27. Hettie
Chapter 27
Hettie
I wake up alone the following morning. Rip’s side of the bed is cold and empty. Not even Grass is here, since he spent his night with Tallie. I feel so small and insignificant in this large bed.
A bed my alpha should be in.
I glance at the door. It’s still closed because of course it is. I locked it last night out of anger. I was—and still am—angry with Rip. I hate how easily he disregarded my concern. He didn’t even consider a different option. He went with his plan, and I was left looking like a fool.
A locked door wouldn’t have stopped an alpha, let alone my alpha. I locked it just to annoy Rip, because a part of me expected him to knock down the door to get to me. I would have still been pissed, but I might have softened a little knowing he wanted me that badly.
And now I’m mad all over again.
I groan and roll out of bed. The cold air assaults me instantly, and I shiver. “Fucking cold. Fucking wolves,” I mutter, glancing over at the fireplace. No one came in to start the fire this morning .
Because the door is locked.
I already hate today.
My mood doesn’t get better as I get ready for the day, putting on several layers of clothing to keep out the bone-deep chill. I’m not exactly sure what I plan on doing when I unlock and open the door, but it’s not going to find Rip. I can ignore him just as easily as he can ignore me.
I’m about to walk down the hall when I see an odd stain on the door. It’s like someone took icing and sprayed it across the middle of the door and?—
That’s not icing.
“Is that…?” I trail off, and upon closer inspection, it only confirms it.
It’s sperm.
Fucking gross.
Is it Rip’s? Of course it is. I felt him approach last night. Felt his desire but tried to cut off my mind and emotions from his. I just don’t understand his angle? What message was he trying to send me by coming on the fucking door?
And why do I feel jealous of an inanimate object?
Pushing the cum-stained door aside—I will be addressing this later—I continue down the hallway and stairs until I reach the front doors of the packhouse. Not wanting to be alone right now, and not particularly wanting to face my mate yet, I walk the short distance to Tallie’s house.
Although Tallie told me once that I didn’t need to knock, I could simply walk in, I feel too awkward barging in and knock anyway. There’s a scrape of chairs and—was that a sniffle?—before the doors open, exposing a red-eyed Tallie.
“Hettie,” she sobs and flings herself into my arms.
I stumble back, catching myself just in time, and slowly wrap my arms around her. “Uhm, are you okay?” Dumb question. If she were okay, she wouldn’t be crying in my arms right now. I’m not good with this whole friend thing, but I’m trying because I love Tallie.
“Let’s walk.” She wipes her eyes and loops her arm through mine. I’ve no choice but to follow.
“Sorry, I just needed some air.” She sighs. “You probably think I’m an emotional mess.”
“Of course I don’t, but do you want to tell me what’s going on?” I ask.
“Thorne told me about the meeting yesterday. I heard it didn’t go well.”
I try to hide my scoff but fail.
Tallie gives me a sympathetic look. “Well, Thorne is leading the group of wolves leaving tomorrow night, and we haven’t been apart from each other since we mated. Knowing he’s leaving the safety of our borders and traveling into rogue and Nephilim territory is terrifying. I know he’s capable of taking care of himself, but we are up against an unknown enemy. Anything could happen.”
My heart hurts for Tallie. I can’t even fathom the emotional roller coaster she’s on. Even though Rip and I are fighting, if he were to leave for an undetermined amount of time, facing who knows what dangers, I don’t think I would be as composed as Tallie. The terror of losing him would be too consuming.
“You should be with him right now,” I urge.
Tallie shakes her head. “He’s going over logistics with Rip and the others joining him. I’ll see him tonight.”
“Well, is there any way I can help you keep your mind off it?” The distraction would be for me just as much as it would be for her.
We pass the residential houses, moving closer to the town’s center. The wind has picked up, blowing my hair out of my face. Soft chattering from shopping residents rings in my ear, louder than I would think possible this far away.
“It’s frightening to see our town so empty,” Tallie interrupts my thoughts. “I guess people are choosing to remain in their houses today, knowing a change is coming.”
I frown. “Empty? It doesn’t sound empty. I hear—” I break off, looking at the shops. There isn’t the usual crowd moving around. In fact, I barely see any movement at all, save for a few people shuffling down the road.
“You hear what?” Tallie stops walking, pulling me to a stop as well.
“I hear…” I pause, waiting for the sound to come back. Nothing…nothing…
There!
The noise gets louder, but now it’s impossible to mistake it as chatter. It’s a call, just like before. Back when I found wolfsbane for the first time. Now that I know what it is, the same almost painful feeling of last time resurfaces, demanding I follow.
“It’s calling you, isn’t it? Wolfsbane?” Tallie bounces from foot to foot, hiding her excitement as well as a black panther in snow, which is to say, not at all.
“It is. It’s more intense this time. Tallie, we need to follow it.” I am already following the sound, pulling me toward it. I don’t get far though when a hand grips my arm, yanking me to a stop.
“We can’t. Rip doesn’t want anyone going out in the forest alone, especially not his mate.”
“He doesn’t seem to care what I think, only that I obey him like the perfect little wife he wants me to be.” Even as I say it, I regret the words immediately. I’m bitter, hurt, and, frankly, a little embarrassed .
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “He’s your cousin, and I shouldn’t?—”
“Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. Yes, he’s my cousin, but I know he’s not perfect. You are allowed to vent to me. What he did was shitty. I will not make any excuses for him. He needs to apologize. I don’t think he expects you to be an obedient little wife, though. He just needs to be put in his place.” She smirks.
I try to nod, but the sound is getting incessant. My head thrums, and the start of the headache creeps in. “Trust me, I’ll give him an earful.”
“And you can tell him about the wolfsbane. Make a plan to track it down together.”
I don’t like waiting. Not when the urge to find the only known cure is literally calling me. I think about the sick souls lying in bed. How many of those wolves can I help? How long do they have?
We can’t gamble our time when lives are at stake.
But I don’t think Tallie would let me go. She’d drag my ass back to Rip, and I don’t need to give him more reasons not to trust my judgment.
So I relent. For now.
The call is still there, still ringing in my mind. But it’s a little easier to ignore.
“Fine,” I sigh. “Let’s go back to your house. I need to drag Grass back home, and then I suppose I’ll face my mate.”
And make sure he knows just how pissed I am.