Tiziano huffed out a breath. “I don’t think so. Wereball doesn’t reachthosedestructive levels. It’s mostly healthy hooliganism.”
“Sure,” I mocked. “Because throwing car parts and rocks at each other ishealthy.”
“Maybe it was a rogue group?”
We frowned. Rogue attacks were a rarity; our territories were clear.
Without thinking, ignoring Tiziano and Lachlan chatting about the upcoming games, I tapped out a text to Rudolph. Swallowing my pride, since he still hadn’t replied to my congrats-on-finding-your-mate messages, I read it over.
Hey, I heard that something happened in your pack. Just checking if you’re okay.
Send.
And, of course, nothing.
Not that I expected an instant reply. Meeting a soulmate would leave any werewolf busy. And we didn’t need to talk all the time. He’d need time to adjust to his new life with his mate…
The rest of the evening went by peacefully and uneventfully.
Until 3:00 a.m. struck like a demon. My phone buzzed.
I fumbled for it with one eye open. Zeus crawled out from under my second pillow and yawned. I yawned in sympathy.
“Hello?” I croaked.
“Well, well,weeeeeeell!” I flinched at the noise. “If it isn’t the little Highlander’s cheeky chicky chick.”
It all sounded too loud and too Rudy for the time of the night.
I sat straight up. “Rudy! You’re alive.”
“Miss me already?” He had a rough voice, like sandpaper.
My heart began to leap irregularly in my chest.
But he sounded different.
Something was off.
“Why’ve you been texting me so much, huh? Are you that bored there? Or maybe your little date was a total shitshow?”
I struggled to keep up with all the questions, realizing he was just being rude—nothing new, but still. I ignored the part about the date, however, because it was none of his business.
“I’m a caring person, unlikesomepeople.I was worried.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m super good. Healthy as a horse. Never been better. Why wouldn’t I be? And why the hell do you care, Bunny Doc?”
I considered my answer, trying to figure out why he was acting off, but my sleepy mind wouldn’t help me this time.
“I heard there was an assault on your campus…” I trailed off, fiddling with the blanket, only realizing my mistake too late.
“Ohhhh, and how would you know that,Miss Encyclopedia?”
What mean energy. Shouldn’t he be happy that he found his mate? Or calmer, more at peace? Maybe she’d turned him down or something. Or maybe she was underage. That happened sometimes.
“I heard about it. We live in thetwenty-first century. News flies.”
“Oh, bynews, you mean your bunch of loser Ultras who were planning to pull some dumb crap? You can tell them I sniffed them out already,” he said in a drawl. His voice reminded me of Gaius’s a few nights ago.
