Chapter Three

Sullen The nerve of her mother to drag her to this pack. She knew how Sullen felt about the pack, about what they did to her father, and she had the nerve to bring her here? Scratch that. She had the nerve to date one of their wolves? Sullen fought her own wolf the entire ride to their pack ground. The guard wolves at the entrance recognized her mother, and Sullen felt herself boiling in anger. "Sullen," she said exasperatedly. "I won't have you coming to dinner with that attitude. You need to have a chat with your wolf, and tell her that her attitude isn't welcomed." Sullen gave her a hard side-eye glare. "You've fallen and bumped your head. I've left you alone for far too long. I should have come and visited more often. You're lonely and making irrational decisions. It's the only obvious reason you'd do this." Her mother slammed on her brakes and turned to look at Sullen. Her green eyes were hardened and her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Sullen Andrews. You listen here. I know what happened with your father hurt you. It hurt me. He was my fated mate, but the wolves of this pack do as they are told by the alpha. We can't hate them because of what happened all those years ago. Now, we're going to go into this house," she said, pointing toward the two-story house beside them, "and we're going to have a lovely dinner with Kevin, whose name you haven't even asked yet. And his son, Roan." Her mother huffed, taking the keys from the ignition; she got out and straightened her dress. Sullen sat in the passenger seat, feeling like a giant, hairy butthole and a jerk. Her mother was right. Packs fought over territory all the time, and Sullen shouldn't judge all of them off a fight that happened years before. However, it still hurt. Getting out, she stared up at the full moon. It mocked her with beauty that she didn't want to feel now. She wanted self-pity. A tornado. A thunderstorm. Anything that would put the cherry on top of this terrible night. Instead, she got a beautiful moon and a handsome middle-aged man smiling from the porch. Sullen swallowed her pride, what was left of it after being talked to like a twelve-year-old by her mother. "Sullen," Kevin said, making his way from the steps to greet her. He had big brown eyes, salt-and-pepper hair, and a dad bod. But the way he glanced at her mother before bending down to hug Sullen made her guilt-trip two weeks longer. He liked her. Sullen felt it. "It's so nice to finally meet you," he said, pulling back to look at her. "You're as beautiful as your mom said you were." "Thank you," Sullen said. "It's nice to… be here." "Why don't you both come in? The steaks are coming off the grill in moments, and my son—Roan—will be here soon." Hiding her sigh, Sullen walked in after her mother and into his home. It was clearly decorated by a man—there were no pictures, very few paintings, and nothing to make the house a home besides a gigantic sectional and a flat-screen TV. Sullen had grown up in a home full of pictures, decorations, and love. This was a man's house through and through. "Smells great," Sullen said, following them to the kitchen. Her mother knew her way around, finding wine glasses and a bottle from the top of the refrigerator. "Want some, Sullen?" Oh, did she. Sullen nodded and sat down at a chair at his table. She was glad that she would at least get dinner out of the night. Her mother handed her a glass of red wine, and Sullen downed half of it in one gulp. She needed the liquid courage to get through this. Kevin walked in with a plate of steaks and sat them in the center. The smell made her stomach growl. He glanced at a clock hanging over his coffee bar in the corner. "Roan should be here any minute. In the meantime, Sullen, would you like a salad?" Sullen couldn't hide the look of disgust on her face. "You do know I'm a werewolf, right?" He chuckled, while her mother tossed a warning glare. "I just thought city life might have changed you, that's all." "No," she said, taking another sip. "I'm still a carnivore. Just one that enjoys the city life and not the pack life." Kevin lifted both brows. "Your mother tells me you're an accountant? Or going to be? How is that going?" Sullen nodded. "Going well. I have one more semester—" she stopped, clearing her throat. Warmth slid over her skin, making it hard to breathe. "Uh, one more semester, and then my internship will turn into a full-time position. I'm stoked." "That's great," Kevin said, glancing at the clock again. "Roan knew what time to be here. I'm sorry about the wait." "That's okay, honey. Being the alpha is demanding." "Your son is the alpha?" Sullen asked, suddenly interested to see if he had been alpha during the pack war. "Yes, he is," Kevin said with a smile. "He's very… intense. He takes it very seriously." "I'll bet." Sullen's body grew warmer, and a heavy coat of need blanketed her chest. Something wasn't right. "What's that—what's that smell?" she asked, looking around. Her mother reached over and palmed her forehead. "Are you running a fever, Sullen? You're acting strange." She waved her hand away. Like Sullen was running a fever being a werewolf. That was rare. "No, it smells like…" she stopped herself from admitting it. She knew what that smell was, and it was impossible. The witch doctor said her mate died before she met him. Unless he was running to his death right about now—the witch had been wrong. Standing up, panic began to nip at her skin. "I have to—I have to go, Mom. I'm so sorry, Kevin. The steaks smell great, but I need to leave." Her mother gripped her wrist. "Sullen, what's the matter? You look white as a ghost." Need built in her gut. Every step she took away from the table felt like a death sentence. She had a boyfriend. She couldn’t just abandon him for some wolf at a rival pack because he's her mate. No. No. No. She couldn't be pulled from her life in the city and forced back into a pack. "Sullen!" her mother shouted, but she'd already made it to the doorway. "I'll call you when I make it back to my apartment. I've got to go," she said, her throat aching in need of water. In need of… him. She burst through the back door, and into the evening air. She tried to take a breath, but it stuck in her throat. The further she raced from the house, the better she could breathe. This was not happening. She'd moved on with her life because she was told she didn't have a fated mate. What would she tell Duke? Would he come after her? He's coming for us, her wolf said. Which only made Sullen run faster.