Forced Mate

17: The Investigator

Lea tosses me an apple from across the kitchen, her auburn hair whipping with the force of the throw. I catch it, thankfully, quite easily and place it on the table by my breakfast plate. "What are you up to today, Iz?" She asks as she slides into the chair across the table from me. I shrug and push my grits around with the end of my spoon.

            "Probably just wandering, reading—the usual. I don't have much else to do," I finally take a bite of my food and frown. These need salt.

            Seeing my expression, Lea slides the shaker across the smooth, wood tabletop. I catch it and douse the grits with the seasoning before diving back in for more bites.

            "You should come to the swimming hole with us. It should be a nice day."

            "Won't it be cold?"

            "It never gets too cold here anyway. Plus, the forecast is for the seventies—I think we'll be fine."

            "Who all is going?"

            "Me, Jason, Neil, his mate Rita, and Grant."

            "Poor Grant—always the odd man out."

            "Not if you come! I know you two are good friends."

            "I don't know, Lea," I twirl my spoon in my food. "Jaxon is still pretty mad about another situation—"

            "—You turning him in to the Council through Alpha Hayes?" She interrupts, her face showing no sign of judgment or any emotion, really.

            "Yes," I clear my throat. "I don't know if he'd be pleased with me going to the swimming hole without him, especially with everyone paired off except me and an unmated guy."

            She snorts, "It's Grant."

            "Doesn't matter," I shake my head. "He's extremely jealous."

            "Maybe, you should ask him to come with," She shrugs, then reaches over the table and takes a bite out of myapple.

            I scowl at her for only a moment before returning my mind back to the conversation, "I guess I could ask. He's going to say no, though, and then he's going to tell me I can't go because he wants me to be miserable."

            She lets out a laugh at my comment and continues to eat. Apparently, the truth is funny.

            We chat a little here and there as we finish our breakfast, mainly focusing on her life and what she's doing. She takes online classes, pre-med, at a local university and works at a nearby hospital. I try to be interested in what she's telling me, but it's difficult when all I can think of is how I'd like to be able to leave here every once in a while. When we're done, we toss our disposable plates and she says, "We're leaving in about an hour for the swimming hole. Let me know what Jaxon says!"

            Then, she's gone in a flash of red and I sigh, slowly making my way toward the stairs and up to Jaxon's office on the second floor. I shouldn't have to ask him for permission to do what I want. I'm an adult.

            Don't think of it as asking for permission, think of it more as just letting him know because you respect him, My inner wolf makes a rare appearance in my mind, but I quickly shut her out. I'm mad at her. She won't manifest, leaving me as a weak human but with a dumb animal spying on my thoughts.

            When I finally make it to the door of Jaxon's office, I know he knows I'm standing there, waiting. I don't knock or anything, dreading the conversation.