Chapter Eleven

My sweet love returns to me

W ith a grin that wouldn’t stop, Bash eagerly entered Ravyn’s apartment without even stopping by his own place first. He was exhausted, but ready to be back by her side where he belonged. For the first time since he began shifting, he’d been in a hurry for the three days and nights to be done. He’d spent three days fighting his wolf to stay in the wild and not run miles to be at her side. Now they were both eager to lay eyes on her. Maybe next month, they could find a way to make it work, and he wouldn’t need to reluctantly drag himself away from her bed while she slept.

Immediately upon entering, he could feel the emptiness of the apartment. Surely, she hadn’t been gone long? He could still smell her scent in the air, the sweet floral with a trace of spice, and even a hint of his nephew, who had been sent back earlier while Bash and the other men lingered over a beer or two, relaxing over the shared camaraderie. Despite the fact that he’d immediately wanted to leave with his nephew, he fought the urge to change the monthly habit and draw suspicion from the other wolves. They needed this time together with him not just as a leader with his soldiers, but the comradery of the shift. Although the wolves would joke and elbow him, they would also understand, but Bash wasn’t ready to share or explain this new twist in his life.

Sebastian’s heart dipped a little when he realized Ravyn wasn’t eagerly waiting for him in the apartment. Then it completely sank in his now tight chest at the realization that she might have left the building completely during his absence.

Damn it all! Anger and a bit of annoyance caused his face to flame as he thought about her sneaking out without proper scrutiny the moment his back was turned. Had she planned this all along? Damn it all to hell. Rubbing his jawline before pulling his hair back into a pony tail, he cursed himself and then her. He’d thought… Well, it didn’t matter what he’d thought. The job was what came first, always the job.

His nephew had been here. Here and gone maybe back to their shared apartment downstairs. So eager to see Ravyn, he hadn’t even stopped in to check on his teen or shower the stench of the last few days off his body. What a fool he’d been.

Despite the fact that it had been running to exhaustion for the past few days, Sebastian’s wolf whined anxiously, pushing against the edges of his mind. His mate hadn’t abandoned them, it insisted. Bash argued back sharply that you couldn’t be abandoned by what you didn’t have. Sulking, the wolf remained quietly watching but no longer pushing forward.

Where the hell was she, then? Thankfully, the wolf didn’t answer the rhetorical question; now wasn’t the time to get in an argument with his animal.

Then he saw the note. After reading it, his hands tightened in fear and frustration, crushing the flower he held within it without even realizing it. The delicate flower he’d called nearly a dozen flower shops in the region for crumbled into fragrant blue and yellow pieces on the pristine floor.

He chastised himself for his momentary weakness. There was no place for it in this line of work! Dammit! He knew better. He knew better than to care too much, to make it personal. That was where the real danger lay; allowing yourself to get close to someone left room for them to leave or disappoint you. His heart tightened, as he momentarily flashed back to his brother. He should have been there for James too. The real danger was in not being there for someone you cared about. Bash turned quickly, immediately preparing for the what-ifs, the heel of his boot making streaks of the blue petals on the floor.