Page 12 of The Bunny Blues

Henry leaned against the door frame and pulled out his phone for the second time that evening. “I’ll call her parents.”

Ellora’s parents must have answered the phone because Henry moved down the hall to speak to them. When he returned, the angry frown on his face told us all we needed to know.

“They haven’t heard from her since the day they dropped her off on our doorstep. Her father reminded me it’s our job to keep her in line now.”

“He’s such a charming man.” Edward snorted. “Ellora is lucky to have gotten away and be living with us.”

“Except she’s thrown our generosity back in our faces,” I stated the obvious.

“Well, I have a meeting to plan for, so I can’t wait up for her. We can confront Ellora in the morning.” Jay stood and headed up the stairs.

Edward stretched and yawned. “Yeah, I think I’m headed to bed too. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before following Jay up the stairs.

My anger burned brighter. I’d been eager to relieve some stress with Ellora’s body tonight, but she wasn’t there. She was probably out at a club with friends and would stumble into the house completely drunk at 2 a.m.

Well, I wouldn’t allow it to happen ever again. Tomorrow morning, she would learn a lesson about what we didn’t consider acceptable behavior.

I flipped off the outside lights and locked the front door. If she’d forgotten her keys, she could wait outside until we woke in the morning rather than waking us in the middle of the night.

Cursing under my breath, I turned and headed toward my room.

Standing on Monroe’s porch, I raised my hand and knocked before I gave myself time to get nervous. Where would I go if she turned me away?

I should have come up with a backup plan, but between the anxiety over being tracked and the stress already building deep in my soul over the separation from my mates, it had been too hard to think of anything other than putting one foot in front of the other.

The door flew open, and a giant of a man stood staring down at me. Even though he looked less than pleased at my presence, hope blossomed in my chest. I recognized this man. He was one of Monroe’s wolf mates.

“You best not be from the rabbit council. I’m really not in the mood today,” the guy practically snarled.

“Um, no. I mean, yes.” I’d barely spoken more than a handful of words out loud since saying goodbye to Bernice at the pub, and my exhausted brain was trying to remember how to string a sentence together.

Monroe appeared from behind the wolf shifter. “You aren’t from the council. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in the burrows.”

Not wanting her to see my trembling fingers, I wrung my hands together. “No, I’m not from your old burrow. My name is Ellora. I’m from the Greenbriar burrow in Oregon.”

Monroe held out her hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Ellora. I’m?—”

“Oh, I already know who you are! I bet every bunny in the US knows who you are!” Grabbing her hand, I shook it and smiled.

“What do you mean?” The guy’s brow creased. He didn’t look pleased, and that worried me.

My smile faded. “Monroe is the bunny who runs with wolves. She’s turned our world upside down.”

Monroe clutched the door, looking slightly green as though she might vomit.

At the man’s questioning look, I continued, “Someone recorded the meeting in the clearing and leaked the video. You were incredible, and I realized I didn’t have to accept a role I’d been forced into either. At the end, you told the rabbits they had other options, and they could come to you.”

I couldn’t resist sneaking a peek over my shoulder and searching the woods for any sign of the men who might be tracking me. “I know you were talking to your old burrow, but I hoped if I could get here, you’d help me escape too.”

Tears welled up in Monroe’s big, soulful eyes. “Was it your bonded?”

Swallowing hard, I gave a shaky nod. “Except I wasn’t able to run before my heat hit. They don’t love me. They just want me to give them heirs and take care of their every need. I couldn’t stay any longer, so I ran.”

Reaching out, Monroe took my hand in hers and led me into the house. “Of course we’ll help.”

At that, my legs gave out, and I sank to the floor, unable to find the strength to take another step. My shoulders drooped, and I began to sob.

Monroe kneeled beside me, her arms pulling me into a warm embrace. “You’re not alone.”

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