Page 99 of Rejecting his Mate

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I’ve never seen Sawyer like that.”

“I’m worried about him.” I glance back in the direction of the woman’s cabin. “What do you think Hester did to her?”

He shifts her shoulders. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it can’t be good. Witches getting involved in wolf business never ends well.”

“She’s also a wolf,” I counter.

“Messing with the natural course of things is never a good idea. You, of all people, should know that. Come on, let’s get inside.”

Slipping his hand into mine, Cade leads me up the gravel toward the front door of our cabin.

This is the first time we have been alone without the guys around, and I feel a little nervous.

I wait as he unlocks the door, shifting on my feet, trying to dispel the anxiety working through me. I try to slide a sneaky look in his direction, wondering what he’s thinking, but Cade looks his usual stoic self.

Twisting the key, he pushes the door open and steps inside. The space is pleasant, almost idyllic. There is a kitchen to the left, small but usable, and on the other side of the front door is a living area with a couch and a coffee table. There is no TV, bookshelves, or anything personal, but I’m already mentally mapping where we can put things to make it feel homier.

I shut that thought down instantly. I have no idea how long we will be here, and if Sawyer can’t sort out his problems with Roux, our stay might be even shorter.

Even if it is so, I allow myself to feel the excitementwelling inside my belly. My entire life, I have lived in one small room within the main house of my former pack. This cabin has its own living space and privacy. I can’t stop grinning as I pull out of Cade’s hand to explore the rooms off the main living area.

One is a double bedroom, with a queen bed and a large closet. There are no sheets on the bed, but I find clean linen in the closet.

There is also a smaller bedroom with a single bed pushed against one wall, a freestanding dresser, and a narrow closet big enough for me.

“This my room?” I’m half-joking, but also trying to gauge his thoughts.

“You’ll be in the main bedroom. With me.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” I admit.

Cade watches me as I go from room to room, his eyes soft.

The last room is the bathroom. There is a larger-than-average tub near the door and a separate shower cubicle. The double-sink unit has a large mirror over the top and a wall sconce above it.

“You like it?” Cade asks.

I nod as I go to the edge of the couch and throw myself onto it. “What’s not to like? I’ve never had this much space.” I sink back against the cushions, and as my body relaxes, I start to feel exhaustion creep in.

Cade comes to me, crouching in front of me. “You want to sleep?”

I give him a wry smile. “Is that your way of telling me I look like shit?”

I freeze as he reaches out and pushes my hair off myface. What is he doing? It is such a tender gesture that it almost makes me cry. I’ve craved kindness for so long, and it makes me feel more vulnerable than I’ve ever been.

I stare at his blue orbs, sucked in by them. “What are you doing?” I question, my voice low and quiet.

“What would you want me to be doing?” he asks.

I swallow past the lump growing in my throat. I want to be in his arms, I want him to sit next to me, kiss me, and tell me everything will be okay, but even that is beyond Cade’s ability to fix.

I have no doubt the Order will discover what I did and will send more wolves after us. They will never allow me to kill their own the way I did without repercussions.

But right now, the Order, my memories, my aunt’s betrayal, they all fade to nothing. All I can focus on is the man in front of me. He’s still stroking the side of my face, and I’m leaning into him without even knowing. The comfort his touch gives me is indescribable. It is as if everything around me just vanishes, except for him.

I’m sure my breath sounds loud in the silence of the room, but if it does, he doesn’t say. “I was scared back there,” he admits.

“So was I. When you got shot—” I swallow back the bile lining my throat. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

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