Page 8 of Banished Mates
I blinkedthe well of tears out of my eyes so the road would clear up. Since I was driving, I had to stifle my emotions, which was frustrating.
Flattening my palm against my chest, I rubbed the section that ached. Each heartbeat sending a pang through my chest. It hurt like a bitch and the burgeoning headache wasn’t helping.
The trees lining the road became thinner and soon were replaced by buildings as I drove into the town closest to pack lands. It was decently sized with all the necessary shopping marts, stores, etcetera.
The blinker sound filled the car and I took the left up the driveway of the coffee shop. Morning coffee sounded lifesaving about now since the lack of caffeine strained my already scrambled brain.
Putting the car into park, I turned the key, and the radio went silent. My shoulders slumped and I curled my fingers into fists on my lap as I squeezed my eyes shut.
Get it together.
I couldn’t afford to let myself fall apart and arrive at work with my face swollen and puffy. Although, the lighting of the casino was low, and it was doubtful anyone could see me as I processed and counted money.
Sighing, I slipped my keys into my bag and grabbed the straps as I opened the car door. A few yards later, I strode through the door. It was relatively vacant this early in the morning, or at least it was inside. The door released a ding when I opened it, and I went directly to the counter to place my order.
The barista looked up at me and smiled wide. I matched it and wiggled my fingers. Lee had that bad-boy look to him, complete with a pierced brow. If I didn’t have Camden in my life, I would have been drooling all over. He was nice to look at, but he had nothing on my—
Whoa.
Yeah, I needed to step away from the Camden thoughts.
“Willow, the usual?”
Lee’s head tilted to the side and his thick brows furrowed over his brown-black irises. The lighter part of his eyes reminded me of his wolf pelt.
I nodded, forcing a smile. Inhaling deeply, I sucked in the scents of coffee bean and sugar, but even that didn’t lighten my mood. I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck as I fished out my debit card.
The cool counter dug into my hip as I slipped the card into the chip reader. Once the payment was complete, I dropped it back into the side pocket and zipped it up.
“You okay? You seem a little off today?”
I blinked up at Lee and pursed my lips. His question didn’t go far in helping me keep control of my emotions. I was going to lose it. Inhaling deeply in an attempt to rein it back in, I gritted my teeth. His brows lowered further, but I ignored it. If I paid any attention to it, I was gonna burst and doing so in a coffee shop would be embarrassing.
Lee was from my pack. Nice guy. I saw him around, but he never approached me on pack lands, only when I was getting my coffee did he speak to me. I didn’t know if it was simply the job that made him, but I didn’t care much. As long as he didn’t give me a difficult time at home, then I was all good with him.
“Willow?”
I swept my gaze up to meet his and shook my head, forcing a smile. His brows furrowed, but before he could say anymore, I turned my back on him and inched over to wait for my coffee.
I could feel his attention on me and luckily someone else walked up to the register, so he had to take care of them. Soon I had my drink in hand and was out the door.
Setting the coffee on the roof of my car, I fished in my bag for my keys.
I’d decided to work so I could distract myself from always missing him, and all it did was put a bandage over the ache. Looked like I would be in a shit mood during my shift at the casino.
I plopped into the seat and slammed the car door. It was as if the act sliced through the faux string of happiness and I deflated, thumping my head back against the headrest. I never hated what I was more than in that moment. It was the very reason I couldn’t be with Den.
The car door suddenly clicked open, and my shoulders hiked.
I never locked it.
I was so distracted I didn’t do my customary locking of the door as soon as I was in my car. My eyes popped open in time for a rag to be slapped over my nose and mouth.
A hand gripped my neck and squeezed so hard my eyes watered at the pinch. I sucked in a breath as my thoughts rushed to process what was happening.
All I could see was a light filtering through a white rag. The edges darkened and expanded. Undulating like a wave toward the middle until everything was black.
Camden
