pick up your slack.”
Ryder shoved his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair. “Yeah. The plan was to come in a little later today, but…”
“But?” Tolliver asked.
“We have a problem,” Ryder announced.
Tolliver’s gaze narrowed on him. The man was typically laid-back, and it concerned Tolliver that he looked so on edge.
Tolliver shrugged. “When don’t we have a problem?” The Black Ops, a team of specially trained shifters operating out of Bellefleur, constantly identified new threats to the supernatural and human population. When it wasn’t rogue shifters, it was witches and warlocks gone mad or murderous fairies.
Ryder studied Tolliver carefully, his eyes clouded with worry. “This problem might be personal for you.”
Snorting derisively, Tolliver rested his coffee on his desk. “I never take things personally, Ryder. You’ve known me since we were kids. You should know better.” He did his job with the cool indifference it required. Always.
Toliver sat and booted up his laptop. When Ryder didn’t laugh and agree, he glanced at him. “All right, what’s going on?You’re usually joking around about something by now. Are you and Elena alright? Is it my niece?”
Ryder cleared his throat. “We’re all fine, man. There’s something you need to see.”
“Okay…”
Tolliver watched with a frown as Ryder commanded his laptop and logged into the company’s system. “I was at home when one of your trainees called me because he couldn’t get in touch with you,” Ryder explained.
Tolliver dug into his pocket for his cell. It was on silent because he forgot to switch modes when he got home. It was safer to keep it in silent mode when he was trailing suspicious shifters. “Sorry about that,” he grumbled as he glanced at the many missed call notifications.