Page 26 of Betrayed By the Wolf

“What is it?” Rami had spotted it, too. He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “You must have a suspicion.”

Spencer grimaced, ducking his head. “You’re right, we do. James told us that his mate died. She was killed in a pack battle, and that’s when he first caught the scent. It drew him into the woods.”

Oh. Oh no.Vera sat up straighter, fixing her gaze on the paper in front of her. She wasn’t sure what to write for those notes even though the link had become painfully obvious.Broken heart?She scratched that out. It wasn’t an official diagnosis.Grief?That was too broad.

Rami scratched the stubble on his chin. “Are unpaired wolves affected in the same way? Those who have no connection to a mate yet?”

Another shared look between the trio. Another head shake. This time, Evelyn spoke.

“It doesn’t seem that way. I have no idea who my mate is, thank the moon, and I haven’t felt the strong pull that you two seem to feel.”

“But Rami didn’t feel it as strongly as I did,” Vera argued, clutching for anything that might disprove the theory that she was weak against this thing because she’d gotten dumped. How embarrassing.

“Well,” Spencer, the brave soul, chimed in, “we think that could be explained by one of two things. Maybe because he… well, he was the one to break it off.” Spencer stopped and cleared his throat. Vera’s cheeks blazed. “Or maybe his drive to protect his mate, rejected or not, was enough to overcome some of the scent’s pull. When we tested him again without your presence, he was drawn into the same dazed state you were that first night.”

Vera shot Rami a questioning look. She hadn’t known about that. He had the grace to look sheepish.

“Fine. So it’s got a thing for broken hearts. Does that get us any closer to fixing this thing?” Vera felt a headache coming on, throbbing at her temples.

“I think it’s a start.” Spencer handed Vera a stack of three books and did the same for the others. “We need to start digging into anything recorded that’s similar. No matter how big a stretch it is.”

She looked at the top book in her pile.Legends of the Silversand Coast.Seriously? Ghost stories? She wasn't optimistic about their chances if this was the best lead they had.

Fables or not, research was something Vera was good at. She curled up in her armchair and scanned the first book, clutching her coffee like a lifeline. Beside her, Rami crossed one leg over the other, settling Jessa for a nap on his chest, and propped his book up on his knee.

Her traitorous eyes kept drifting over to the two of them, her heart swelling painfully. He looked so damn good in his sweater, and with a baby in his arms, it set off all of her ovary alarms, something she didn’t even know she possessed, but here they were, screaming for her to throw herself at this man.Been there, done that, she reminded her reproductive organs, shushing them.

The day drifted on. Evelyn ducked out and returned with another round of coffees to keep them going. Soon, the others departed for their homes, and Vera and Rami were the only ones left, poring over their books.

Vera caught him staring at her again, that same thoughtful crease between his eyes. “What is it? You keep staring at me.”

“You’re beautiful. It’s hard not to.” Rami dropped the words on her as gently as a bomb.

She shot to her feet. “Seriously, Rami? Is this a game to you? I throw myself at you, and you reject me again. Now you’re complimenting me?” It all burst out of her in a swell she couldn’t tamp down. “I’m not a toy for you to play with, Rami. You rejected me, fine. You know what? Now, I rejectyou. I don’t even want you anymore. I hope you’re happy.”

Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest.Did I really just say all that out loud?Under the hurt and her anger was the undeniable truth; Rami was her mate. They shared a bond that went beyond emotion, beyond choice, and running away from it was like ripping off a limb.

“I know you’re not a toy.” Rami unwrapped one arm from around Jessa and pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe he’d also gotten a headache. Good. She hoped she’d given it to him. “And I know I’ve been a fool. I’m sorry for all of it.”

She waited for him to go on, but his lips pursed into a thin line, and she knew he was pushing down whatever feelings were trying to bubble out. Just once, she wanted him to not hold back. Couldn’t he understand that she wanted all of him, even the messy, ugly bits he wanted to keep hidden? But he never let her close enough to even try.

The silence stretched to tension, then awkwardness. Vera couldn’t focus on the research with him around, and her anger was sizzling.

“I should go,” he said, getting to his feet. The motion startled Jessa awake and her mouth opened wide in a wail, tiny pink tongue curling. “Shoot. It’s okay, Jessa, Dad’s here.”

“Give her to me,” Vera demanded, reaching for the girl. “I know you need to go skulk around on your own for a few hours to recover from the debilitating sensation of almost having an emotion, so I’ve got this.”

Rami shushed Jessa, who ignored him and continued crying, punching her little fists into the air. “I can handle her.”

“I know you can, but I want some time with her, and I want you to leave, so, hand her over.”

Reluctantly, he passed Jessa over to Vera. She took the baby and started swaying in a side-to-side motion that had a seventy-five percent success rate at calming her, shooting daggers at Rami as he packed up his things.

“Call me if you need anything. I won’t be far away.” He gave them one last look before leaving, his shoulders hunched and his head low.

The library was quiet, empty, and dark. She heard his footsteps trail away through the main room and, finally, the thump of the front door when he stepped outside. If she could have, she would’ve ripped the mate bond from her body and thrown it into the sea. For some people, like Adria and Spencer, it seemed like the most beautiful gift. For herself, it was a curse.

“But at least it brought us together in a way,” Vera murmured to Jessa, mixing up her bottle of formula. “You’re just hungry, aren’t you? Up after a big nap, and you’re in a strange place. Well, I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

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