Page 227 of My Unexpected Mate

“I am sorry, Cass,” Nick mumbled. “I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. But I am burning inside.”

“It’s okay, Nick,” Cassie said as she sat down next to him. “I understand. No need to apologize.”

I glanced over at Jacob and Blake, who were looking at Nick with frowns on their faces. They didn’t like that he snapped at Cassie.

“If we can’t go there and raid the fucking forest, what do we do?” Nick asked as he looked at me with desperate eyes.

Nick’s POV

I can’t explain to any of them what I was feeling inside.

It was like a thousand small needles were piercing my skin from the inside.

It was like a thousand hot flames were burning my organs.

My heart was broken. I think it just broke into a thousand little pieces and fell down to the bottom of my chest.

And the anger was all-consuming. There was no beginning or end. It just burned through my blood, begging me to do something, to kill, to rip apart, to enjoy his suffering.

I could feel Nate’s pain too.

It was different from mine.

It was more animalistic, more angry, and more unhinged.

It felt like Nate was clawing at my insides. Biting and scratching to reach the surface. He wanted out. He wanted to sink his canines into everything and everyone separating us from the one thing we want most.

Our mate.

She was the only one who can remove the needles, extinguish the flames, and glue my heart back together. She was the only one who could make the anger go away. She was the only one who could calm Nate down.

I needed her.

I fucking need her.

I didn’t know how long I could go without her.

It had only been a few hours and I already felt like I was dying.

I had to get her back. I will do anything. I will fucking trade my life for hers if I had to. My life wasn’t worth living without her anyway.

I felt remorse when I snapped at my friends. But I couldn’t help it. I knew they meant well, and I knew they wanted to find her as much as I did, but Nate didn’t. Every time they said we couldn’t do anything right now Nate saw that as a threat. He saw them as an obstacle between us and our mate. And I had to work so fucking hard to keep him from ripping them to shreds and running to find her.

Gabriel was right. I know he was. I think even Nate knew he was right. But it was fucking hard. Seeing her with her lip split open and watching him hit her was the hardest thing I had to do. I didn’t want to think about him touching her again because there was no telling what I would do. There was no telling what Nate will do.

“I think we should take shifts and survey the area,” Jacob said.

“I was just about to suggest the same thing,” Gabriel nodded. “We need to know where the entrance is. We need to know how many people are there. We need as much information as we can get before we enter.”

“We can’t be seen,” Jacob said.

“We should go in pairs,” Mike added. “Jack and I. Jacob and Blake. Gabriel and Nick.”

Gabriel nodded.

“What about Cassie and me?” Annie asked with a frown on her face.

“No,” all of us guys said in unison.

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