Page 45 of Someone Else's Wolf

"But he doesn't! This whole mates thing is bullshit. Peter was far happier and more affectionate with you than he is with this idiot. He won't tell me how he met the guy or why he stays with him, but I know he's not happy. So, why won't you fight for him? You left your goddamned job for him. Why is he too much trouble now? Huh? Don't tell meyoubuy into all that mates bullshit."

Did I? I didn't know, but even as betrayed as I'd felt, I guessed I did believe in it on some level. Then again, I'd have felt just as pissed off and betrayed if he'd told me he had a husband in jail, rather than a mate. Then again, maybe not. Mates seemed so final, sofated. You could divorce a husband if he turned out to be an awful person. What about a mate? I didn't know the answer to that, I realized.

I summoned all the strength I could. "Do you think it's an abusive relationship?"

She didn't hesitate. "That, or child marriage, something he's ashamed to tell me. It must be bad. He'll usually tell me anything, even embarrassing stuff."

I hoped that hadn't involved anything about me and our sexual relationship. I tried hard not to think of it as a real relationship, although I wasn't sure that made it hurt any less. Thinking of it as one-sided hadn't made me feel any better about myself or the situation I'd been in.

I closed my eyes, wincing. I made my voice hard. "What do you think I can do about it? Can't he just get divorced or something? It's got nothing to do with me."

"I don't know if he can get 'divorced' or not. I can't find his pack, and the S&P has been less than helpful. They said it's none of my business. Can you believe that?"

The indignation in her voice might have made me grin if the circumstances had been different. If she'd approached the S&P with her usual tact and charm, I wasn't surprised they'd responded that way. Especially if, as Peter had said, they'd already screened him and had decided that his mate being in jail wasn't enough to keep him out of the program.

They likely had a policy about not interfering with mates and things of that nature, considering them sacrosanct. Wolves would probably stop entering the program if they thought attempts would be made to alter their life choices regarding their mates.

Still, I didn't blame Sue for wanting to get him away from his mate, who sounded terrible. My motives were probably not as pure as hers, but that didn't mean there was anything I could do about it.

"I have no say," I told her.

"You won't even try? I thought you cared about him."

"I—"

"Fine. You're useless. You're all useless. It's up to me, as usual." She hung up.

Her words rang in my ears, along with the dial tone. This was ominous. What was she going to do? She might seem like the type, but would she really commit homicide for Peter? Would she kill his mate to free him? If she'd hated me, and I was actually pretty good for Peter — she'd basically just admitted that to me — then how would she treat someone he loved who was a piece of shit? Would she actually kill this guy, and if so, would she get away with it?

No, that wasn't the right question. The right question was, how would even an attempt to get rid of Peter's mate affectPeter? It was bound to hurt him, whatever way she chose, whether it was violence or something else entirely. After all, he loved the man. Not me. He didn't want the guy to be hurt or driven away.

He loved him. A guy who was probably abusive and should have been left in jail. But Peter loved him.

And if Sue messed that up, how would he ever forgive her?

Fuck. I had to dosomething, if only to stop her.

I tried calling her back, but she didn't accept my call. The only thing to do was get off my duff and go see Peter. To warn him, or at least drop some hints, if I found I couldn't say what was happening to his face.

It had been hard enough telling him about Sue the last time, and that was when her tactics had affected me personally. It would be hard to piss him off just to help out his mate, the guy I hated already, without having even seen him.

But what else could I do? If she hurt Peter through his mate, how could I live with myself, knowing I could have stepped in? I had to try.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I checked the internet for references about leaving or divorcing one's mate. The only trouble was, I wasn't certain how to word it. A few references to popular entertainment and a conspiracy theory blog were some of the earliest hits. Then I became embarrassed that I was even looking into this, and I closed my browser before I had found anything that seemed remotely legitimate.

It was none of my business, anyway. Where did I get off, thinking he'd even want to dissolve a bond like that? Whatever Sue had said, Peter obviously cherished his stupid mate. More than he ever had me.

I was nervous as I headed over there. Remembering my place in all of this — an outsider who simply didn't want Peter to get hurt if Sue should happen to go homicidal — didn't make it any easier to approach that front door. I'd once spent as much time there as I had at my own home. I'd kicked around the daydream of moving in with him, although fortunately I hadn't proposed that.

Damn, don't think proposed.I didn't want any Freudian slips when I was talking to Peter.

Even though I'd never remembered to return his key, and it was still dangling next to my house key, I rang the damned doorbell. It was that or knock, and even the doorbell sounded way too aggressive with the way I pushed and held it down.

Dial it back, Shane. I had to come across as a sane and normal person here, not a jealous ex with envy turning him green.I bet this guy's handsomer than I am, too.

I counted to ten, then rang again. I repeated the process, fidgeting in place, trying to be calm. Would he be able to tell I was upset? He'd always known before. But what if he didn't answer? What if that jerk answered the door instead?