the pack doctor, an older Anbizen, or turned wolf, by the name of Booth.
He was on his doorstep when I arrived, apparently waiting for me.
“I am needed?”
I chuffed, quick and direct. He nodded and grabbed a bag before following me to the house on foot. By the time we reached the yard, everyone was inside. I shifted human, my body aching and my bones sore from both my heat cycle as well as changing form so much. While shifting was not necessarily painful if one kept the right mind-set, repeatedly switching from wolf to human and back again could be harmful and was definitely exhausting. I grabbed my red cloak from the grass and clasped it around my neck on my way in the door. The familiar slide of the fabric around my hips and ankles offered a comfort I needed at that moment.
We entered through the porch doors and hurried down the tiled hallway where, only the night before, Chinoo had cornered me. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since those moments, yet it had only been a matter of hours. Important ones for sure, but mere hours nonetheless.
Walking into the great room, I kept my eyes moving, scanning for Gates. Seconds that felt like hours passed as I looked, desperate for a glimpse of his black hair, needing to see those blue eyes once more. The longer I looked and didn’t find him, the more my heart raced. He wasn’t there. He hadn’t made it back. Chest tight and world spinning, I took a step toward the front door. My knee buckled instantly, nearly taking me to the floor. But a warm hand caught my elbow before I could fall.
“Easy there.” Gates stood in front of me, covered in blood and mud and the gods only knowing what else, but he was there. Alive and relatively unscathed. Eyes burning and relief washing over me like a balm, I hurried to embrace him.
“Kaija.”
The sharpness in my father’s tone made me stop.
“I spoke to Mr. Gates on the way back from the mine. One of the Feral Breed is injured, and there is much still to do in regards to these nomads. I know you were expecting more from him, but for now, your mate is choosing not to come for you.”
A collective gasp went up from the shifters watching the exchange. If it were possible for my heart to stop beating, it would have. There was no bracing for the level of pain that swamped me. Every dream I’d had, every hope of a happy life with my fated mate crashed. My face and neck burned with the humiliation of having so many of my packmates hear my rejection. My mate did not come for me. He would not be bonding with me.
He did not want me.
I couldn’t look at him, didn’t want to be near him any longer. With a short nod to my father, I turned and raced for the stairs. There were too many eyes and ears in that room. Too many people witnessing my shame. I needed to escape. I ran up the stairs to the second floor, desperate for the solitude and privacy of my suite.
“Please stop.”
I froze as my heart faltered and my head fell forward. Gates’ voice echoed down the hall, soft yet forceful. Even though he’d just rejected me in front of my pack, I couldn’t resist him. My cheeks burned as I tried to will myself to walk away from him. I’d embarrassed myself and my family enough. I’d assumed he would want a mate as much as I did, that when he said he’d come for me and court me, he meant it. I’d been hopeful, and losing that hope was devastating.
“Do not run from me, Kaija. Things are not as bad as they seem.”
“You did not come for me.” I shook my head, my eyes burning with unshed tears. “You said you would come, but you did not. You don’t want me.”
Gates reached for me, his hands shaking and slow as they crossed the unspoken line between us. I didn’t move, didn’t pull away or lean in. I simply stood as a statue, my eyes staring at the toes of his boots. When his hands finally grasped my skin, I shivered. The mating call was loud and intense, my heat cycle not helping the way my body yearned for