So where the hell was his mate?
He clenched his jaw and left the shop, careful to lock the door behind him
Outside, the rain had begun in earnest, cold needles against his face. He pulled his coat tighter, the water dripping from his hair into his collar. His hands shook, whether from anger or something else, he couldn’t tell.
Dominic started back toward town, eyes hard.
He had been patient long enough.
By the time he reached The Anchor, the rain had soaked through his coat. Muffled laughter seeped through the windows, the warmth of the lights within bleeding out into the cold. He paused a moment at the door, forcing his breath even, willing his temper down. He could not walk in there with his scent spiking all over the place. He needed to appear calm.
He was calm.
He pushed the door open.
Inside, warmth and noise rushed at him, the crackle of the hearth, the scent of beer and bread, and the mud stillclinging to worn boots. Conversation dulled when he entered. The handful of guards and pack members looked up, eyes wary. Dominic ignored them.
Julian and Theodore were at the long table near the fire, heads bent over a map. They looked up as he approached. Theodore swallowed, his eyes falling back down again. Julian remained as unreadable as ever.
Dominic didn’t wait for greetings.
“She’s gone,” he said. His voice came out lower than he intended, rough around the edges.
Theodore frowned. “Who—Layla?”
“Who else?”
“She’s probably at the shop.”
“I was there,” Dominic snapped, “the place is empty.”
Julian’s pen stilled. His head tilted just slightly. “Empty? What sort of empty?”
Dominic’s jaw flexed. “You tell me. You’re the one who notices everything.”
Julian ignored his growl. “Had she been gone long?”
“Again,” Dominic said, leaning against the table, “you tell me.”
Theodore pushed his chair back, “Dom, slow down. What happened?”
“She’s not answering her phone,” Dominic said. “The shop was untouched. Looked like it had been closed all day. “
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Julian seemed to be considering, his lips pressed together. In the bright, harsh light of the fire, the shadows of his face seemed to growand shroud him. His expression didn’t change, but something behind his eyes shifted.
He stood slowly, smoothing his coat. “So she isn’t answering her phone,” he repeated quietly, “interesting.”
“Let me try,” Theodore said, jabbing at his screen. “She could just be ignoring you.”
Dominic’s jaw clenched.
They waited, breaths held, as the phone rang several times, then went to voicemail.
“To be fair,” Theodore said, glancing with alarm at the thunder spreading over Dominic’s face, “she could be ignoring me, too.”
“Or,” Julian said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “she could be somewhere with no signal.”
Dominic took a step closer, his voice dropping low, dangerous. “If you know something, now’s the time to speak.”
