Page 70 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
With a weak nod, I continue while the warmth of his touch lingers even when I’m out of the room.
Being in the spare room almost feels like returning to that first night, but I curl up on the bed anyway and try to find whatever comfort I can in the cool sheets.
From somewhere in the house, I hear the idle sound of Luke pacing, but before long, my thoughts drown it out.
I don’t know how this ends, and I don’t know if this bond will be enough to solve everything else, but there’s only so much more I can take.
Chapter 24 - Luke
Sleep evades me most of the night, as almost every minute I don’t have Sera in bed with me feels more like torture than just distance.
Regardless of only being a floor apart, the bond feels colder than usual, pulled tight enough to make me feel like I could snap at any point.
Just after dawn, I sense her getting up before I do, and outside, I feel the morning patrol begin. The usual routine continues, whether I’m ready or not.
She avoids me even into the morning, and as much as I want to cut the space, I don’t out of respect for her. I’ve done enough already by trying to force everything into place how I want it.
Outside, the air is cool while the sun stays hidden behind heavy clouds, only worsening my mood as I try to go through the motions.
The others greet me when our paths cross, but I catch their slight hesitation and caution, like they don’t know how to decipher my current state. In all honesty, I don’t know how to either.
Many of them just want to appease me and follow my lead, but enough of them are questioning me and my ability to lead. It doesn’t need to be said for me to feel it.
“Perimeter’s clear,” Isaac says as he approaches me through the trees with Dominic in tow. The two of them have been volunteering themselves as night patrol leaders, and in a way, it has turned into a loose kind of mentorship for when I get pulled away.
“Any signs of Wraith Peak?”
Dominic shakes his head. “Nah, nothing fresh.”
That’s good, at least. It’s a small victory, but I’ll take it.
Despite the more positive note, Isaac’s expression turns more uneasy. “I heard a few guys talking during the night.”
I deflate a little. “What did they say this time?”
“They mentioned how the tension is destabilizing things, and they’re worried the other Alphas might sense weakness. If not them, then Dawson will.”
My spine locks at that word. Destabilizing. That’s exactly what Voss said the day he tried to get Sera back.
Irritation flares beneath my skin at the thought, but I shove it aside and try to steady myself. I refuse to allow him that satisfaction in any capacity.
Exhaling, I rub at my temple. “Just one night…that’s all I ask.”
“I think leadership under pressure shows what it’s made of,” Dominic says, but his optimistic spin doesn’t land as intended.
“They say friction is good,” Isaac adds, offering me a small, reassuring smile.
“Friction is all I’ve had for weeks,” I mutter, well aware that I’ll still trudge on regardless.
“And it’ll clear up soon. Just give it time,” Dominic says, clapping my shoulder with a hand.
Time…as if I haven’t been relying on it heavily as is.
When they finish giving me the rundown, I head toward the wharf to speak to a few others when I spot Dad getting outof his truck, surely preparing to sink even more time into his businesses in preparation for the busy season ahead.
From a distance, I catch his eye, and while I half expect him to wave or at least nod in my direction, he doesn’t do either. Instead, he holds my gaze with that unreadable expression before continuing.
It throws me enough to stop me in my tracks, forced to unravel everything that one glance seemed to say without any words at all.
