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“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR face?” My best friend Chloe squinted at me in disbelief and possibly disgust, her mouth hanging open. She walked through the threshold of Ari’s doorway, holding her swollen belly protectively. “And what are you doing here?”
“Things got a little crazy on the mountain.” My plan was to tell her as little as I could get away with about the challenge. Chloe was one of the few people who actually supported my relationship with Leo. Too much information might change that. “And I’m helping out a friend.”
“Did someone attack you?” Chloe paced in front of the couch. Ari had already left for work. I didn’t think she was ready but she insisted it was best to get back to her routine. Now I was without a routine and I didn’t want to be alone. Not that I was afraid of anyone attacking me here, but it would give me way too much time to think. Since thinking was the last thing I wanted to do, I called Chloe. I was maid of honor for her upcoming bonding ceremony, and I really needed something good to look forward to after this awful weekend.
And I really wanted to see another doe. I needed to reconnect with who I was and stop focusing on what I wasn’t.
I took a deep breath and motioned for Chloe to sit on the couch. She stuck to the edge, not even close to relaxed. Her hands were glued to her belly, like if she let go something would happen to the baby growing inside her. “The pride challenged me.”
“Daphne!” she gasped, then jumped up and practically landed in my lap, hugging me so tight I swear I felt the baby kick. After she pulled away, she ran her finger lightly underneath the scab that still marked my cheek. “But you’re still here. You won.”
If I said anything, I was going to burst into tears. I nodded.
“How?”
“Ari, the woman who lives here, jumped in and fought for me.” A tear slid down my cheek. Seeing how this upset Chloe made me realize how much danger I’d actually put myself in.
“What about Leo?” She narrowed her eyebrows, suspect. “He’s your mate. Why did some girl I’ve never heard of before have to step in? He should have ripped those cougars to shreds.”
“He was held back.” The image of it kept playing through my mind. Dylan’s teeth sunk into Leo’s mane, gripping him by the scruff. The hatred for Dylan began to creep back in.
“If we had any idea you were in that kind of danger, no one would have ever let you stay on that mountain.” Chloe’s declaration was a punch in the gut. The mate had dictated my whole life. Everything I’d wanted to do had to be put on hold, because every year it was possible I’d be ready to shift. College, training for the national gymnastics team...nobody’d let me do any of those things. Now I’d found my mate and the herd still wanted to tell me what to do.
I’d had enough.
I tipped my chin up. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m not going back to the mountain.”
Chloe’s mouth fell open. “Did you guys break up? Because...”
In our herd, the mate was forever. But I’d mated outside of the herd. Still, in his pride’s tradition, Leo had claimed me. That was their version of forever. I had the three raised scars on my lower back to prove it. When I was doe, they were visible on my flank like a brand. “No.”
“Okay.” Chloe backpedaled. “Why don’t you stay with your parents? Do they know you’re here? The girls are going to be pissed if they find out you’re in town and you didn’t come see them.”
“Because.” My heart ached at the mention of my little sisters. It had been easier to get into Woodland Park lately now that the weather had improved, and I could see my family more often. But Gods, I missed them right now. “I don’t want them to freak out. Like you are right now. And I’m not sure what our plan is yet. This all happened over the weekend. I’ve got this under control, Chloe. I promise. I’m fine.”
“I want to believe that.” Chloe’s shoulders slumped and she looked down to her belly one more time. “I thought Leo was the best thing that ever happened to you. Now I’m not so sure.”
**
CHLOE SEEDED DOUBT in my mind. I was totally distracted all day as we looked at flowers and figured out chair rentals.
I hadn’t heard from Leo since he left with Dylan last night.
Last night was the first night I’d spent alone since I’d met Leo. He found me in the forest like herd legend said he would. He brought me back to his cabin and claimed me long before he’d marked my body. We never had any need to call or text one another before today. The silence was choking me.
“Have you talked to Leo?” I asked Dylan as soon as he walked in the house, following Ari with a bag of groceries in his arm. Seeing him do something so normal was shocking.
Dylan looked at me like I was crazy, and he could very well be right. “Not since last night.”
“How long did you stay out?” I hated the thought of Leo driving on those mountain roads after drinking.
“We had a beer. He was fine when he left. Call him, Daphne. He’ll have all the answers for you that I don’t.” Dylan rolled his eyes before turning back to Ari like I didn’t exist.
The worst part of it was I had called him. Reception was crap on the mountain, or he could still be working. Or I could stop making excuses for him. The bottom line was he hadn’t called me back.
I was starting to think I’d made a big mistake. Leo had never given me any reason to doubt his loyalty. Now I understood why Leo liked control so much. Being this far from the mountain, and from him, I had none.
Leaning against Dylan’s truck in the cool night, I groaned when I got Leo’s voicemail again. I’d lost count of how many times I called. Now he probably thought I was psycho and was glad to be rid of me.
I’d almost finished my walk of shame back to Ari’s apartment when my phone started vibrating in my hand. “Hey.” It came out breathy because I practically ran back to the parking lot when Leo finally called.
“Are you okay?” Leo asked. “You called so many times. You’re freaking me out.”
“Sorry.” I laughed. “It was overkill. I wanted to hear your voice.”
“Yeah, I hated coming home to an empty house today.” He sounded so sad. “I was busy.”
“I figured that. What were you doing?” I was still thinking positive. Ari and Chloe’s voices echoed loudly in my head.
“I confronted the pride about what happened.” Leo gave me a chance to respond, but I didn’t. “Those bitches should be thrown off the mountain for this. I’m going to make sure they don’t get away with what they did to you.”
“What about Dylan?” I pushed myself away from his truck. I probably shouldn’t lean against while I talked smack about him. “He was going to let me be ripped to shreds.”
“He’s my brother.” Leo said quickly. “And I already handled him. He’s got a stake in this, too. He lost a child.”
“I know that.” I paced back and forth in the parking lot. “I’m not going back there. You can run off Linnea and her friends, but the whole pride wanted me dead. You can’t change that.”
Leo growled. “I don’t know how long I can do this, Daphne. I hate being away from you.”
“I hate this, too.” My heart fell into my stomach. “What are you saying?”
“We need to come up with a plan.” His voice rumbled. “Something that works for the both of us.”