Page 56 of Bewitching the Wolf

I cringe inwardly. Forcing myself on him, more like.

“Surely not,” Sammy soothes. “He always made a fuss, but he always took the ones you gave him to quit the cigarettes. When did he leave?”

“Two hours ago.”

Sammy’s big blue eyes widen. “And he’s still not back?”

I shake my head.

“It’s a walk through the park to the restaurant,” Arlo says. “How about we leave him a note and go anyway? We’ll probably meet him on the way.”

I’m not at all in the mood to go out, but how can I refuse their kindness? I nod, snuffling through my tears. Sammy produces a clean hanky as if she is the hanky goddess, and with a wry smile says, “Pregnancy makes me very emotional. I carry one everywhere now.” She squeezes my arm. “You go and get changed, and maybe Jax will be back before we leave.”

I quickly change into something a little smarter—the only outfit I brought, a skirt and a pink shirt. Pumps. I ram my tail through the slit in the back of my skirt, then hook it onto my belt. Remembering how it swished and flicked as I came, I can’t bear to have it bouncing around behind me as a reminder. That really would make it a walk of shame.

Then I take a big breath and join the others.

I scribble a note for Jax, unsure what to say. In the end I just write Arlo and Sammy and I are at Fangs Fine Dining, center of town. Join us. I put xxx, almost scrub it out, then leave it. I don’t want him to think I’m angry or he might not come.

And then I’ll worry all evening.

We leave the den. There are lots of folks out and about—it’s early evening and they’re promenading around the park. Handsome wolf men and women and their children. And grandparents too. There’s a group sitting by the stream having a picnic, and nearby, a couple lounge on blankets, clearly lovers, their heads close together. A stab of envy hits the center of my chest and I look away.

“So, are you enjoying living here?” I ask Sammy as we walk. She’s holding Arlo’s hand and there is this wonderful aura of love between them. A sublime ease. I can’t imagine how Jax and I would ever achieve that. It’s a lost cause, loving him…

Love.

I’ve never let myself say that word about Jax. Crush, sure. Hot for him? Yep. But I know in my heart it’s so much more. It always has been.

I try to focus on what Sammy is saying. “We miss level one, of course we do, but we are so welcomed and nurtured here. The Trojan pack are kind and generous, and fiercely protective. We feel very safe, don’t we Arlo?”

“We do. And I have some work here to keep me busy. Helping with building projects and the like.”

“So you’re not missing being a donor?” I ask with a brow waggle.

“I have one woman who keeps me occupied in that department,” Arlo says, smiling lovingly down at his mate.

We keep walking through the parklands, but there’s still no sign of Jax.

Internally, I’m beside myself. It’s very hard to not let it show. I sense that even laid-back Arlo is getting a little worried.

Finally, I dare to voice my concerns. “Do you think Jax has gone back to level one?”

Arlo shakes his head. “No. The elevators are monitored. Besides, I know that guy. He’ll never break a commitment. He’s been through worse than your green smoothies, Tip.”

I thin my lips and say nothing.

As we walk deeper into the park, I detect what looks like a bank of huge boulders in the distance, topped by a tangle of something sharp.

“What is that that over there? It looks like a heap of dead branches above some rocks.”

“It’s barbed wire,” Arlo says.

“W-why’s it there?” My heart skitters a little.

“Beyond that wire are the outlawed lands. Where the Braden pack hangs out.”

My chest tightens.