The Wolf’s Forbidden Mate by Layla Silver
Chapter 13 — Travis
I rarely cried.
It wasn’t that I felt I was too tough to do it. I just never had many opportunities to allow myself the release that came from a damn good cry.
But since locking myself in the staff room, I wasn’t able to make the stream stop. I had anticipated coughing, sputtering, even forlorn sobbing, but it was so much quieter than that. It was so much more defeated.
I wiped my face for the thousandth time as I listened to the usual sounds of the shelter erupting beyond the door: cats meowing happily as they played; the air conditioning kicking on; some of the kittens mewling as Oliver prepared their milk. I could just imagine the hulk of a man hovering over the small litter—which weren’t so small anymore—and offering them their own little bottles to nurse.
I hated that Oliver had gotten dragged into this mess. He didn’t deserve to suffer the disappointment of my alpha. As unaware as he was to our existence, he seemed to let a lot of things fly that would have confused most humans. He took my claim of Waverly easily, slipping out of the room on cue. I was sure he noticed me growl and purr a couple of times, but he hadn’t mentioned him. Bless him for that.
Even though warm air spewed through the air vents, I couldn’t feel much with the pieces of my heart strewn about in different directions. Allegra hit me right where she knew she could manipulate me. I expected nothing less. However, I had anticipated getting away with everything before she could sniff it out. It seemed I had been doomed from the beginning.
That meant Waverly was doomed, too.
How the hell am I going to find her now?
Allegra said she had removed what had made me an improper panther. I couldn’t imagine what she was possibly doing to Waverly or where she was holding my mate. Was Waverly cold? Did she have anything to eat? Was she stripped of her clothes or was she simply locked in a room? Had she been in the house of my alpha when I visited—either upstairs or stuffed into the basement?
I hadn’t exactly put these pieces together when I was speaking to Allegra. I figured what she would have removed was my shelter—but now I knew better. Now I knew she meant my mate. She wanted to injure me to the point of endless pain, and it was, unfortunately, working.
Waverly would have chosen the same. Waverly, my mate, would have put these defenseless beings in the shelter first before choosing me. I knew that because I knew her to be an angel. I didn’t care how many times she giggled in denial about it. She was divine. She had been sent by heavenly hosts. I knew she was celestial because she saved me.
She came running when no one else would. She ignored the fact that my pride and her pack were enemies. In fact, that fueled her to push even more. She seemed to want to bridge the gap between us. After all, we were simply shifters. We shared plenty of traits even if we were separate species.
My panther bristled beneath the surface of my skin, begging to be released. Since Waverly had saved me, it was my turn to save her. And not just because she was my mate. I needed to save her because it was the right thing to do. Though my pride would have my head for such an act, I didn’t care. I knew what I had to do.
I grabbed my jacket from the hanger inside the staff room, unlocked the door, and marched into the exam room where Oliver was feeding a few kittens. His eyes were round, bloodshot, and his features had drooped. But when he saw me, he smiled. For me, he smiled.
I returned the warm grin. “I have something to do. Will you be okay?”
“Nobody is coming in here.” He paused for a second as his eyes darkened. “Unless those men plan on coming back.”
“No, I don’t think they will. I’ll make sure of it.”
He cleared his throat. “One of them growled at me.”
“Yeah, they’re…” The explanation fell from my tongue. I shook my head. “They’re weird. Just hold down the fort for a while. I’ll check in.”
“You got it, boss.”
Driving to the ski resort was the easy part. I drove as quickly and carefully as possible, pulling up in front of the home for the alpha, Kaia. I hadn’t exactly called in advance. I didn’t have her number on file and it wasn’t like I could ask Waverly. It was dangerous for me to slip into her territory unannounced, but what options did I have left? Waverly had been taken. She was stuck somewhere. I needed help finding her.
As I stepped out of my vehicle, the alpha’s mate appeared on the doorstep, standing tall with his shoulders squared at his full height. I had to admit the guy was pretty damn intimidating. He always had been, even when he was part of the pride. But as soon as Renly recognized me, a small smile broke out on his lips. His brows furrowed together in confusion as he glanced at my car and then behind me.
“Renly,” I greeted. “I seek to speak to your mate—your alpha.”
“Why?”
I held out my hands in a show of peace. “I have information about Waverly and I want to pledge myself to your pack.”
His brows relaxed, but he didn’t drop his arms. A memory flashed over his eyes, something dark and twisted that I knew had to do with his mother. Renly’s story had circulated the pride like wildfire after he left. And a lot of us were sympathetic to his decision. Well, enough of us, anyway. Not everyone was as willing to deny Allegra privately as I was.
“What’s my mother up to now?” he asked as he ushered me inside. The brisk cold followed after me, whipping at my back until Renly shut the door. “I can’t imagine she’s painting rainbows and adopting kittens if you’re here.”
Kaia was already in the living room, a mug between her hands and a smile of curiosity on her face. Her features sagged slightly with concern. “What happened?”
I glanced at Renly who nodded for me to approach his alpha. I stood in front of Kaia, waiting to be told to sit down. She motioned for me to take a seat and I felt relief sweep over me as I sank into the cushions. It was so much cozier than Allegra’s house or office ever could have been. Though I had been anxious as hell driving up here, I felt perfectly at ease now that I was in the presence of Kaia. Her calm demeanor and gentle grin were a welcome sight.
“I’m pledging my loyalty to your pack,” I stated confidently, my heart beating so hard that I knew she could hear my tension and fear. “I no longer want anything to do with Allegra and the pride. They’ve...failed me.”
“Why are you pledging to me now?”
I glanced at Renly who had joined her side. He sat perched on the armrest, ready to move if needed. I knew Renly well and I knew his loyal spirit had him glued to Kaia’s side. It was a rather wonderful thing to see instead of Allegra’s little toys prancing around to do her bidding.
I shuddered at the memory of Allegra. “There’s been some developments.”
“Don’t be shy,” Renly encouraged me calmly, “tell her everything.”
Information spilled from my lips like a rushing river breaking through a dam. I told Kaia about how Allegra found out about everything from Waverly helping the shelter to Waverly and I sleeping together. My face burned as I recounted the emotions that led me to the conclusion that Waverly was my mate. I noticed Kaia smile at a few appropriate moments, but by the end of my explanation when I revealed that Waverly had been taken by Allegra, her smile had devolved into a grave frown.
“I warned Waverly,” Kaia spoke as she glanced at Renly. The two of them exchanged a silent conversation before she turned to me and said, “She didn’t listen.”
“That’s Waverly.”
She chortled. “And I’m no stranger to two species falling in love.” She took her mate’s hand, the gesture so sweet and natural that it gave me hope. “I’d be a hypocrite if I told you that you couldn’t court a wolf from my pack. If you’re so willing to pledge yourself to my pack, then I’ll accept you without any conditions.”
Relief caused every muscle in my body to relax. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“We must look for Waverly immediately,” she said while standing. Renly and I stood with her, willing to follow her wherever she went. “Renly, call our pack together. We’ll send a group deep into the mountains in shifted form. The two humans can scout the streets of Boston.”
“How do you know where to start?” Realizing I had just challenged my alpha, I bowed my head immediately and spoke through my fingers, my words muffled as I rushed to add, “I’m so sorry, Alpha. I didn’t mean to question you.”
She squeezed my shoulder, all my fears washing away with the gesture. “You’re allowed to question me, Travis. We’re going to start with what we know unless you have any extra knowledge of her whereabouts.”
I shook my head. “I don’t. I’m still sorry. I—”
She patted my shoulder and beckoned for me to follow her. “Come on. We need to go find your mate.”
***
We need to go find your mate.
My new alpha’s words swam through my mind as I darted through the forest in the mountains. My panther had been whining to be released for several days now. I had resisted the shift because I had to focus on the shelter, but feeling the fresh snow from a few hours ago crunch under my paws was equally relieving and daunting.
I sniffed the air. Though I could smell many things in this form, none of them were Waverly. And that concerned me. I listened to the brush crackling nearby from the shifter who had joined me, Silas. I could sense him without needing to smell him, his essence as much a part of me as I was of him.
We were family now. I wasn’t about to let my new family down by failing to find my mate. Waverly would call to me—I would pick up her scent or her essence. One of them would draw me to her like a magnet seeking its opposite. I sprang between the trees, establishing a rhythm for Silas to follow. He kept up with me easily, his grace and beauty as a panther evident in each movement.
When we reached the edge of a clearing revealing a slope that could easily be used for skiing, he nudged my shoulder with his nose. I turned in his direction, following his gaze to the treeline on the other side. A path curved between the trees almost invisible to the naked eye of a human. But for us in this form, we could see the depressions in the ground despite the fresh snow. Why did that spot look so familiar?
Silas turned back around and headed in a new direction. He had simply pointed out the path for me to explore. While he searched elsewhere, I would move ahead, knowing that I could easily get back if I found myself at a dead end. I hope that doesn’t happen.
But a new thought sprang to mind, one I wished I had thought of much sooner. There was a cottage in the hills somewhere that belonged to the pride, far enough away from the ski resort to not draw attention. That’s why that path looked familiar. I had seen a picture of it somewhere, probably in Allegra’s office, though she wasn’t the type to leave clues like that laying around for anyone to see.
Still, it was worth a shot. Even if I was wrong, I could say I had done everything. I didn’t want the search to end until Waverly was found. Every bone in my body ached for her presence, to have her pressed flush against me with her warmth and sweetness invading me in every way. As my heart yearned for her, I stepped into the clearing and trotted toward the path, hoping it would lead me where I wanted to go.
I was full of fear—what if she wasn’t at the cottage? What if she was hurt or starving? What if I never find her? The idea of her being kept in the basement at Allegra’s house returned at full force, causing my anxiety to spike. No, I would have smelled her there. I would have felt her. She was my mate—I was sure I would have recognized her if we had been that close.
There was no way she had been at Allegra’s house when I was there.
Shaking off the unexpected fear, I pressed forward, raising my nose to the air to sniff again. I caught a whiff of brown sugar and vanilla. Something else invaded my senses then, something all too intimate to deny. It was Waverly. I was sure of it.
I broke into a sprint, following the scent of my mate.
