Chapter 9

Roosevelt

" Here you are. Bon appétit." I set the lasagna on the table in front of our town ' s mayor and town siren, Sylvia Haasenfrau.

" You seem different. " She cocked her head to the side, eyeing me.

" Same old Roose velt."

Grinning, she ran a hand through her unruly curls only to have them fall back in disorder. " Looks like love to me. "

" I really don ' t want to talk about it. "

Unfortunately for me, she wasn ' t taking no for an answer. " Has she declared her love for you yet? You only have until tomorrow."

" I ' m well aware, Mayor. But thanks for the update. "

" You know she feels the same. Even if she hasn ' t admitted it to you – or herself."

She wasn ' t about to let this go. I sighed as I sat down on the chair opposite her. " This is complicated. She has a life outside of here. A family. Friends. It ' s a lot for me to ask her to give up. It feels selfish for me to even try. "

" You can ' t stop destiny , and destiny brought her here for you. Be selfish, Roosevelt. Open your heart to her and let her know. Leave it up to her to decide which path to take. But I guarantee that if you don ' t tell her how you feel , and she leaves, you ' ll never forgive yourself."

" Do you ever get bored of always being right? "

" Nope. " Grabbing her fork she scooped up a piece of the lasagna and shoved it in her mouth. After she finished chewing, she smiled. " This is good. If we ever get out of here , I ' m really going to miss your cooking. "

" Thank you mayor. "

Sophia

" Who are you? Why are you doing this? " I yanked at the rope binding my hands behind me and to the support beam of the cabin she ' d brought me to.

After tying me up, the werewolf had shifted into her full human form and gotten dressed in a basic pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. She was now intent on ignoring me as she reclined on the wooden kitchen chair, her feet on the table, reading some book that I couldn ' t make out the title of.

" Please, tell me something. It ' s the least you can do after kidnapping me."

Slowly, she lowered her book so her eyes peered over the top and glowered at me. " I don ' t owe you shit. "

Giving the binds another pull, I had to clench my jaw to keep from screaming out in frustration.

" If you keep yanking on the ropes like that you ' re likely to dislocate your shoulder. While I personally wouldn ' t give a shit, if Roosevelt finds you and you ' re injured , he ' s probably not going to be happy."

I stopped pulling at the restraints and stared back at her. " I thought everyone in this town was supposed to be nice. "

" You thought wrong. " She started to raise her book to eye level again.

" Just wait! "

The book lowered.

" What do you mean he ' ll be mad? If I ' m kidnapped then why are you concerned if he ' ll be mad or not? This doesn ' t make any sense. "

Rolling her eyes, she placed the book face down on the table to save her spot, then crossed her arms over her chest. " Look. Werewolves have an ability to sense their mates. A connection , if you will. If his connection is strong enough with you, and his love is pure, he ' ll find you before your time is up. If he doesn ' t … Well–" She shrugged, the corner of her mouth curling into a smirk. " Guess it was never meant to be. "

Tears sprang to my eyes at the thought of never seeing him again. " Does he know about this? "

" Nope. I noticed that you two were taking your sweet old time coming to terms with your feelings for each other. "

" Why do you care? "

" Because I , for one, want to get the fuck out of here. There ' s an entire world outside this wretched town that I want to get back into. I ' m not about to let an opportunity to break the curse pass through my …" She held her hand up and claws sprang from her fingertips, " … claws."

I struggled against the binds again. " Then why the ropes ? I won ' t go anywhere, I promise. I need to pee. "

" Piss your pants. I don ' t care. The only way you ' re getting free is when Roosevelt comes bursting through that door and frees you himself. If he does. "

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head against the pole. This couldn ' t be happening. I may never feel his arms around me again. May never taste his lips or hear his laugh. I only had one day with him. One day , and I was going to waste it with this crazy red-haired wolf.

Roosevelt

I was just rising from my chair opposite the mayor when it hit me, it was like a punch to the gut that nearly doubled my over. Grabbing the edge of the table, I straightened and gave my head a shake.

" Everything okay, Roosevelt? "

Frowning, I turned back to her. " Yeah, I … I ' m not feeling quite right. "

The feeling hit me again, harder this time. I grunted as I doubled over, fighting the urge to shift. What in the fuck was going on? Something was wrong. But what?

Standing, I made my way to the middle of the diner. " Everyone, I need your attention , please. I ' m closing for the day. Everyone needs to go. Now! "

There was some grumbling among the patrons, but they all quickly finished up and exited. The mayor trailed behind the group, lingering at the exit. " Hey , Roosevelt?"

" Yes, Mayor ?"

" Sometimes people need a little push to admit their true feeling s." Without another word, she exited and disappeared in the crowd.

After closing the restaurant I hopped into the Jeep and sped home. The closer I got to home, the stronger the sense of dread that overcame me. By the time I pulled up to the house I already knew that I wouldn ' t find Sophia inside.

" Sophia! " I called out, entering the house to be greeted only by silence. I knew she wasn ' t here , her scent was too faint, but I searched anyhow. Her vehicle was out front, so wherever she was, she went on foot.

I felt her again. Stronger. Her call more urgent than before.

Exiting the back of the house, I inhaled deeply, gathering the scents of the forest and seeking out hers. Looking to the horizon, panic settled in. The sun would be going down soon. If I didn ' t find her soon , then I ' d never be able to find out her true feelings. I ' d never be able to confess mine, she ' d be lost to me – possibly forever.

Arching my back, I threw my head back and let out a howl.

I was going to find her and god help the person who tried to take her from me.