Page 2 of Arrested By My Mate

My mind races as I wonder what the hell to do now. I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have a job, aside from the one that my uncle said he would line up for me. I have a small savings, but I know that I’ll go through that quickly.

I don’t have a choice, I realize. I’ll just have to suck it up, put up a happy face, and go work for my uncle for a little bit. Just until I can come up with a plan and find a new place to live and a new job.

My podcast starts playing again as my phone finds service, and I smile slightly. That’s my dream. I’d love to be able to have my own podcast. I went to school for broadcast management,and back in Tempe, I worked at a radio station. I loved it, but having a podcast would let me combine my interest in true crime with that passion.

Maybe I could start one here. I’d just need a little apartment, a space that I could turn into a recording space, and I’d be set.

I smile at the idea, but that smile quickly drops when I see the red and blue lights flashing in my rearview mirror.

“Shit,” I groan as I look for a place to pull over.

There’s not really anywhere to pull off to on these backwoods roads, so it takes me a minute before I find a little turnaround area and pull in.

I shift into park and close my eyes, trying to take a deep, steadying breath as I wait for the police officer to come up to my window.

It doesn’t really work.

A knock sounds on my window, and I paste on a smile as I roll down the window and wait to hear why I’m being pulled over.

TWO

Tucker

Tourists,I think as I head up to the old hatchback.

It’s been a slow morning. Normally, I wouldn’t bother pulling over a car going a few miles over the speed limit, but I’m bored. I needed to do something, so I turned on the lights. I’m sure that I’ll let them off with a warning, but it will break up the monotony of my day.

I scan the car, taking note of the license plate as I make my way up to the driver’s side door. The car is packed to the brim, and I wonder where they’re headed.

I knock on the window and the woman turns, a fake smile curving her lips as she starts to roll down the window.

She’s pretty,my wolf says, and I nod.

She is pretty, beautiful even. Her pale blonde hair is pulled up into a messy bun, soft-looking tendrils hanging by her neck and face. She looks tired and…sad. There’s something in her blue eyes that has me pausing as she rolls down the window.

“Officer,” she says softly.

“Do you know how fast you were…” I trail off as I take a deep breath and tense all over.

My wolf snaps at me, lunging to try to break free, and I grit my teeth as I hold him back and try to make sense of what’s happening right now.

Bite her!My wolf yells at me, and I blink.

What? Why?

Mate! She’s our mate!

Mate? Wait, really?

Yes, idiot! Breathe. Can’t you smell her?

“Was I speeding?” She asks, breaking me out of my argument with my wolf.

I take a deep breath, and now that I know what it is, I can make sense of what I’m smelling. Lilacs. She smells like lilacs and something so damn good that I can’t quite explain.

“Yeah,” I grunt.

I’m trying to hide the fact that my canines have elongated as I hold my wolf back and fight to keep from shifting.

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