Page 81 of The Denver Alpha

The look on Cole’s face is one I’ve never seen before. It’s one of complete bewilderment, of uncertainty, of fear, of…regret.

He regrets that fate chose me as his mate.

I spin around quickly, my hair whipping me in the face as a sob breaks free.

It hurts so much.

I hear Cole say my name again, but I’m already calling my wolf forward, shifting to my animal form. My wolf lets out a howl in protest, not wanting to budge, but I force her to move. One step, then two. She whines in defeat as we break out in a run.

Away from Cole, away from that look in his eyes that’s seared into my memory.

Away from the deep, agonizing howl that echoes through the woods behind me as his wolf calls after mine.

32

A dull humming sound rouses me from sleep, and when I force my eyes open, the light spilling into my bedroom through the cracks in my blinds is brighter than it usually is. It takes me a second to realize it’s because I must’ve forgotten to set my alarm again, and I’m immediately brought back to the last time I forgot to set it and accidentally slept in.

I woke up with Juliet in my arms that morning. I’d spent the night buried inside her, finally giving into the temptation I’d been resisting since the day she arrived and making her mine in every sense of the word.

Was that really just days ago?

So much has happened since.

I roll over to find the other side of the bed cold, feeling her absence profoundly. It’s no wonder I was drawn to Juliet like a moth to a flame; that I was powerless to resist the pull between us. She’s my fated mate. My other half; the one person who was meant just for me.

And I fucked it all up.

The humming sound starts up again, a buzzing that I realize is coming from my bedside table.

My cell phone.

I blindly reach over to pick it up, answering the incoming call without even bothering to check to see who it is first.

“Cole Bauer,” I say as I bring the phone to my ear, my voice still raspy from sleep.

“Good morning, Alpha,” comes a voice on the other end of the line. I immediately recognize it as Reggie, one of the security officers that works the entrance gate to our pack’s compound. “I’ve got Jax and Quinn Anderson here, but I don’t have anything indicating that you were expecting company today. Should I send them through?”

“Yeah,” I mutter, swiping a hand over my face and pushing against the mattress to sit up in bed. “Escort them up to the packhouse.”

“You got it, boss,” Reggie replies, and I end the call, setting the phone back on my nightstand and sliding out of bed.

I’m not sure why Juliet’s brother and his mate are here- whether it’s a surprise visit or she asked them to come- but either way, as Alpha of my pack, it’s my job to greet another alpha when he comes to my territory. With the intention of doing exactly that, I hurriedly brush my teeth, throw on a pair of slacks and a black button-up, and make my way down to the foyer of the packhouse.

I’m not surprised to find Juliet there waiting when I enter the foyer, and I’d be lying if I said part of the reason I came down to greet Jax wasn’t to have an excuse to be near her. She didn’t react well to finding out that we’re fated mates last night. It’s my fault- I said some shit I didn’t mean just because I was angry and scared in the moment, so she was already pissed at me before the bond made itself known. So pissed that she’d already ended things between us.

If we’d had a real conversation before the full moon run, things could’ve gone so differently last night. As it was, the timing of finding out we’re fated couldn’t have been worse.

Now I just have to figure out how the hell I’m going to make things right with her.

Juliet whips her head around when I step into the foyer, her ice-blue eyes meeting mine. The connection between us is so strong that it practically smacks me in the face the moment our gazes collide. If the magnetism to Juliet was strong before, it’s overwhelming now- everything inside me yearns to go to her, to hold her and touch her. The sad look in her eyes compels me to comfort her, but how can I when I’m the one who put it there?

She looks so fucking beautiful. She’s still in her pajama shorts and a tank top, her hair in a messy bun and not a speck of makeup on her face, but she’s stunning nonetheless. Effortlessly gorgeous. Her plush lips part on a sharp inhale when she sees me, her body tensing, and I hate that this is the way she reacts to me now. I’d give anything to see that mischievous spark in her eyes, that devious smirk on her lips. To catch even the slightest glimpse of the Juliet I’ve come to know rather than this hollow, defeated version of her.

I’m at a loss for words. I know I need to repair what’s been broken between us, but I have no idea where to begin. I cross the foyer toward her, uttering the first thing that comes to mind.

“Your brother’s here.”

She nods. “I know. I asked him to come.”