Page 28 of Two Years Gone

“Seriously?” I yelled as I threw myself on the bed.

“So much for Mr. I’m-trying-to-change! The nerve of that guy!”

I took a breath and tried to calm myself. I thought back to our conversation, the look in his eye.

He almost seemed jealous. I shook the thought away. He didn’t want me. I was nothing to him.

“I’m nothing…,” I whispered as I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke still exhausted and drained. I dragged myself to the kitchen, took the biggest mug I could find, and filled it to the brim with coffee.

“Rough morning?” Mom asked as she walked in, grabbing her own coffee.

“I’m exhausted,” I replied, attempting to rub the sleep from my eyes.

“Well, how about as soon as we get breakfast made you can come back here and take a nice long nap before lunch prep? It’s just breakfast, we can manage one service without you.”

“I might have to take you up on that, I’m dragging today,” I replied, yawning as we made our way up the hill.

“You’ve been working hard lately. I’m grateful for the lighter workload, but you need to make sure you take time for yourself as well.” Mom rubbed my back as we entered the pack house.

We made breakfast and I grabbed myself a muffin before heading back down the hill. I collapsed on the bed and drifted easily back to sleep.

Chapter 14

ZANE

I knew I had to apologize. Again. I kept messing up when it came to Ella. I couldn’t just let it be.

Last night, when I was walking back to the pack house, I saw her with Declan, his arm around her. That irritated me, but it made it worse when the guy kissed her.

My wolf wanted to rip the guy’s head off. She was so warm with Declan. It was a side of her I had never experienced. I just lost it.

But I shouldn’t have made a big deal about it, and now I had to find her and say sorry. Again. This whole change thing was harder than I thought it would be.

I walked down to breakfast and was disappointed to find only Sophie.

“No Ella this morning?” I asked nonchalantly.

“She’s feeling a little run down, so I let her head back home to rest after we made breakfast. She’ll be back for lunch though.”

I nodded and then made my way outside and down the hill. I knocked on the door, but she didn’t answer.

The door was unlocked, so I wandered in. I didn’t see her, so I made my way into one of the bedrooms.

Immediately, I was overwhelmed by her scent. It was all over the room, and I almost passed out from the sensation. I looked around and saw her cuddled up in the bed.

I walked up, wanting to wake her and get this apology over with, but she looked so peaceful. I took her in, my eyes going over every feature.

She was beautiful, I couldn’t deny it. In high school, she was pretty, but she had definitely grown into herself in the last two years while I was gone.

Her long brown hair fell in waves down her back, and her dark lashes seemed to brush her cheeks as they lay closed.

Her soft lips and warm cheeks made me want to kiss her, and her body was lean and shapely.

She had become a beautiful woman, and all I wanted was for her to look up at me with those bright hazel eyes with something more than anger in them.

I backed away, deciding I could wait until later; and made my way out of their little cabin and back up the hill.