Rogue Mate, The Moltiare Collection: Bk1 (Sample)(Available on Amazon/SW)

Chapter 8 (Ethan)

I sat on the couch, twirling a pen in my fingers as I tried to process the words on the page before me. I still had yet to simmer down after my temper had flared in front of Jess, but before the day had ended, rage had turned to worry. Her shoulders had tensed in a way that told she was prepared for the impact, that she had expected it, and I couldn’t help but remember what Marie had told me. I needed to stay in control. There wasn’t any room to lash out, and I thought about the tone I held in my words because that was exactly what I had done. Maybe not physically, but verbally and that was enough to make me feel guilty.

So I separated myself from the group and went to wait for her by the empty area of the school, but she didn’t show. I went home after that, assuming that she had left with Aaron to go work at Kim’s. Jess had told me about the job before we had left for school on Monday morning and though I initially hadn’t been pleased, I agreed to it because I knew that Aaron worked there as well. I trusted him to get her there and back to house safely. So far it was working out.

Tonight, however, was different. I was suddenly anxious, apologies streamed through my head, but nothing seemed to be worded right so I tried and tried again. I had a silent thought in my head that maybe she could’ve run, but I shook it away and held on to the hope that the Mate’s Pull would bring her back.

The Mate’s Pull was the unseen connection between mates, like a string the fates used to tie two people together. It was what let us know when we had found them, what brought us so close together and made our love so strong. I knew that it would only get stronger until Jess and I had mated, but considering the circumstances, that would have to wait. For now I just wanted her close, and I wanted her to know that she was safe.

“Hello, hello!” Marie’s voice called from the entryway, and I became aware of the struggle that she seemed to be having, “I brought home groceries!”

I set closed the book on the coffee table and moved towards the front door to help. She was strapped with bags from one wrist to the other, carrying things that would have normally been far too heavy for the average female, but that wasn’t the problem. Somehow she had managed to stack boxes of food, one on top of the other as she carried them in her hands. They towered up to her nose, and with the way her eyes wandered, I knew that she was having trouble finding a place to set everything down.

“Did you buy out the store?” I asked lightly as I took the boxes from her.

“Yeah, well,” she shrugged and moved past me for the kitchen, “We have three wolf mouths to feed...Four now actually.”

I went silent as she spoke the last words, taking one of the boxes in my hands and setting it in the cabinets.

“Aaron still at work?”

“Yeah.”

Something in my voice must have given it away because when she turned to look at me I could almost instantly feel her eyes piercing the back of my head. It was enough to make me stop, grip the counters with my hands once they were free, and bow my head in guilt. I could almost hear her voice already as it rose, berating me for something she didn’t yet know about.

“What happened?” she demanded.

“We talked at school.”

“Ethan...” her voice already began in warning and I raised my hand to stop her.

“The others still assume that she’s human, but them knowing that she’s my mate will allow me to be close to her more without anyone asking questions.” I explained as I turned and crossed my arms in front of me, “I was worried about her, so Aaron suggested it.”

“Ok, and what did she say?” Marie asked and gave me a stern look when the guilt began to show on my face, “Ethan...”

“I yelled at her.” I stated quickly with a growl as I grew frustrated with myself.