Page 21 of Broken By Her Mate

Glad to be on another topic, Laila perked up and delved into how she became the owner of the bakery in Cedar Ridge. After that, the conversation drifted to more lighthearted topics until they were reminiscing about old times, laughing, and joking like they used to. For a while, Laila felt like she was back in a time before everything had gotten complicated—before her heart had been broken.

As she and Elena chatted, Laila glanced out the window and noticed the sun was setting. She hadn’t realized it was so late. As always, she became riveted by the sky’s transformation. The soft pinks and fiery oranges that blended into the blue sky were mesmerizing. Tolliver used to hold her in his arms and watch the sun rise and set with her. The familiar feeling of longing for that kind of intimate connection nagged at her, but she pushed it aside. Sometimes, she wished everything she saw didn’t remind her of what she once had with her mate.

Chapter 9 - Tolliver

Tolliver’s paw hit the forest floor with powerful strides. His wolf cut through the woods at a speed that should have been freeing. Running had always been his way of calming and grounding himself. Letting his wolf out to run was one of the easiest ways for him to clear his head. He let his animal take over so he could temporarily let go of every thought that burdened him.

But today, even the raw power of the run wasn’t enough to settle the growing storm inside him. Laila haunted every corner of his mind—even the animal part—so running to take the edge off was futile. Letting out a huff of frustration, he came to a halt in front of the lake not too far out of town. He sat on his haunches and gazed at the serene water bathed in the setting sun's soft light.

He lifted his nose in the air and inhaled deeply, hoping that the scents and sounds of nature would help to calm him. It didn’t work. All he could think about washer. Laila loved to watch the sun rise and set. Letting out a frustrated huff, he got up and loped back to where he’d stashed his clothes.

He shifted back, skin replacing fur and bones realigning. Tolliver stood still for a moment and savored the feeling of the cool evening air brushing against his skin. He then pulled on his clothes and headed into town, where he’d left his motorcycle. He hadn’t been on the thing in ages, but he’d gotten it out of his garage and dusted it off because he’d left his car at the cabin for Laila to use in case of an emergency. Hopefully, the ride back home would ease some of his tension.

As he strolled through the town, he was on high alert, scanning for any sign of strangers. He couldn’t shake whathappened last night near Laila’s place. Who had he sensed in the woods? He couldn’t put his finger on who the mysterious shifter was. Could someone in Bellefleur, someone he grew up with, be the culprit? The enemy was close—too close—but still out of reach. It was maddening.

As he mounted his motorcycle, he thought about what Ryder and Zach had revealed earlier. Their women were in danger, and they hadn’t even identified who was taking them yet.Hiswoman was in danger, and he wanted to tear his goddamn hair out. However, Laila wouldn’t be too happy about him thinking of her ashis.

His lips twisted wryly as he took off through the town. He decided to head to his house for a shower before going to the cabin. He needed to get his shit together before having to spend another night under the same roof as Laila. The struggle to resist her nightly might drive him insane.

When Tolliver reached his house, he saw Elena’s car beside his SUV in the driveway. As he parked his bike behind his vehicle, panic rose. Was Laila there?Whywas she there? The thought that something had happened made him sprint up the walkway and into the house. He pushed open the front door, his heart pounding and stormed through the foyer and living room. The laughter coming from the kitchen gave him pause. Laila’s soft, airy giggles practically caressed his eardrums. If she was laughing, then she was okay.

He rounded the corner to find Laila and Elena sitting by the window with mugs in their hands. They turned to him. Elena’s eyes sparkled with amusement, and Laila looked more relaxed than he had seen her in days. He took a moment to bask in relief that she was apparently all right before he allowed the frustration he’d been feeling to burn hotter. He told her to stay inthe cabin, out of sight, yet there she was, out and about like there wasn’t a deadly threat lurking outside.

“Tolliver!” Elena greeted him. “Look who I found?”

His jaw clenched.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Laila was back in town. I had to run into her at the market.” She tutted. “Were you trying to keep her to yourself?”

Tolliver didn’t even look at his sister. He was too busy glaring at Laila, whose smile had melted away when she saw him.

“I was actually trying to keep her safe,” he muttered. “But she insists on making it difficult. What the hell were you doing in town, Laila? What are you doinghere? Which part of stay in the cabin and keep out of sight didn’t you understand?”

Patches of pink highlight her cheeks. “I was going crazy staring at the walls, Tolliver. Give me a break. I called to let you know I was heading into town, but you didn’t answer.”

Gritting his teeth, he took his phone out of his pocket. It was off—most likely dead. Sometimes, he got caught up in work and didn’t even give his phone a second thought. “You called me tolet me know, did you?”

She angled her chin up. “That’s right because I don’t need your permission to go out.”

He exhaled slowly to gather his patience. She was going to drive him to the brink of insanity. As much as he wanted to blow up, he wouldn’t. Not with Elena there. He didn’t dare piss Laila off any more than he already had. She’d been feisty lately, and if he brought up their personal issues in front of his sister, Laila might very well bite his head off.

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed as he calmly walked to the refrigerator to fetch a bottle of water.

Elena’s eyes bulged, and her jaw dropped. He knew what she was thinking. He wasn’t one to stand down so easily. However, he was on thin ice with Laila, and the gods helped him, but he was turned on by her sass. Laila was possibly the only being who could test his patience the way she did and get away with it. After all these years, he was still weak to her.

Elena’s eyes shifted from Tolliver to Laila as the two glowered at each other. “Okay…” she said. “I feel like I’m intruding on a private moment here…”

“You are,” Tolliver said.

“You’re not,” Laila said at the same time.

Elena pursed her lips, feeling awkward with the tension rising in the room. “Right… So, Laila and I had a little chat.”

“Did you?” Tolliver grumbled.

“Uh-huh. She told me about everything that was going on. I can’t believe you or Ryder didn’t tell me.”

“Unless you’re a Black Ops member or one of the women being targeted, it doesn’t concern you.” He and the others thought it was best to keep what was happening under wraps so as not to cause panic among the shifters. However, if they didn’t fix the issue soon, Zach, the alpha and mayor, would have to let everyone know eventually.