CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Rhett paced back and forth in front of Sara’s Bed and Breakfast. He wanted to march right back in there and yank her into his arms and never let go, but she had locked him out. If he hadn’t checked her scent, he would have never believed the story about her shifting into a wolf. But she had, and he did believe her. She had a whole new scent, and it was driving him wild.
Rhett yanked his cellphone from his pocket and hit the speed dial button for his assistant.
“Hi, Mr. Parker,” a cheerful woman answered the phone.
“Hi, Kayleigh. Can you do me a favor and move my morning meeting to tomorrow. Something urgent came up, and I need to go see Tristan.”
“I hope everything is okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you.” He kept the call short and sweet. Glancing back at Sara’s home one last time, Rhett had to trust that she would be okay while he took care of business. Though she had done an awfully good job of acting like she was indifferent toward him, he knew better. He sensed her wolf and that her wolf had an interest in him, to the degree that it was perfectly clear that Sara's wolf considered Rhett her mate.
No matter how hard Sara tried to fight her feelings for him, he would always have her animal in his corner. She might huff and puff and make a big to-do about it, but when it came down to it, the animal inside of her would want her mate by her side no matter what.
That didn't give him a pass on the fact that he had royally screwed up. Nope. Not at all. He was going to have to work ten times harder to convince Sara to give him a second chance, but she was his mate, and he wasn't about to walk away.
Even if he had wanted to, it would be physically impossible. His wolf would always long for her. Now that the animal knew who his mate was, he would always want her, need her, and love her no matter what.
Rhett hopped in his truck and headed for Tristan’s house. He needed answers, and his friend was the kind of alpha who could be counted on for some wisdom in times like these.
“I figured I'd see you at some point today,” Tristan said, stepping out onto the front porch when Rhett arrived.
“You figured right. I think we need to talk, and Barbara should probably be here as well if she's around,” Rhett said.
“Come on in. She just started a fresh pot of coffee,” Tristan said, holding the door open.
Rhett didn't know what it was, but the alpha's house always smelled like home.
“Well, well, well. Look who we have here,” Barbara said, pouring a cup of coffee and putting it on the table for Rhett.
“Good morning to you too,” Rhett said, nodding his head in thanks for the drink.
“Have a seat.” Tristan nodded at the dining room table before filling up his coffee mug and taking a seat of his own. “I’m guessing you’ve seen Sara today?”
Rhett nodded. “Did either of you have any idea that she had a shifter hidden inside her?”
He sipped the warm beverage and waited for the alpha to speak. Tristan and Barbara exchanged glances before Barbara answered. “No, we didn’t.”
“You mean to tell me you had no idea?” Rhett asked, finding it hard to believe that the alpha and his wife didn't know about Sara.
“Neither one of us knew because she didn't know,” Tristan said. “And before you even ask ... The answer is no. I've never seen anything like this before, ever. Not in all my years as a wolf or being an alpha. I don’t know why the wolf gene stayed dormant in her for so long. It doesn’t make a lick of sense. So, we can’t blame Barbara for her meddling. Not this time, anyway.”
Tristan laughed, and his wife joined him, but they quickly turned serious again when Rhett asked, “How is any of this even possible?”
“We don’t really know,” Tristan admitted before nodding to his wife to explain.
“I’ve spoken to a few other witches, and the most likely scenario is that her shifter gene may have been latent inside of her, buried underneath the magic she’d been honing since she was a child. Your mating bite probably stirred her sleeping wolf, and the next time she used magic, it was like a dam bursting, allowing her wolf to finally step out into the world the moment she was in danger.”
His mind was blown. Not only was Sara a wolf, but she hadn’t even known about it until last night.
And he hated that she hadn’t gone to him for help.
“What did she tell you when you spoke to her?” Tristan asked.
“Not a whole lot, considering I’m in the dog house,” Rhett said. “She told me about shifting, but that was it before she kicked me out.”
“Good for her,” Barbara chuckled. “Sorry, but you know you deserve that. I can't believe you claimed her during the ceremony without clearing it with her first. You’re a grown man, and you really let your senses get away from you like that?”