Out for four seconds.
Hold for four seconds.
I can do this. I am a strong woman. I do not let my urges control me.
Except I don’t believe it right now. It’s not true. I can’t help myself as I glance around, cataloguing everything I see on my walk home. The cars driving past, the people walking. No one seems to be paying me any heed. I inhale through my nose, trying to notice any unfamiliar smells, but nothing stands out. Even so, that prickling sensation of being watched remains, keeping me on edge.
Chapter Ten
Ryan
I have never been more confused in my life. I have been following Maya for four days now, and she has shown no signs of shifting. Outside of the way her eyes flashed yellow and her scent being different from all other humans I’ve come across, nothing indicates that she is a different species.
The only time I have ever gone longer than two days without shifting since my wolf first emerged as a teenager was when I locked myself in the pack cells, going moon mad and surrounded by silver. Disconnecting from my wolf was… wrong. Even when it felt like he was ripping me apart. Even when he was feral and dangerous. He is a part of me. Not having him, not shifting would have had us both on edge. He would pace under my skin, becoming more and more agitated the longer I keep him under wraps. Because, like me, he needs to stretch his legs. He needs to be free.
But Maya remains in human form at all times—during her early morning or late evening runs, while stretching in her sitting room, when visiting with an older couple, and even when sleeping in the comfort of her own home.
I had to check. I had toknow. I slept in wolf form on her back porch the first couple of nights, but the longer I watch her, the more the line I won’t pass blurs.
For the past two nights, I have snuck into her house. Her dogs recognized me as their alpha, accepting my presence instantly, which is somehow encouraging and frustrating at the same time. They should have howled, alerting Maya to an intruder. But they didn’t. It’s far too easy to get into her home. I hate that she doesn’t lock the back door. She doesn’t wake when I prowl through her halls. Nor when I watch her sleeping.
Which could just be her animal recognizing that I’m her mate and not a threat, but still, it weighs heavily on me. The idea of her being unprotected leaves my wolf restless and ready to attack.
And I can’t stop watching her no matter what form I’m in. I’m exhausted, but I won’t rest or sleep soundly again until my mate is in my bed. Until I know she’s safe. Until she knows she belongs to me.
Her routine is like clockwork—the same every night—and she makes it easy to follow her. Except tonight. Tonight, she’s heading out after dark, wearing shiny black boots and a trench coat. Her glossy black hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and instead of the soft natural makeup she usually wears, she’s sporting dark red lipstick and dark eyeliner. She looks sexy as sin. She walks quickly to her car and drives back to the city with me following behind.
I watch her park on the side of a street before disembarking from the car. Her stride is powerful and majestic as she makes her way to a polished black building with security outside. Her hips swayseductively as she moves, so different from how I’ve seen her walk before. My wolf surges forward, letting out a snarl when the door opens and she disappears inside.
He hasn’t reacted like this when we lost sight of her in the past, but something is different now. We both feel it. I need to get into that building.
I park and climb out of my Jeep, walking over before I can overthink it.
“Stop there,” a surly bald man says as soon as I reach the door Maya disappeared behind. “Members only.”
“And how does one become a member of this… establishment?” I ask, aiming for friendly but unable to hide the edge in my tone.
“I can’t tell you that. It’s for members only.”
I let out a loud sigh to cover the snarl building from my wolf as frustration bubbles up in both of us. “How exactly am I to become a member if you can’t tell me what kind of organization it is?”
The security guy huffs out a breath but doesn’t say anything further as I inhale slowly, trying to push down the increasing agitation. Fates, I miss my alpha command. For nearly seven years now, I have been able to infuse a power so intense and undeniable into my voice that only another alpha shifter could ignore my orders. But now I can’t even convince a human meathead to tell me about a damn club. Why did I have to prioritize the pack and pass the baton—along with my alpha command—to Sofia before I left?
I glare at the man in front of me, but he gives me nothing. Not a hint of how to get in. Not an iota of context nor a crumb of help.
I step back and scan the surrounding area, finding a small sign above the internal door he guards with his life. In matte embossed black letters, the words ‘Sanctum Obscura’ adorn the black wall. It’s a start.
Turning on my heel, I head back to my Jeep and take out my phone. I fucking hate technology. I hate having to carry a device with me at all times. But I’ve had to get used to it over the past few months. Ever since Caleb Cooper came into the picture and I needed to be contactable by others outside of my pack’s mindlink I open my browser and search for the name above the door. A dark screen opens up, giving me two options: ‘members log in’ and ‘request to join.’
I select the request option, and my eyes widen when I see that the fee for the application—with no guarantee of acceptance—is four figures. What the hell is Maya up to in this place? There’s no doubt that I need to get in there, and I have the money, so I pay the fee and fill in my details. An auto-reply email informs me they will be in touch, and I have to consciously put the phone down to stop myself from smashing it in my hand.
Now I just, what? Wait? Continue to trail my mate with no answers about who—or what—she is? It’s not like I have many other options at this point.
My wolf paces inside me, uninterested in listening to anyone who stands between Maya and us. I squeeze my eyes shut and lean back against my headrest, I let out a slow exhale as the weight of not knowing crushes down on me.
I miss her already.
Chapter Eleven
