Chapter 16 Anxiety
sixteen
Anxiety
*GWENDOLYN*
Donna blinks once, twice, and then a third time.
“Elsa grew the zoo,” Faye giggles.
“Really,” Donna says. “I am impressed.” She gazes at me curiously. “There must be something about you that draws them in.”
“I am sure it’s just a coincidence,” I mutter. “The duck was literally in front of the porch last night,” I explain to her. “Wouldn’t leave my side. So, what other option did I have?”
Donna smiles gently. “No option at all,” she says.
I feel my cheeks heating up. Of course, I could have sent the duck away or at least call someone to take it away, but I couldn’t. I just…couldn’t.
“Look,” Faye squeals. “Quackquack is still protecting it.”
“What’s it?” Donna asks curiously.
“QQ, found an egg this morning,” I tell her. “And now is incubating it.”
Donna laughs. “You are a funny lot.”
“Thank you for coming here to keep an eye on Ann,” I say. “I know you prefer to look after her at your place.”
“That’s no problem,” she reassures me. “But what are you going to do with all the pets, in the long run?”
“Well…“ I swallow thickly. “You know this is just an intermediate stop. I… I like this town and this place… and…” My voice trails off.
“Don’t worry,” she chuckles. “You don’t need to spare my feelings. I am well aware that a pretty, young woman like you won’t want to stay here and work in that shady club. The world is ahead of you, and all the doors are open. Don’t be scared to walk through them.”
I am not so sure if all the doors are open, but I hope I will be able to open a couple of them.
With Faye and Marina safe in Donna’s care, I grab my bag and head to work.
On my way to the club, I take a detour, passing by the observation deck on the cliff that opens up its view onto the ocean and the shore below me.
Usually, it’s deserted. While swimming is allowed there, not many take the opportunity.
Donna told me one would need to be a good swimmer as the waves are strong.
Today, however, I spy the silhouette of a young man.
He undresses and swiftly jumps into the water.
After a while, he gets out again, resting on one of the rocks.
Even from a distance, I can see how strong he is built.
I feel creepy watching him, but there is something inside me that makes it difficult to leave, as if something is pulling me to him.
My chest aches, but not in a bad way. Like a longing I haven’t ever felt before. For a moment, I just stand there with my hand on my chest, trying to gauge and grasp this feeling.
My sense of duty wins over my curiosity, though. I need to go to work, or I will get fired for real. My boss is still waiting for an answer, and I can only stall, or better, convince him when I am diligent in every other aspect of my work.
I cast one last glance at the dreamy young man on the beach before tearing my attention away from him and hurrying to the club. The longing in my chest turns more into an ache the further I get away from the beach.
Weird.
I have to hurry not to be late, but right before I disappear through the staff entrance of the club, a shiver runs down my spine. The same creepy feeling I’ve had for days. Maybe I really am getting paranoid, but it also doesn’t feel right to completely ignore the feeling.
I should be very careful where I go from now on, especially when I am alone.
*FELIX*
“Guys!” I yell, ripping the door open.
Both Dario and Charlie move so fast towards me they almost knock me over. “What happened?” Dario exclaims, clear panic in his voice.
“An attack?” Charlie asks.
“No, no!” I take a couple of breaths, stopping myself from hyperventilating. “My mate!”
It takes a moment for it to sink fully in.
“Wait…” Dario’s voice trails off.
Charlie gapes. “No fucking way!”
“Yes fucking way,” I exclaim.
“That’s fantastic news,” Dario smiles. “Where is she?”
“That’s the problem. I took up her scent, but when I followed, it she was suddenly gone. She has to be somewhere in this town. You have to help me look.”
Without wasting any more time or asking useless questions, both of them nod in unison. “What does she look like?” Dario asks.
“I couldn’t see every detail,” I admit. “But her hair was long and curly. You haven’t seen such hair before.”
“When you say curly...“
“I mean those natural, wild curls,” I verify.
“You are right, that’s rare.”
Dario grasps me by my shoulders. “Take deep breaths. This is fantastic news.” He exchanges a look with Charlie, who nods at us.
“I am going ahead,” she says. “I will search the center of the town, you two do the outskirts. It’s the bigger area.”
With that, she slips out of the room and leaves us behind.
“What’s wrong?” Dario asks quietly. “You should look happy, but instead you look terrified. Are you worried we won’t find her? We definitely will! She can’t have gone far.”
“What if she left town?”
“Did she have any bags with her? Did she look like someone only passing by?”
I pause, thinking back to the woman on the cliff. She was wearing a simple dress, just carrying a small bag over her shoulder. “No.”
“Maybe she lives here,” Dario says.
“There is no pack around.”
“So what? We are here. Maybe she is visiting someone. Or maybe she isn’t a wolf,” Dario offers. “But that’s not what’s playing on your mind. What’s truly worrying you?”
My heart starts beating faster. I am scared that if I say it, it will become true. “What if she left because she doesn’t want me?”
“Felix-“
“What if I am not enough for her?”
He shakes me so much that my head bobs back and forth. “Don’t be an idiot,” he says. “You said it yourself that you barely took up her scent because of the distance. She might not have smelled you at all.”
“Maybe. But I am not the biggest catch on the planet, you know? What if she is disappointed?” I pause. “We both know I am not the brightest bulb.”
“Goddess! I can’t with you,” Dario groans, letting go of me and smacking my forehead.
“Hey!” I rub the spot he just hit. “Where did your soft, caring side go?!”
“I am saving it for my future mate, not for you when you need a reality check,” he mutters. “At least give the poor woman a chance before dismissing her potential feelings towards you. So, where does all of this come from? What are you not telling me?”
For a couple of minutes, we have a staring match until I give in. I just can’t help it when it’s my brother. I give in every time. “I might have heard some girls say that I am just a good fuck,” I admit. “And that other than that, I don’t have anything to offer.”
He is just not deep.
For a couple of seconds, it’s so silent you could hear a pin drop. “Who?” Dario asks, his voice tense. The look in his eyes is angry, in a way I haven’t seen it before. “Who said that?”
I can feel the air around me getting heavier. “Dude,” I exclaim.
Dario startles, blushing slightly. “Sorry.” He clenches his hands into fists. “I can’t believe someone said that. It’s not true, and it says much more about them than about you! You have plenty to offer, more than many other guys.”
“But I struggle so much with reading and remembering stuff.”
“So what? That means nothing. It just means you have different strengths! I suck at training. Does that mean I am overall weak?”
“No,” I exclaim. “And it’s not a fair comparison, because you don’t suck at training.”
“I think it’s a perfect comparison,” he says. “Listen, you know I would never lie to you, and you would immediately know if I did. You are relationship material, and you have a lot to offer. Any girl should be happy to have you as her mate, because you will immediately become the sun in her life.”
“It’s so cheesy when you say that,” I groan.
“Live with it,” he mutters. “You are the fucking sun. And now let’s go find your mate before I make you tell me who badmouthed you.”
“Man, if anyone saw you like that, they wouldn’t believe it was quiet, mild-mannered Dario.” I grin. “You have so much fire.”
“Did it help?”
“Yes, I am pumped. I need to find her ASAP.”
Together, we make it out of the hotel. The sun has set, dipping everything in an orange light. “Where should we start?” I ask.
“How about from the place where she was standing when you saw her?” Dario offers.
“Good idea.”
Thank the goddess that the town is small, otherwise this would have been much more difficult. Thanks to Dario, however, my optimism skyrockets again, and I am more than ready to find my mate. Even the small glimpse I had of her already made my heart beat faster.
When I recall her scent, my heart stutters before picking up its pace again, even faster than before. Realization finally settles in that my mate is somewhere in this town.
She is here!
Dario and I spend the whole evening skimming through the area. Sometimes I pick up a whiff of her scent, spurring me on further.
“Felix-“ Dario grabs me by my arm and tugs me towards an alley. “Look, there further down the road. They haven’t noticed us yet.”
I frown, gazing in the direction Dario told me to. I immediately spot two men, tall and bulky. Typical shifter warriors. I must have been so focused on my mate’s scent that I didn’t pay attention to anything else, but fortunately, Dario did.
“Wolves,” I mutter.
“It doesn’t need to mean anything,” he points out. “After all, we are travelling around as well.”
“I don’t know.” I toss another glance at the two guys. “I get a bad feeling from them.”
“We should definitely remain hidden from their sight,” Dario says. “It will give us the upper hand in case they are up to no good.”
He is right. These warriors are strong, but they can’t take it up with two lycans like Dario and me. And we have Charlie, who is also well-trained. Her parents are both betas of the pack – they made sure she learned to defend herself.
“Come, let’s continue down this alley,” I say. “You are right. We need to keep the upper hand here.”
“I will send Charlie a message,” Dario says.
While he types on his phone, we both walk down a small alleyway. It’s a bit secluded but leads us back towards the town. I am still pondering the two shifters when suddenly a wave of jasmine hits me.
No way!
My head snaps up, eyes falling on the dimly lit sign of the nightclub.