Chapter 3
THREE
Reyes
I’ve been staring at Taylor sleeping all night. The anxious, restless feeling has been replaced by a sense of purpose. This girl is mine. Mine to protect, to keep safe and healthy, to love.
My hands curl into fists as I think about what she’s been through.
My poor mate. She must have been terrified when she and her sister were taken.
I want to go back to the cult and kill every single member for hurting my girl.
I have it all planned out, but every time I think about leaving Taylor’s side, I can’t.
I don’t want to be away from her. Not even for a minute.
For the first time in forever, I feel complete. I’m not missing anything. There’s no excess energy inside me, and I know it’s because of her.
Our mate is strong, my wolf tells me. She’s a good sister: loyal, a fighter. Fate has gifted us the perfect mate.
I sit up straighter as Taylor rolls onto her back. I’m already rising to my feet when her eyes open, and she blinks as I step closer.
“Morning,” I murmur.
She sits up and grabs the pen and paper next to the bed.
Any news about Landry?
I swallow. I hate to disappoint my mate, and I’m about to do just that.
“Not yet,” I tell her. “They looked last night, but they didn’t find anyone else being held against their will in any of the properties.”
She deflates. Fear and anxiety cloud her pretty eyes. I hate to see her so worried about her sister.
Fix this! my wolf demands.
“We’re still looking for her. We won’t give up until we find her. I thought we could go into town and get you a new phone. It would be easier for you to type out messages, and we can try to sync it with your old one. I’m guessing you have a photo of Landry, which would help us find her.”
Taylor nods enthusiastically, her face brightening.
We’ll find Landry and reunite her with Taylor. My mate will be happy, and she’ll fall in love with me.
My wolf nods, liking that plan.
I offer my mate my hand to help her out of bed. I make sure she’s steady before releasing her hand and moving to the dresser. Grabbing a t-shirt and sweats, I pass them to her.
“We’ll get you some clothes and supplies from town,” I say with a reassuring smile.
Taylor takes the clothes and picks up the pad of paper.
Thank you for everything you’re doing.
I nod. “It’s my pleasure. I’d do anything for you.”
She seems surprised by my words, and I realize I’m probably coming on way too strong.
I clear my throat as I move toward the door. “I’ll leave you to change. I’ll be downstairs.”
Closing the door behind me, I take a deep breath and go downstairs. I wait, listening to every creak of the floorboards above me. A few minutes later, Taylor appears. When I see her wearing my clothes, my wolf lunges. I grit my teeth, trying to hold him back.
Bite her, he snarls.
I shake my head at him. Not yet! She’s wearing our clothes, our scent. That has to be good enough for now.
It’s not, he growls.
I take Taylor’s hand as we go outside to my car. Opening the passenger door, I help her in.
“How are you feeling?” I ask. “Do you want more medicine before we leave?”
She shakes her head, and I realize she doesn’t have the pen and paper. I pull my phone out of my pocket and pass it to her with the notes app open.
“Nothing hurts?” I ask, needing to be sure.
No, I’m fine. Promise.
I nod, letting out a deep breath. “Good. We’ll go to the clinic and collect the meds from Christian.”
She nods, and I close the door, jogging around to the driver’s side. It’s still early as we make the drive into town, but some shops are starting to open. We swing by the clinic first, and I grab the medicine and supplies Christian left for us.
“Are you hungry?” I ask as I climb back behind the wheel.
No, not really.
“Okay, we’ll hit the grocery store last. Let me know if you get hungry, and we can grab something.”
She gives me a thumbs-up, and I smile, pulling out of the parking lot and heading down the street to our next stop.
We spend most of the morning running errands. We get her new clothes, toiletries, a new phone, and groceries. By the time I’m loading the last bag of food into the trunk, I can tell that Taylor is getting tired. Her eyes look pained, so I pass her a pill and a bottle of water before we drive home.
“How about some soup for lunch?” I ask as I steer the car into traffic.
She nods, tugging the bandages around her wrists.
I reach over, placing my hand over hers to still her movements. “We’ll change those once we get home.”
My wolf howls inside me. Touch more of her.
She’s traumatized! It’s been like twelve hours since we rescued her. Calm down.
He growls and paces inside me.
Taylor is half asleep by the time we get home. I lift her from the car, carry her inside, and lay her on the couch. She’s out before I even tuck a blanket over her.
Leaving her to sleep, I collect her things from the car. I put her clothes in her room and her toiletries in the bathroom next to mine. I’m practically skipping as I head back downstairs to put away the groceries and start on lunch.
My phone rings as I’m stirring the soup, and I answer distractedly. “Hello?”
“Hey, man. How’s it going? How’s your mate?” Pyrce asks.
“She’s good. Resting. She’s worried about her sister.”
“Yeah, I figured. Were you able to find a picture or anything?”
“I will. I’ll send it to you when Taylor wakes up.”
“Good. We’re going back tonight to look for her.”
“It’ll be harder now that the cult knows we took Taylor.”
Pyrce hums his agreement. “We’ll be careful.”
“Good.” I hear my mate Taylor stirring. “I’ll send you that picture in a minute.”
“Okay. Talk to you later. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Taylor must have heard me because she’s already on her phone. She pulls up her photos and shows me the screen. I take the phone and send the photo to myself. Then I program my name and number into her phone before I hand it back to her.
“Lunch is ready.”
She stands, and I lead her into the kitchen where our soup is waiting.
“Do you want Jell-O too? Or a popsicle?”
She shakes her head, and I pull out a chair for her, watching her closely as she swallows some of the soup. She winces slightly, but takes another spoonful.
I hurry to send Pyrce the photo, then sit beside her.
“Want more soup?” I ask when she finishes her bowl.
She shakes her head.
“How about a popsicle?”
She nods, and I grab the box for her, watching to see which flavor she picks. I’m greedy for information about her. When she wraps her lips around the popsicle and sucks, I realize I’m greedy for all of her.
Yes, claim her, my wolf agrees.
We need to tell her about shifters and fated mates first, I remind him.
Do it now!
I sit down again to finish my soup. “Where are you from?”
She grabs her phone and types her answer. Orlando.
“Long way from home,” I muse.
She nods. We were on a road trip. We went out to California and were headed back when all of this happened.
“Road trip sounds like fun. What was your favorite spot?”
The beach. I love to swim.
I make a mental note to have a pool built in the backyard. “Is Landry your only sibling?”
Yeah. It’s just us now. Our mom died last year.
“I’m so sorry.”
She shrugs. She wasn’t much of a mom.
“Do you miss Florida?”
Her snort is adorable. No, not at all. I hate the heat and the traffic.
I laugh. “Me too.”
She smiles. Are you from here? Where are we exactly?
“We’re in Night Grove Falls. And no, I’m originally from Virginia. I grew up in a small town there, left when I joined the military, and was in Washington, D.C. for a while.”
What brought you here?
“I used to work for the Secret Service, but I got tired of it all. I wanted to be around people who didn’t lie and manipulate for a living. Somewhere I could settle down and do something to make a real difference.”
Well, I’m glad you were there last night. She blushes as she turns the screen for me to read her message.
My cock hardens in my jeans. “Me too.”
We share a smile, and I know that now is my chance to tell her about shifters and fated mates.
“We should talk about something—”
Taylor instantly tenses.
“Do you believe in soulmates?”
She seems caught off guard by my question and thinks about it for a minute. I’d like to. But I haven’t met a happy couple.
“What if I told you that they’re real and that we’re soulmates?” I ask her slowly, measuring her reaction.
Her blush deepens as she types. Do you say that to all the women you rescue?
“Only you. And I’m serious.”
She watches me closely.
I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing…
“You know about werewolves?”
She looks at me like I’m crazy.
“Well, I am one. Except we call them shifters. I’m a wolf shifter. Christian, the doctor from last night? He’s a wolf shifter too. The guys from last night who were with me? Some are bears, some are wolves, some are mountain lions.”
Taylor is frozen, staring at me wide-eyed.
“I know it’s a lot to take in. I know I probably seem crazy, but it’s true. Here, I can prove it.”
I stand and kick my chair back, tearing at my clothes. I’m desperate to shift for her, to show her that I’m telling the truth. I need her to believe me about shifters and us being fated mates.
I remove my shoes, jeans, and boxers. When I’m finally naked, I look up to see Taylor staring at my body, her face tomato red, her mouth hanging open.
“Just watch,” I tell her gently.
Her eyes fly to meet mine.
Once I have her attention, I shift, letting my wolf push forward. My nails and teeth grow, elongating into sharp points. Fur covers every inch of my skin, and my bones shift and realign beneath my muscles. Within seconds, I’m fully shifted, landing on all fours in my kitchen.
I meet Taylor’s wide-eyed, stunned gaze, and it takes me a minute to realize she’s not breathing. I step forward, wanting to comfort her, which causes her to look even more terrified.
Fuck. Did I just royally screw this all up?