Chapter Nine

Colt woke to an empty bed. He lay there, listening to see if Milo was in the bathroom, but after a few minutes of silence, he got up. The bathroom door was wide open, and Milo wasn't in there.

Had his mate gone to the kitchen to get something to eat? Colt pulled on a pair of underwear and some pajama pants, along with a white T-shirt before he left his bedroom. The house was eerily quiet. When he found no one in the kitchen, Colt pivoted and searched every downstairs room.

"Milo?" Colt shouted, but his mate didn't answer him.

He hurried to his bedroom and snatched up his phone, dialing Milo's number as he grabbed some jeans from his drawer. His call went to voicemail.

"Goddamn it," Colt snarled as he tossed his pajama pants aside and slid into his jeans. He pulled on socks and shoved on boots before he grabbed his phone again and headed for his truck. Maybe Milo was with Kellen and Atlas. Colt dialed his brother as he shot through the kitchen.

"What's up?" Kellen asked when he answered.

"Have you seen Milo?" Colt bolted out the back door and jumped into his Range Rover.

"No," Kellen said. "I just dropped Atlas off at work. Milo's gone?"

Colt tore down the driveway, nearly colliding with a passing semi as he turned onto the main road. The person laid into their horn, but Colt was too busy panicking. "I just woke up, and he's nowhere in the house. His calls are going straight to voicemail."

"Breathe," Kellen said. "I'll turn around and check to see if he's at work. He also might have gone home. Do you know where he lives?"

"Yeah, I'll check there. Let me know if you see him." Colt hung up and raced toward Milo's house. Why would his mate take off without waking him first? He was in no condition to walk anywhere. Now that they were mated, Milo's body would heal much faster but not in a few hours.

Colt trembled when he spotted Milo walking down the side of the road. He pulled up behind his mate and jumped out, still in the grip of panic as he slammed his door shut. "What the fuck are you doing out here walking?" he demanded.

Milo jerked around and pressed his hand over his chest, his eyes wide. "Damn it, Colt! You just scared the shit out of me! I heard a car door slam and…" He took several deep breaths. "I'm on my way to work."

Colt could only stare incredulously at Milo. "So you slipped out of the house? I woke up to find you gone, and my calls went straight to voicemail," he snarled.

So many things could have happened to his mate walking on the side of the road. Milo could have been hit or his attacker could have spotted him. A million things could have gone wrong. Colt had seen a lot of horrors in his two hundred and twenty years.

The expression in Milo's hazel eyes went from surprise and fear to downright anger. "I wasn't aware I needed your permission to leave."

"It's not about permission," Colt argued loudly as he took a few steps toward Milo. When his mate quickly backpedaled, Colt froze. Did Milo think that Colt would hurt him? "Don't be afraid of me."

The paralyzing fear in Milo's eyes shredded Colt. No one had that look unless they'd been through some shit. His mate had bruises, but Colt's gut told him it wasn't the first time the human had suffered at someone else's hands. What in the hell had Milo been through in his life?

"I have to get to work." Milo spun and hurried away.

What the fuck? Colt took a deep, cleansing breath, feeling guilty for scaring Milo. That hadn't been his intention. He'd just freaked when he'd found his mate gone, and he was still spiraling.

He caught up to Milo and moved in front of him but held up his hands when his mate stopped and took a step back. "I didn't mean to lose my cool. I'm sorry."

Milo glanced toward the field to his right. "I'm used to walking, Colt. My body actually feels better. Your calls went to voicemail because I forgot to charge my phone. It's dead."

Colt watched as a car came down the road, and then it veered into the other lane as it passed them by. "Can you please get into my truck? It's dangerous standing out here."

It was as if Milo couldn't let go of his anger.

"You might say I belong to you, but you don't own me." Milo crossed his arms over his chest, fury in his eyes. "I don't have to check in with you before I make a move, Colt. I'm a grown man and can come and go as I please."

Colt gritted his teeth as he forced back a growl. "Letting me know you're leaving is just common courtesy, Milo. We sealed our bond last night, and then I find you gone when I wake up."

"I didn't want to wake you," Milo argued. "I managed to get where I needed to go before you came along."

Why couldn't Milo see his point of view? Why was the human so hostile? Colt just explained why he was upset, apologized for it, but that didn't seem to matter to his mate. It was as if Milo saw only one side to this. His own side.

"I never said I owned you," Colt replied, clenching his jaw to stop from yelling at the stubborn man, but it didn't work. "It's like you don't give a shit that you frightened me!"

Colt pressed his lips together when a police cruiser rolled to a stop next to them. Deputy Cannon Lowery put on his red-and-blue lights as he slid the passenger window down. "Everything okay, fellas?"

Milo walked over to the passenger side. "Would it be a problem to drive me into town?"

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Colt shouted.

Cannon got out and walked around the hood of his car, his hand resting on the butt of his gun like he meant to intimidate Colt. "What's going on here?"

"My mate and I were having a discussion." Why in the hell couldn't he chill? Why was his anger riding him so hard? Just because Milo was being unreasonable didn't mean Colt had to be the same way.

"Maybe you need to calm down instead of scaring him, Colt," Cannon snarled. "Is this how you treat your mate?"

"Can you please just take me into town?" Milo asked from behind the lion shifter. "I'm going to be late for work."

Cannon narrowed his eyes at Colt. "I normally wouldn't interfere with mates, but I think you need some time to cool off." He opened the passenger door for Milo to slip inside. The deputy glared at Colt then got in his cruiser and drove away.

Colt stood there stunned. Couples argued all the time, but he hadn't said anything to scare Milo. He'd just told his mate how he felt...in a loud voice.

Storming back to his truck, Colt jumped in and called Kellen as he pulled onto the road, following behind the cruiser.

"Did you find him?" Kellen asked when he answered.

He told his brother what happened. When Kellen didn't reply, Colt asked, "Did you hear me?"

"Go back to the house," Kellen said in a tight voice. "I'll stay in the parking lot of the grocery store and talk to Milo when he gets here."

"What in the hell did I do wrong?" Colt demanded, his head starting to throb. His tone might have been loud, but he hadn't said anything out of line to Milo.

"He was scared and lashing out, dumbass. Instead of deescalating the situation, you jumped down his throat."

"I apologized to him for yelling," Colt argued.

"And then you tried to force him to see your point." Kellen sighed. "You're twice his size and intimidating as fuck, Colt. If Milo gets pissed, he's not very frightening. If you get pissed, it's like staring up at a tsunami baring down on him."

"You think I'd hurt him?" Colt was taken aback. He was the one who'd wanted to knock Kellen's block off when he thought his brother had hurt Atlas. The thought of touching Milo while he was upset had never crossed Colt's mind. The human was his mate, and although Colt was pissed, he would rather shoot himself with Cannon's gun than raise a hand to Milo.

"I know you wouldn't hurt him, Colt. But Milo hasn't known you for long, so he isn't as confident that you won't physically lash out," Kellen replied. "Still, it is strange that his reaction was so strong. What aren't you telling me?"

Colt pulled over right before he entered the town limits, watching as the cruiser turned a corner and was gone. Every instinct in him wanted to follow and demand his mate come home with him. His wolf was going apeshit to get to the guy.

He told Kellen about Milo's attack.

His brother cursed. "That's why he stopped texting you. It had to have happened sometime Monday. You said he worked that day. I doubt he walked home in that condition. Does he live with anyone, or maybe someone came by to see him once he was home?"

"I don't have a clue," Colt replied. "When I asked who hurt him, he wouldn't answer me." He closed his eyes. "You have no idea how badly I want to kill the person, Kellen."

"You were taken back to our childhood," Kellen surmised, his voice low, as if he was back there, too.

"Yes." Colt struggled to breathe. "We know that fear and pain, lived through it for nearly a century and half. Just the thought of someone beating him, of someone making my mate live through that kind of fear kills me."

"The cruiser just pulled up." Kellen cleared his throat, as if pulling himself out of the past. "Let me speak to Milo. We'll talk when I get home."

After Kellen hung up, Colt rested his forehead on the steering wheel, missing Milo so badly that he wanted to cry. His mate hadn't been the only one lashing out in fear, but Colt was the protector, the one Milo looked to for safety, and Colt hadn't given his mate the one thing he'd needed in that moment.

I'm fucking worthless.

* * * *

The farther they drove away from Colt, the more Milo felt the deep ache in his chest growing. He stared out the side window, watching the scenery pass by, never feeling so alone and in despair than he did at that moment.

Colt's truck was in the side mirror, and Milo watched it, tears stinging behind his eyelids as he fought not to let them spill. He appreciated Cannon taking him to work, but he wasn't the person Milo wanted seated next to him.

It was the guy following them.

"I can smell your tears," Cannon said. "Since I'm not mated, I don't know the pain you're going through being separated from Colt, but you wanted to get away from him. I made a judgment call, Milo. He can follow us to your job, and if he acts like he has sense, I'll let you two talk."

Colt pulled over just as they reached the town limits, no longer following them. Milo sniffed back his tears as they passed Bluebird Café, remembering when he'd met Colt there for coffee Sunday morning.

It felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since that morning. Milo had been happy sitting there talking with Colt, showing the guy his tattoo, caught in some kind of spell just being near him. No matter how hard Milo had tried, he hadn't been able to keep his hands to himself.

Touching Colt was hypnotic, all-consuming like a drug.

Milo didn't want to go to work. He wanted to shout for Cannon to take him back to his mate. Milo closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When Colt had started yelling at him, all Milo had seen was Eric. All he'd felt was the pain as his uncle beat him. Milo had been caught in the grip of the memory, lashing out at Colt instead of understanding his mate's point of view.

When he opened his eyes, they were pulling into the parking lot of his work. Parked in the spot closest to the door was Kellen. He was leaning against the trunk of a cherry-red muscle car, his ankles crossed, his hands folded in front of him.

"I'm guessing Kellen wants to talk to you," Cannon said. "It's up to you, Milo. I can stop at the front door so you can go into work, or I can let you out at Kellen's car."

Milo appreciated the man's concern. Cannon had been good friends with Milo's mom when she was alive and had attended her funeral, telling Milo that if he needed anything, just call.

He'd never called the guy.

"You said you can smell my tears and you know about mates." Milo looked at him. "Are you a wolf, too?"

The deputy gave him a warm smile. "No. I'm a lion shifter."

That shocked Milo. He'd thought only wolf shifters existed. "Did my mom know?"

He shook his head. "We keep our existence a closely guarded secret. If a human isn't a mate or someone important to our way of life, they're kept in the dark."

"I think I'll talk to Kellen." Milo wasn't ready to go inside. His chest ached too badly, and his head wasn't in the right place at the moment.

All he wanted was Colt.

"Since nonhumans live a very long time, not all of us have had it easy, Milo. I don't know Colt's story, what he's been through, but I'm willing to bet he feels like shit right now for yelling at you."

Milo glanced up at Cannon, confused about what he'd just said. "What do you mean nonhumans live a long time?"

The guy rolled his eyes. "I can't believe Colt didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Shifters live for over five hundred years, maybe longer. Since you're mated to Colt, you'll live as long as he does."

Mind blown. Milo sat there trying to wrap his head around living that long, but he couldn't. How old was Colt? How long would Milo live? It was yet another thing he had to process in his already cluttered mind.

"Thank you for the ride." Milo got out and closed the door then walked over to Kellen as the cruiser pulled away. "I take it you talked to Colt?"

Kellen nodded. "He didn't tell me what you two argued about, only that he'd lost his cool and that Deputy Lowery gave you a ride into town."

Shoving his hands into his front pockets, Milo looked around. "It wasn't just his fault. I didn't exactly keep my composure, either."

"Maybe not," Kellen said. "But more times than not, we act like complete assholes when it comes to our mates. Trust me when I tell you that it wasn't smooth sailing for me and Atlas."

"You two seem perfect for each other. I saw the way you guys were at the reception, the way you looked at Atlas as if he was your entire world," Milo said. "To tell the truth, as I watched you two dancing, I was a bit envious."

"You have no idea what Atlas and I went through to get to that point," Kellen said. "Relationships take work. Just because we're mates doesn't mean everything fell into place. I put Atlas through some shit, nearly got him killed more than once, and half the time, I had no clue what I was doing."

If Atlas and Kellen could get to the point where they now were, Milo had hope that he and Colt could do the same.

"Can you call your brother?" Milo asked. "My phone is dead, but I really want to talk to him right now." He glanced at the store. "I wish I didn't have to work today."

"Who's your supervisor?" Kellen asked.

"Her name is Deloris." Milo watched as Kellen pulled out his phone and texted someone. Hopefully Colt. Milo wanted to see his mate badly. It was just going to suck not to have as much time as he wanted to talk to him.

"I know her." Kellen tucked his phone into his front pocket. "As soon as Colt gets here, I'll go inside and smooth things over with Deloris so you can have today off."

Milo frowned. "How do you know her? Is she one of you guys?"

Kellen chuckled. "No, she's human. A month ago I came into the store to grab some things, and she flirted her ass off with me." He grinned. "That was before Atlas. I might be gay, but everyone likes a good ego stroke."

"You're going to flirt with my supervisor?" Milo wrinkled his nose. "She has to be in her fifties, and you're mated."

"I've had decades of practicing the fine art of finesse." He winked. "I'm mated, but I haven't lost my touch. I just use my superpowers on Atlas now. I'll also tell Atlas about it when I pick him up from work." His smile faded a little. "We don't cheat on our mates, and I don't keep anything from Atlas. It's not always comfortable being so honest, but it only makes a mating stronger."

"I don't want you getting into trouble with Atlas," Milo said as Colt pulled in and parked three spaces down from Kellen.

"Atlas will give me shit about it, but he knows how much I love him and that I wouldn't do anything to betray his trust." Kellen jerked his head toward Colt's truck. "No matter how angry he gets, he would never hurt you, Milo. I give you my word."

"Thanks for talking to me and calling him," Milo said. "Let Colt know either way about Deloris. I just want to know if we can go back to your house or if I should stay in the parking lot until it's time for me to go inside."

"I got this." Kellen pushed away from his car. "You two can take off."

Milo pulled his hands from his pockets and walked toward where Colt parked. His mate had gotten out and was standing there, looking unsure as Milo approached.

Since they were mated, their souls bonded, Milo needed to have that uncomfortable conversation about Eric. After all, they were going to be together for hundreds of years, according to Cannon. If Milo and Colt were going to make this work, trust had to be given on both sides.