Patient Mates(2)

“Well you don’t have to sound so pleased about it!” She snapped.

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s for the best. If you hadn’t ended things I would have.”

Milly tutted. “So all this time you were planning on how to dump me? To think I was actually feeling guilty about sleeping with my boss!”

With that the furious coyote shifter slammed the phone down.

Gabe chuckled as he stared at the receiver before hanging up. Well at least he didn’t have to feel guilty about dumping her. Relief poured through him and his wolf howled, pleased at the turn of events. Fickle beast, he’d been happy enough with Milly a year ago.

Although momentarily relieved that Milly had broken things off the wolf was still slightly restive. The beast was uneasy but Gabe had no idea why, or how to appease him. He had been for a couple of months now. Maybe he should try going for a run.

He was supposed to be on duty tonight. Since Alec the Sheriff had met and bonded with his true mate he had been reluctant to work late or night shifts. Alec naturally wanted to spend as much time with Liv as possible, especially since she was pregnant. The man was terrified of leaving her on her own, but then Alec was a tad obsessive. He’d once rushed home in the middle of the day to open a jar of pickles for Liv because she said she had a craving for them and couldn’t get the jar open.

The same obsessive behavior was evident in a number of his pack mates recently. It was like a damn mating frenzy! First his Beta, then the Alpha Adam found his female Alpha Rosalee, a young Enforcer called Mal Tanner bonded with the librarian Terri, another Enforcer Felicity had mated with a female bear, and his friend and fellow Deputy Mac found her mate in a black bear shifter called Andy. God even the most cantankerous member of the pack Hans found his true mate in a sassy witch called Melanie!

Gabe felt a sharp pinch in his chest as his beast whined. Maybe that was it. Loneliness. His relationship with Milly had never been very satisfying. Wolves craved companionship and the urge to mate and breed was strong. His wolf felt restless for a real connection with a woman. He yearned for his mate. The beast was yapping like a puppy now. Finally they were on the same page.

Gabe groaned. That was all very well but his true mate could be anywhere, it’s not like fate drew you a map. As far as he was concerned his pack mates had been blessed to find their true mates. Not everyone was so lucky...

His eyes flicked to the letter on the kitchen table and let out another lengthy groan. It was from his aunt, begging him to visit. Again. It was almost identical to the six other letters she had already sent him.

She told him how his father had changed, how they were moving forward with their lives, and they wanted Gabe to be a part of that. Yada yada yada.

Grunting Gabe strode to the table and snatching the letter threw it in the trash. He paced the kitchen. Then retrieved the letter, carefully wiping off the coffee grounds.

Gabe reread the letter. Just thinking of his father, and his dead mother, made Gabe shake with rage. The thought of seeing the old man again... no he couldn’t do it. If he did he might just kill him.

Letting out a moan of disgust he threw the letter in the trash again before storming out the room, only to return a few seconds later and pull it out again. He smoothed the wrinkled paper in his hands.

His wolf was always quiet when it came to his family. Maybe because he didn’t have the emotional fortitude to deal with the family drama. He left that entirely up to the man. On one hand the wolf wanted to be around his kin, but on the other he had left his family behind for a reason and now had a new family here in Rose.

He was angry at his family and frustrated at being alone. Although part of him worried that if he did meet a woman he wanted to settle down with it would turn out as badly as his parents.

Gabe left the letter on the kitchen table and tearing out the door started pulling at his clothes. He needed to calm down and work out his frustrations and what better way than a nice, freeing run.





Chapter Two

10th November

Kira Norton’s phone was ringing. Shrilly.

She groaned fumbling for the light switch. Knocking over a book, a glass of water and anything else that happened to be resting on her bedside cabinet. She half flopped out of bed and shuffled over to the living room. Why didn’t she just have a phone by the bed?

Picking it up she let out a half yawn half hello and was met with the sound of the dial tone. Terrific. She slammed the handset down, spouting curses that would make a sailor blush.

When her eyes finally managed to open she noticed it was 2.15am. Ugh, it was too early, although her wolf suddenly seemed very alert and was whining pitifully. She checked her answer phone and her cell, no messages. Surely it can’t have been that important or they’d have left a message, and if it was important they’d ring back.