Page 5 of Tolerated By the Sigma (Mate Hunt 7)

I looked around the outside of my ex-date’s car, searching for anything that might have freaked the wolf out or pissed him off.

A knock on my window had my head jerking to the side, my heart thumping wildly in my chest. Despite the darkness, I could sort-of make out my sister’s face as I rolled the window down.

“How long have you been sitting here, overthinking?” She draped her arms over the open window, her gaze going straight to the wolf who was still growling at her. Her long, dark hair was up in a high ponytail, her pale hands and arms spotted with something that looked like dried spackle. I knew she was currently working on a house that was in particularly shitty shape, fixing it up and renovating it so she could sell it to some adorable werewolf couple like she always did.

“Too long.” I leaned my head back against the head rest, even though this still wasn’t my car.

Violet nodded, her grayish-green eyes still focused on the growling wolf next to me. Neither of us were concerned by his growls; Violet’s mate and his pack had proved to us a million times over just how often werewolf dudes growled at each other, birds, other people… pretty much everything could be and would be growled at.

Especially when a guy was hunting.

But was Oscar hunting?

I mean, theoretically, yes.

But really?

“Stop thinking and start talking, Char,” Vi warned.

I sighed. “Did whoever called you tell you who this is?” I gestured to the wolf.

“No.” She eyed the wolf a bit suspiciously. “But you know I never wanted this for you.”

Yeah, I knew.

Vi had wanted me to have the wildest, most werewolf-free life I possibly could. She hated feeling like I’d been forced to live in Moon Ridge, forced to grow up surrounded by werewolves. But honestly, I liked them. And I liked their way of life even more. Things were easy in Moon Ridge; there wasn’t much drama, there wasn’t cheating, there wasn’t rape or crime or anything.

And the views… damn, the views were incredible. Vi didn’t know, because she’d have a freakin’ heart attack, but I hiked alone most days after work just because I loved being out in the forest so much.

I didn’t mind that I wasn’t a werewolf, or that I didn’t have a mate. Sure, I’d hoped I would when I was younger, but when I’d gone away for college, I realized that all that really mattered was me deciding to love myself and my life, no matter how messy or shitty or difficult it became.

And since then, everything had been better. Not perfect, and not easy, but much, much better.

“This is Oscar Hughes. His human goes by Ryder now.” I gestured toward the still-growling wolf.

He continued growling, as expected.

Vi blinked once, and then again.

Turning around, she yelled, “Sam!”

Her mate got out of their car and came jogging up a minute later, their eight-month-old son snoring in his arms.

“What’s up?” He eyed the wolf in the car, still snuggling my adorable nephew. It was probably safer that he had the baby in his arms; no werewolf would attack someone holding a baby. Kids were worth way too much in their society.

Our society, I mean.

Sort of.

Argh, I was going to have to rethink everything again.

“Oscar Hughes is hunting Charly,” Vi said, her teeth and fists clenched.

Sam’s eyebrows shot upward.

“Theoreticallyhunting me,” I corrected.

The wolf snarled at me, but we all ignored him.

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