Page 35 of The Wolf Guard's Mate

There’s a staircase in our room, and a separate entrance on the outside of the building. Why?

Me

I want to see it

Hunter

It’s empty right now, but feel free to look

Me

Why is it empty?

Hunter

I shipped all the furniture out to Clay’s storage unit after the first time they spent heat together. He wasn’t going to let her suffer through heat alone anymore, and I wasn’t going to sleep with her, so I was glad to get rid of it

Me

Guess it probably smelled like her

Hunter

Probably. I never went down there.

Me

How did you spend heat when she was here?

Hunter

I stayed in the forest, in a tent

Me

K

Thanks

I put my phone back in my pocket and headed for Hunter’s bedroom. When I poked around in there, I found the staircase behind a set of large double doors I hadn’t noticed before.

The staircase was wide and pretty, matching the rest of the house. I made my way down without hesitation, flipping the lights on as I went.

Just like Hunter said, I found a massive, empty living space at the bottom of the stairs. Even the TV had been taken off the wall. I could see the mount, and the cords sticking out.

I wandered the few rooms downstairs, disappointed when I didn’t find much other than the monstrous, open space. And sure enough, nothing down there had any furniture. The only scents I found belonged to cleaning supplies.

After my exploration was finished, I plopped down on the hardwood floor and stared at the place where the TV had been. Focusing on the wall, I tried to imagine what Nova must’ve felt like when she was trapped there, going through heat.

In pain, definitely.

Alone, without doubt.

Sad? Maybe.

I must’ve been sitting there for fifteen minutes when Hunter lowered himself to the floor beside me. I hadn’t heard him come down the stairs, but I had been pretty sure he’d want to talk again after he had time to think.

Maybe I was starting to figure him out just a little more.

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