Bait And Switch--SAMPLE (Book 4 of The Claimed Series)

Chapter 6

Hugo

I watched as Webb threw open the front door—sans Lena—and stomped into the kitchen. He drained one, then two bottles of water and let out an exhaustive sigh. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he hadn't gotten the information he was looking for.

Glancing over at me, I could tell he was in turmoil. His brows were knitted together over his nose, and his eyes were red-rimmed.

"No luck?" It was stupid, but someone had to break the unbearable tension. He simply shook his head as his eyes drifted closed.

"No one will tell me where she is," he said, tossing the plastic bottle into the recycling bin with some force. "Not her brothers, or her parents. Hell, not even Alpha Lenon, and that fucking prick has to know where she went to if she's switching packs." His fists clenched as his eyes flashed a deep golden amber.

"I'm sorry, babe," I told him, coming up and pulling him into a hug. "Did they at least know why she didn't tell you before she left?"

He nodded. "She...Jesus, she did it for us. She didn't want this to come between you and I. Wanted us to bond a bit before she said anything about the baby." He chuckled bitterly. "This is the first fucking selfish thing she's ever done and it's fucking killing me."

Fuck, that was actually pretty damned sweet of her.

"Is she at least close by?" I asked.

"Her brother implied she went far away—to gain some distance." His throat clicked as he swallowed. "She could be in the next state over or in Bali, for all I God damn know. With my baby, for fuck's sake."

There was a pregnant pause, rife with tension as Webb tried not to lose it, and me trying to be as much of a comfort as I could. It seemed to only work partially as the stress released slightly in his shoulders.

"I texted her," he told me. "Told her I knew about the baby. Told her she needed to come back and we could raise the baby together. She didn't reply."

"She could be busy," I offered up, hopefully.

"She's driving," Webb said. "And I don't know where the fuck she's heading to. I don't know if she's safe. She could have blocked my fucking phone number for all I know."

It was killing him, I could tell. And I could empathize. If I had been his situation, I would have been going ape shit, tearing the place apart by now, but the head enforcer in him wouldn't allow him to break down. He was stalwart as ever.

"I'm sorry this is so fucked up," Webb mumbled at me, looking me dead in the eyes. "This isn't what you deserve in a mate. All I want to do is find her and my baby and make sure they're alright."

"I understand," I told him. "I do. I... If this was my baby, I'd be going batshit crazy trying to find her. You're dealing with this far better than I ever could."

He nodded, just a slight, sad bob of his head before looking down at the white linoleum of the kitchen floor. A floor that his baby's mother had probably mopped a thousand times before.

"Let's get you to bed," I prodded him, pulling gently at his arms to follow me. Nothing could be done now about the pregnant she-wolf situation, and knowing Webb, he wasn't about to give up on finding her.

I wouldn't have if I was him.

I started a hot shower for my mate, Webb standing stagnant in his jeans and t-shirt by the double sinks in the master bathroom. He looked around the room as if studying it, and I could only imagine what he was thinking. Then his eyes dropped to the pregnancy test on the floor near the small trash can. I grabbed it and wondered if I should throw it out, toss away the evidence of his pain. But instead, I placed it on the edge of the sink and covered it with a washcloth.