“Here’s your bag.”
I blink. “Oh, thanks. I totally forgot about it.”
“I didn’t.” His gaze meets mine. He looks like he’s about to say something, but then he takes a step back. “Get some rest, Tessa.” His voice is almost soft and...gentle? I realize I’m more tired than I thought I was. As soon as the room is empty, I lay down on Evie’s bed. It only takes seconds for me to fall asleep. Thankfully, this time there is no music or slamming doors to wake me up.
Chapter 5
Slater
I force myself to leave Evie’s room, but it’s hard. I close the door behind me but don’t move from the door. My wolf is restless inside me, and I can’t bring myself to step away from the room that my mate is sleeping in.My mate.Those words crash through me with just as much force as they did yesterday. I can’t believe I met my mate, and I can’t believe how amazing she is.
“Is there a reason you’re standing outside my mate’s room?”
I turn to Zane, realizing just how out of it I am if I didn’t hear him come into the house. “Oh, Zane, I didn’t hear you come in,” Evie says, joining us. “Sorry, I was in the bathroom.” She shoots an apologetic look at me.
Zane frowns at the closed door and then pulls Evie against him before giving me a look. “My mate’s in there,” I finally tell him.
“She’s exhausted, and her suitemates were being too loud. So, I told her to come here,” Evie says, looking up at him. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.” He leans down and kisses her temple. I look away. Normally, their PDA doesn’t bother me. Things are different now.
“I met with my dad this morning,” Zane says. The way he says it catches and holds my attention. He cocks his head towards the living room, and I watch as he and Evie walk away. I use my wolf's senses to hear my mate’s even breathing. I’m still not ready to walk away from her door, but I force myself to. I keep an ear tuned to her, though, as I head into the living room.
I don’t bother sitting; I’m too restless. Zane sits and pulls Evie down next to him. “He’s gone,” Zane wastes no time saying.
“Who’s gone?” Evie asks.
He looks down at her a moment and pulls her closer. “The master.”
She stiffens. “Where’d he go?”
Zane shakes his head. “I don’t know. The facility, the people there...everything is gone. I mean most of it was destroyed during our attack anyway, but there’s no trace of any of them. Joe’s had our enforcers watching the building, and there hasn’t been anything. Our best trackers haven’t been able to find anything.” A pang of guilt hits me. I’m one of our best trackers, but I’ve been so busy with school and soccer and now my mate, that I haven’t been able to help at all. Zane doesn’t miss it. “It’s not on you, Brother. You’ve got too much going on.”
“I should have helped,” I admit.
“No, your schooling right now is the priority. And now, your mate.”
I nod agreeing at least with the mate part. Speaking of mate, “How much does Tessa know?” I direct the question to Evie.
“Not much,” she admits.
“I told her that Jace and Sam were really mad at me when I broke up with him and that they were just using me.” She smiles suddenly.
“What?” Zanes asks, watching her intensely.
“I just remembered her response when I told her.” She meets my eyes, smiling. “She stole Sam’s shampoo, conditioner, and soap from the bathroom.” She laughs. “That was her way to get back at Sam.”
“By stealing her shampoo?” I can’t help but ask.
Evie nods, smiling. “That’s about as evil as Tessa gets. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.” Her smile fades, and shelooks over at me. I can see the wheels turning, and I have a good idea what she’s going to say before she says it.
I beat her to it. “I know she’s too good for me.”
Evie frowns. “That’s not true.”
“It is.” It’s the truth, and I have no problem admitting it. I look at Zane. “Anything else from your dad?”
“No. He just said to stay alert. They’ll keep searching. He’s reaching out to a few other alphas to find out information on the master.”
