Page 45 of Mated To My Boss

“There's a new restaurant that just opened near my place. We could try that.”

“Awesome, send me details and I'll meet you there, say seven?”

“That's perfect,” I reply.

We end the call and I instantly feel much better. Nothing helps my stress as much as talking about what's going on with Nate. Well, there's one thing that's even better than talking, but Nate and I haven't done that in far too long.

While I wait, I text Henry, asking for updates on what's happening back home. I haven't received a response from him lately, though.

I know they're trying to lay low but what if something is wrong? Does this have anything to do with the letters I'm getting?

I shake my head to remove the thought. There's definitely no connection—at least, I hope there isn't. None of the letters have mentioned my pack at all.

I meet Hannah at the new Town Kick restaurant. She greets me with a short hug. “Thank you for pulling me out of the house,” she says. “I would've spent the entire night in sweatpants if you hadn't called.”

We enter the establishment, taking in the view. I'm not ready for the variety of burgers I see, and that's my fault for not researching the restaurant beforehand. Still, the burgers smell pretty good, so we take a seat and order.

“Hmm,” Hannah says, reveling in the savory taste of the meal. “This is definitely better than the frozen pizza I was going to have for dinner.”

“Yeah, it's pretty good.”

Hannah gives me a curious look. “Hit me. What did your man do this time?”

I run through the past few days and explain how odd Nate had been that morning. Saying this out loud makes me even angrier, which is the opposite of what I want. I end up talking incessantly without eating much.

“I have something that may cheer you up,” Hannah offers, fishing into her purse and bringing out a small gold charm withmany shapes carved into it. There's a frayed rope attached that makes it look like it's supposed to be worn as a necklace.

I catch a whiff of gasoline and gunpowder, almost making me reel in my seat. "Where did you get this?" I ask, taking it from her.

"I just found it at the shop," Hannah replies. "I thought it was pretty and Lucca said I could have it."

"Shit."

My mind races, cataloging possibilities. Hunters in the shop where Hannah works. The same hunters who attacked my pack? I need to be careful about how I react; alarming Hannah unnecessarily won't help, but I can't ignore this either.

“Is something wrong?”

I try to suppress my panic when I realize it's starting to affect Hannah.

“It's nothing, just familiar somehow.”

“Even more reason for you to keep it then.”

I struggle through the rest of dinner, unable to distract myself from the charm. Eventually, it's time to go.

Hannah and I walk out of the building and say goodbye. I let out a long breath, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the charm and my phone again.

There's still no message from Henry, making me even more worried.

Fuck.

Chapter 17

NATE

My eyes remain fixed on the moon, captivated by its stunning beauty. It's not quite the perfect shape of a full moon, so its transformation wouldn't feel nearly as satisfying.

Still, there's a soothing presence that keeps me at peace. Unfortunately, my tranquility is interrupted when I feel vibration in my pocket. I see Graham's name flashing on the screen before I answer.

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