Page 15

Chapter 15

NATE

I run through the forest, feeling the wind against my fur. My senses have never been so clear, telling me that Madeline is right behind me, trying to catch up.

The sounds of her paws digging into the dirt get closer and closer. I take this as a challenge and rush further into the woods.

Madeline begins to fall behind, but soon her scent isn't the only one I pick up.

Most of the wolves are running around now, enjoying the wonderful taste of freedom. A sharp distinct howl pierces the air, drawing everyone's attention.

We rush toward the sound. My mate finally catches up to me. She bumps into me and I playfully return the favor.

We arrive in a clearing with Grant in the center standing on a massive rock. He howls again and I feel an eruption from my gut, forcing its way out of my mouth.

Grant ends the howling and disappears into the forest again, leaving everyone to themselves. Graham and Rose run off somewhere while Madeline and I quickly move too.

I growl at any wolf that comes even slightly close to her, sensing the bond with my mate is even stronger now that we're in wolf form.

Madeline's defenses drop drastically, and she sticks to me most of the time under the moon. Cool air brushes our bodies, but does nothing to quench the heat we both feel.

My mate runs ahead of me and I give her a good head start before chasing her down. It doesn't take long for me to catch up to her though, since I'm much faster.

We keep at this game for most of the night, taking in each other's scents and basking in our shared presence.

I wake up covered in mud and dirt. It’s way too early for the sun to be out, but the moon is a fond memory now. Madeline's soft skin merged with mine in a tight embrace. She starts to stir, opening her eyes slowly.

Those orbs draw me in as soon as I see them. I hold myself steady while she awakens. The only thing I can't resist is staring at her body.

We trudge back to the house, while Madeline goes off to find another shower. I swallow irritation as she walks away from me.

Fine. If that's how we're playing this, then I'm game. I rush to clean myself up and head out in time to see Graham and Rose near their car.

“Hey,” Graham says, looking behind me. “Nice night?”

This earns him a playful hit from Rose. “Where's Madeline?”

“She'll leave the same way she arrived," I say, getting into the car. The couple exchange a curious glance but climb into the vehicle without asking more questions.

Our ride back to the city is much better than the one there.

This time, Rose and Graham at least manage to keep their hands off each other and I don't have to worry about an accident from my spot in the backseat because my driver decided to be freaky with his mate.

We arrive at the office in one piece. Part of me wants to check in on Madeline and see where she is, but my stubbornness wins.

Rose is the first to get out of the car. As I try to do the same, Graham stops me. “Hey, wait up.” We both exit the vehicle, but lean against it. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

Graham's eyes narrow. “You barely said a word in the car.”

“I didn't talk much on our way there either.”

“Yeah, but that's different. I could tell you were pissed because she decided to leave with someone else. This time, you left without her.”

“No reason I can't do it if she's doing it.”

Graham sighs before turning to face the car. He places both arms on it, joining his hands on the roof. He looks around the parking lot as another car arrives.

I follow the car with my eyes as well, but Madeline isn't one of the people that exits it.

“I'm not sure what all this is, but it's clear that both of you are giving in to your urges. Any wolf can tell that you've been sleeping together.”

I roll my eyes. “Can you blame me? Even before you established your mate bond with Rose, you couldn't keep your hands off her.”

“Yes, but this is very different. I wanted to be with Rose, you don't seem to want the same thing.”

I open my mouth to respond, but close it almost immediately, realizing that my defense is going to fall flat. Graham's fingers tap away on the roof of his car.

“That girl is in love with you,” he says. “Anyone can see that she wants to be with you. I don't know what your feelings are for her aside from the bond, but I'm not sure you want to be with her or anyone.”

We stay in silence for a little longer, as I cannot deny his claims. “It's complicated,” Nate finally says.

“It always is,” Graham responds, nodding knowingly. “Look, I'm not telling you what to do or anything, but I feel obligated to help you the way you helped me.”

I raise an eyebrow. “How did I help you? If anything, I wasn't even in support of you chasing your girl.”

“I'm definitely not talking about your advice,” he laughs. “I mean by being a friend. Madeline loves you and I know you're a good guy. It'll be a terrible thing for you to string her along. You'll hurt her and feel worse about yourself.”

“What am I supposed to do?” I groan. “I can't avoid her because we work together. It's so difficult to stay away from her because of this stupid bond. It was much better when she was too far away for me to think about her constantly.”

“I'm not sure I can help you figure this out,” he admits. “I think you'll do the right thing when push comes to shove.”

Graham punctuates this with a pat on my back before walking away. I stay by the car a little longer, letting my friend's words play over and over in my head.

I stare down Madeline's shirt as she talks on and on about the document we're to send out. I bite my bottom lip, missing how her skin tastes against my tongue.

It's been days without having sex, thanks to my new vow to not sleep with her. It's getting harder to keep that vow and even the slightest contact between us makes me want to explode.

Madeline notices my gaze and meets my eyes with quiet confidence. "See something you like?" she asks, her tone direct but not teasing.

I turn away, fixing my eyes on the desk. Fuck, I'm going to give in.

I pull Madeline close, kissing her deeply. My tongue wastes no time making her mouth my possession. My hands move to her clothes, gripping the fabric.

Madeline moans into my mouth, smiling at my sudden aggression. I tug her firmly against my hardness, sinking my hands into the soft flesh of her ass.

“I want you right now,” I growl. My lips move to her neck, sucking hard as she cries out in joy. I place a gentle bite at the base of her neck, making her shudder.

No, no, what am I doing? I halt everything, leaving her breathing heavily. I shake my head and push my chair back to move her off me.

Madeline's face registers shock. “What?”

“I think we should try to keep a professional air here at the office.”

"What're you saying?" She stands at full height, not bothering to fix her clothes. "You want us to leave here and go to the hotel again?" There's no desperation in her voice, just a straightforward question.

“No, not that either. Look, I know we have an arrangement, but we need modifications.”

She scoffs. “So you don't want to sleep with me anymore?”

I will always want to sleep with you. Frustrated, I stand up, and search for my keys. “I’m going out to lunch.”

Madeline moves out of the way, allowing me to continue my search. “Do you want us to have lunch together?”

“No, not right now. For today, I need to be on my own.”

My mate folds her arms, her expression thoughtful rather than angry. "You're back to being the lone wolf, huh?" There's understanding in her voice, but also a clear boundary being set.

“I never stopped, Madeline.” I walk out of the office, pausing at the door. “I'm not coming back today. You can take the day off.”

I close the door behind me and leave the floor. I almost pause at Graham's door, but the scent coming from his office shows that he definitely shouldn't be disturbed right now.

My search for lunch ends up with driving aimlessly around town. I drive slowly, looking around even though I have no clue what I'm searching for.

There's too much uncertainty about several things. If I can't do anything about my situation with Madeline, then maybe I can do something about the hunters.

I’m on alert, searching for the car that's been stalking us for a while. That's part of the reason we stopped going to that hotel.

Madeline hasn't mentioned it since the day it happened, but something tells me that the car and the hunters are connected.

I would've guessed that we were being followed by hunters, but they're extremely meticulous. They won't allow themselves to be seen—especially on numerous occasions.

The afternoon sun beats down through my window, fighting the air conditioning. This is a contrast that mirrors my internal conflict.

Maybe I should just run away.