Page 70 of Hexmate

“We should clean up,” I murmured reluctantly, glancing at the clock on the wall. “We’ve got two minutes before we need to be in position.”

Atlas sighed, carefully withdrawing from me. I winced slightly at the emptiness, at the warm trickle down my thigh. With a tenderness that still surprised me, Atlas helped me stand, steadying me when my legs threatened to give out.

“Here,” he said, grabbing a clean towel from his gym bag. He dampened it at the sink and returned to me, gently cleaning the evidence of our encounter from my skin. He stopped only for a moment to kiss me softly, his eyes soft and full of affection.

“I love you, Atlas,” I said, cupping his cheek.

“I love you too, Caden,” he replied, tossing the towel to the side. “Now let’s go stop this asshole from hurting our friends.”

Chapter 28

Caden

My ass was still sore, in a good way, as I stepped onto the path behind the gymnasium with Atlas. The night air was cold, snow falling softly all around us. During the wrestling meet a fair amount had gathered on the path, making the world more quiet than normal. And, from what I could hear through the trees, most of the people who had attended the meet had already cleared out. The parking lot sounded mostly empty and as far as I could tell, nobody else was on the path with us.

I took a deep breath as we started to walk, my fingers laced through Atlas’s. Having my mate and familiar so close gave me a sense of security. Logically, I knew my power had grown exponentially and I was probably more powerful than Rowan, our intended target. However, if Rowan was being helped by someone, he could have an ace up his sleeve that I didn’t know about.

And that put me on edge. I sincerely hoped we weren’t biting off more than we could chew, but we didn’t have time to waste either. It had already been three days since Wild was attacked and over a week since Karrick had been cursed as well. We had to take the time to complete our bonding, but now the clock was ticking. Every moment that passed was another our friendsmoved closer to death thanks to Rowan’s curse. We couldn’t afford to wait any longer. I just hoped our plan worked and that our presence was too tempting for Rowan to pass up. He hated us both. I hoped it would be enough to draw him out.

“You ready?” I said, keeping my voice low as I glanced up at Atlas.

He nodded, his jaw clenched. “I don’t like putting you in danger like this, but we have no choice.” He looked down at me, affection blazing over our bond. “Just remember, I’ll be right behind you.”

“Keep your distance until he’s revealed himself. After that, we can take him down together.”

“Right.”

“Alright,” I said with a nod, picking up the pace. “Let’s get this fake argument started, shall we?”

Atlas squeezed my hand once before releasing it. His golden eyes glinted in the moonlight as he stepped away from me. We’d rehearsed this, but my heart still clenched as his expression transformed into something cold and hostile.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Atlas growled, loud enough to carry through the quiet night. “Making me look like a fool in front of my entire team.”

I matched his volume, injecting venom into my voice. “Maybe if you weren’t so obsessed with your precious reputation, you’d see what’s really important!”

We continued walking, maintaining a careful distance as we argued. I could feel Atlas’s presence through our bond—alert, protective, watching the shadows between the trees. The snow crunched beneath our feet as we moved deeper along the path.

“You witch,” Atlas spat. “My father was right about your kind. Always thinking you’re above everyone else.”

“And your kind is any better? Glorified dogs who can’t see past pack politics!”

I sensed something then—a shift in the energy around us. The hairs on my neck rose, and it wasn’t from the cold. Atlas felt it too; I could feel his awareness sharpening. We were being watched.

“Fine,” I shouted, knowing this was my cue. “I don’t want anything to do with a stupid dog like you anymore, anyway! Go take your tiny dick problems somewhere else! Maybe you can finally get it up for once!”

I saw the hurt in Atlas’s eyes as I turned away. That piece wasn’t planned but ad-libbed on the spot. I felt bad, but I knew he’d get over it. Out of everyone in the world to be self-conscious about their dick size, Alpha werewolves were the last to fall prey to that feeling.

Stomping off the path and through the crunchy snow, I headed into the woods, leaving the safety of campus behind. It only took ten steps or so before I’d passed through the barrier and into the forest filling the mountain valley. Suddenly everything was much quieter, but that niggling feeling on the back of my neck told me someone was still watching.

I walked for another fifty yards, making a show of angrily kicking at snow-covered branches, muttering curses under my breath. The forest was dark, but the full moon reflecting off the snow provided enough light to see by. Perfect for a werewolf—and for a witch with heightened senses thanks to his familiar bond.

The sensation of being watched intensified. I could feel Atlas at the edge of my consciousness, maintaining distance as planned but tracking my every move. His concern flowed across our bond, warm and protective despite the harsh words we’d exchanged.

“Trouble in paradise?”

The voice slithered from behind a cluster of pine trees. Rowan Hargrove stepped into view, his lean frame silhouettedagainst the moonlit snow. His smile was predatory, satisfied—exactly as we’d hoped. That deep scar across his face and the one milky eye served as a reminder of what Atlas had done to him when he and his friends had tried to assault me. I was glad to see none of it had improved.

“What do you want, Rowan?” I kept my voice weary, defeated. “Come to gloat?”

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