“Watch me.”
I study his face and know I’m not going to move him on this. “I’m sorry,” I start.
“Don’t you dare apologize for any of this.”
I take in the anger on his face and don’t push. Weariness flows over me. “I’m going to head back upstairs.”
“I’ll walk you.”
We’re both silent as we walk up the stairs and down the hallway to my room. “What time is it?”
“Around two in the morning.”
No wonder it’s so quiet. I stop when I get to my room. “Are you sure you can’t get some sleep?”
“I’ll keep watch and wake you if it happens again.”
I sigh. “Okay. Thank you. Night, Slater.”
“Night, Tessa.”
I open my door quietly and slip inside, being careful not to wake Stephanie. I lean against the closed door and take in my room. I try to calm my racing heart as I study the room, trying to note if anything is different. But I don’t notice anything. My mind’s a tumbled mess.How did I end up outside? I don’t remember any of it, and that’s terrifying. I make my way over to my bed and sit on the edge for a few minutes, but I cave all too soon. I crawl under my blankets and blink, trying to stay awake. Just before I drift off to sleep again, I send out a prayer that I wake up in my own bed and not outside again. When my alarm wakes me several hours later, I sit up in bed and turn it off. Relief flows through me at the fact that it didn’t happen again. By the time I’ve showered and gotten dressed for the day, I’m convinced that it was a total fluke, one I have no intention of ever repeating again.
I pull my FMU sweatshirt tightly around me and head downstairs to meet Slater. Part of me hopes to see him, but the other part of me hopes I won’t see him because he’s asleep in his bed. But when I do see him, I can’t help the relief that fills me. Then I see the iced coffee in his hand, and a smile forms on my face. “Morning, Handsome,” I say before I’ve even thought about it.
His lips tug up slightly in the corners. “Hey, Gorgeous. Coffee?”
“Yes. Please!” I take a drink and nearly cry. “Oh, that’s so good. I needed that this morning. Thank you, Slater.” I step forward, prepared to hug him. But he takes a giant step back, alarm in his eyes. “Oh, shoot. I forgot. Sorry.” I blow out a breath of frustration and meet his gaze. “I hate this.”
He stares down at me. “Me too. We’ll figure it out.”
“What are we going to do, though? Nothing worked.”
“We have another idea to try.”
I look up at him with hope. “Really? What is it?” He doesn’t answer right away, and that worries me. “Slater?”
“We’re still working on it.”
I take in his words and think about what Alpha Blackwood asked me last night. “Does it have anything to do with bonding or mating?”
He turns to me in surprise. “You know about that?”
“No. Zane’s dad said you would explain it to me, but would that be the answer?”
He runs a hand over his head. “I don’t know.”
I watch him a moment and can feel his distress. “What’s bonding, Slater?” I ask softly.
He looks around us and nods over at a picnic table that’s empty. “I won’t keep you long; I know you have to get to work.”
“I have a few minutes.” We sit across from each other, and I prepare myself for whatever it is he’s going to tell me. When he doesn’t say anything, I prompt him. “So bonding is,” I pause and wait for him to take over.
He meets my gaze, and I get lost in those gray eyes. “Wolves have only one mate, and we mate for life. You are the only female for me. Ever. If something were to happen to you before we were mated, there would never be someone else for me. I’d be single forever.” My eyes widen at that, but he continues. “Once we’re mated, our souls become connected. If one of us were to die, the other would as well.”
I gasp. “Seriously?” He nods. I take all this in. “How do you mate? I mean, I would assume it’s...you know.”
He nods. “During intimacy. The first time we come together, our souls will unite and forever bind us together.”
