Chapter 80

Waking up alone always sucks because my brain is already up the minute I open my eyes, and I am thinking about the backlog of work I have. But waking up with Toby? That was something I wanted to experience every single day.

He woke up like a Disney princess—his eyes fluttering open, the cliché stretching his arms and limbs, even down to the soft yawn. When he finally became aware of his surroundings, he turned to me, a lazy smile tugging at his lips.

“Good morning, love.” He rasped in a sleep-laden voice, and I giggled, giddy from being called love. But you can’t fault me; I am finally getting the love I deserved, and sometimes it was surreal.

“Good morning.” I mumbled back, careful so that none of that stinky breath was reaching him.

“Had a good sleep?”

“You should know better.” I teased, flashing him my rare smile, and he blinked, a faint dust of red on his cheeks.

“Touché.” He murmured, his ears turning red with every passing second, and my smile grew wider.

Oh my, I think I just struck gold. It wasn’t every day I got to see my mate blush like that, and I was already planning to tease him about it when I suddenly froze. Toby went still beside me too; his eyes gleamed over, and his smile was quick to fade as the message began to come through.

And I knew it would only be one thing.

The shipments have arrived.

As if on autopilot, we slid out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom. It was going to be a busy day, and it was better to start with it on a clean slate.

After our morning routine, I slipped into brown khaki shorts and a tank top, while Toby had opted for a casual shirt and shorts, and we headed out.

The armory buzzed with a quiet tension as we arrived, the scent of oil and metal thick in the air. My siblings were already waiting, along with the men they had gathered, and their sharp eyes took us in, their noses flaring as they regarded us.

The men from his pack paused mid-task, their eyes darting between us as our mixed scent wafted in their direction. I could notice the exchange between them and a knowing smile, but it was gone before I could say anything, and they continued with their task.

The rifles were the first to be unloaded, their sleek black glistening in the sun. It came alongside a bullet made from wolfsbane, and those were stored in the box and kept in their place. The dagger caught my eye, small but powerful, the blade made from the sharpest of stones, and it could cut through layers of skin.

I will have to take one to add to my collection.

Toby stayed by my side as we worked through the crates, and hours blurred together as we unloaded, inspected, and organized the haul. By the time the last item was accounted for, the sun had already dipped low, ready to retire.

“Are you not going with them?” I asked Toby as the truck that had brought the weapons was revving up to go back, but he shook his head.

“I need to make sure everything is well before I go.” He replied, his eyes fluttering over the new weapons. I know it wasn’t his business at this point, but I wouldn’t help the way my heart warmed as I heard his words.

“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tight, not minding the fact that we were in public. His hand came to rest on my head and another around my waist, and he drew me in closer, leaning down to sniff my head.

“While I am always crazy about my woman’s scent, I think we need to take a shower and get lunch.” Then he looked up at the sky that was now a golden hue across the horizon, the sun fast disappearing to the earth. “Well, dinner now.”

“Of course. I am starving.” He didn’t need to tell me twice. I let him lead me up to my room while messaging someone to bring up our food to my room.

The pack would only go crazy if they saw me with him, and I couldn’t risk it when I wasn’t so sure he was staying.

We took a rather chaste shower, scrubbing ourselves clean until we had washed away all of the day’s sweat. We wrapped ourselves in the fluffy towels, going out, and I could already perceive the scent of the food arriving.

Dinner was a plate of mashed potatoes with a topping of gravy, accompanied by a perfectly grilled steak and green beans for color—my absolute favorite. Between Toby and I, the meal was gone in a twinkling of an eye, and afterwards, we settled back against the headboard.

We talked about everything and nothing, and I found myself smiling at his daunting stories. It continued till midnight, when our speech was getting slurred and our eyes grew heavy, and we lay down beside each other.

That night I hugged him extra tight, and I was sure if it were possible to diffuse, I would be melted into him. His hands also tightened around me, and that was how we slept.

I stirred up slowly, reluctant to leave the comfort of my bed. I stretched my arms above my head even as my mouth opened in a wide yawn. I glanced at my side; the warmth that was emanating from the person beside me was gone. No surprises there.

But it was ironic that he wanted to chew me out for this particular thing the last time I was around. My shoulders slumped, and I released a sigh, already feeling drained despite the long sleep.

I made to stand up, but the neon sticky note on his pillow drew my attention, and I picked it up.

“I am sorry I had to leave early, but something came up, and it was diabolical for me to wake you up when you were sleeping so soundly. Take care. Love, Toby.”

I read the note again, pursing my lips as frustration bubbled beneath the surface. How could he think I was too ‘pretty’ to wake up when I was desperate to see him? My breath hitched, half from annoyance and half from a warmth I couldn’t deny. I don’t even know if I should be angry or sad.

I set the note down with a sigh, knowing I could never stay mad with him for long. Instead, I went about my morning routine, and I headed for my office, preparing to lock myself up till I had sorted out most of the files on my desk.

I managed to make it through that week and even the next that followed, although it was just the video calls with Toby that were keeping me sane.

But I couldn’t do it to anyone; my legs were already itching to take me to where I belonged, and I was sure that any moment from now, Lia was going to bolt.

I came up with a flimsy excuse, explaining to my siblings that I had some business to do at the rogue pack, but the looks they were exchanging were obvious that they had caught on to it.

“Sure, don’t exert yourself so much. You still have work to do here.” They called after me, the teasing very obvious in their voice, and I shook my head.

I slipped out of the room and headed straight for mine, grabbing a few essentials and stuffing them in one of my bags. I headed downstairs, to where I parked my car, and I entered inside.

It was time to see my mate.