Chapter 49

Poppy.

I wake up to hearing a howling in the distance and immediately notice that Adrian is not lying next to me. I get up to look around and try to see if I can get a sense of where he is, but he’s nowhere near me to catch his senses.

There is a pain in my heart when I realize that last night was only a one-night stand, and it didn’t mean anything to Adrian. I guess I’m just another one of his conquests that he leaves after he gets his fill of them.

So, this is what a one-night stand feels like, I say to myself.

I pick my clothes up off the ground and slowly pull them back on while trying to fight back the overwhelming emotions that I’m experiencing right now.

My wolf lets out a whimper; she does not want to believe that our mate just left us after our beautiful night of lovemaking.

I shrug.

I don’t know, maybe we are not good enough for him. I can’t compare to all those women he’s slept with in the past, and I can’t compare myself to Lola.

Maybe Adrian realizes this and runs back to Lola to make her his mate. The pack will be fine with that and fully support Adrian’s decision completely.

And me?

That leaves me able to move from this pack and this place, I guess. I can start a new life somewhere where nobody knows about my past or that I’m a pathetic girl whose mate didn’t want her because she didn’t classify as the ideal female wolf.

NO! We have to give him a chance to explain. My wolf cries out.

I shake my head.

I wander through the forest, trying to cope with the emotions that run rampant in my mind.

I run my fingers against the leaves on the trees to connect with the nature around me. It’s one of my greatest coping mechanisms now that my Grandmother is gone, and I’m not able to run to her when I have problems that I need help solving.

I reach the edge of the forest and there is still no sign of Adrian.

There’s a pain in my chest that all my worst fears are coming true.

Why did I let him find out about my wolf?

Why did I give in to my hormones and desires, allowing him to take me the way he did?

I step up to the front porch of my house and say the spell to unlock the door. Once inside the safety of my home, I release a gut-wrenching scream and collapse to the floor, crying.

I am such a foolish girl. A stupid, dumb, silly girl.

Why did I think that things would be different?

Why? Because he could smell my wolf?

Congratulations! The boy can be taught.

I shouldn’t be careless and leave the cave before the scent of my wolf has disappeared.

I know better.

This is what I get for not being so cautious.

I’m worse off now than I was before I allowed him to take something so precious from me.

“Why Grandma Selene? Why can’t he feel the bond after our mating? After giving in to his temptations, why can’t he sense me?” I cry out to my Grandmother, who I know can’t answer me anymore.

I’ve been right here in front of him this whole time.

I curl into a ball on the floor while the tears continue to fall like rain, and I can’t stop myself.

I don’t even remember falling asleep, but I slip quickly into a dream-like state.

“Poppyseed.”

I hear my Grandma Selene’s voice call out to me.

I pull myself up off the ground and walk toward the direction I believe her voice is coming from.

“Poppyseed, where are you?”

“I’m coming, Grandma Selene,” I answer.

My heart begins to pound excitedly as I face the closed bedroom door in front of me. I take in a deep breath before putting my hand on the handle and opening the door. I walk into the cold room, and my chest fills with joy when I see my Grandmother sitting on her bed, waiting for me.

I let out a gasp before rushing over to her and hugging her before sitting on the bed next to her. She opens her arms to embrace me and wraps them around me like a warm blanket.

This feels so real, yet I know it’s only a dream.

“Now, Poppyseed, what has you so upset?”

“Oh, Grandma, I did something stupid.”

Grandma Selene gives me a weird look and says, “That doesn’t sound like you. Now tell me what you did that is making you feel this way?”

I look down in my lap, where my hands are, and fidget with my fingers before telling her what I did. I let out a heavy sigh before admitting to her, “I mated with Adrian last night in the forest, and when I woke up this morning, he was gone.”

Grandma Selene nods her head in understanding.

“So what’s the stupid part?” She asks with a warm smile and a wink.

I smile even though I’m rolling my eyes and shaking my head at the same time.

I miss this so much already. My chest tightens when it hits me that I won’t have her here when I wake up.

“Don’t think about that right now. We are here together; let’s cherish the time we have.”

I wipe my face as I nod my head in agreement.

“Now tell me what happened before you mated?”

“We were arguing. He caught me not long after I had shifted from my wolf form back into my human form.”

“So he was able to smell your wolf, interesting.”

“I think only because he was angry, and his wolf was close to the surface,” I admit.

“I see. Well, we know the curse makes it hard for him to sense you when both of your wolves are not at the surface. There must be something about the connection. Now, the only reason you think that he left you is because of his reputation with past women and how he doesn’t stay around after he’s been with them, correct?”

I press my lips into a thin line before nodding my head.

Did I overreact?

My Grandmother gives me a small smile and a pat on the hand for reassurance.

“It’s understandable, dear, with everything you’ve been through.”

“Are you reading my thoughts?”

Grandma Selene shrugs her shoulders and says, “It’s your dream, deary; I’m just here for comfort as you work through this.”

“So my subconscious thinks I should give Adrian the benefit of the doubt and not jump to conclusions.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a handle on things here,” she says to me before getting up from the bed.

“Wait, do you have to go so soon? There are so many things I still want to ask you.”

Grandma turns back around to me and smiles, “I’ll always be here when you need me, but your best resource is to look to the books.”

“Books? What books!” I say aloud.

My eyes pop open, and I pull myself off the floor. I rub my eyes as I put the pieces of my dream together. It seems so real.

I sigh heavily when I realize I need to learn not to react negatively when I don’t have all the information available and try to see Adrian in a different light.

I guess I need to head back to the forest and see if I can find him.

My thoughts and senses are all over the place, and I don’t realize that someone is standing at my door when I go to open it.

My heart leaps out of my chest as I try to catch my breath. My body fills with anxiety as I stare at the person in front of me.

“Gabriel, what are you doing here at my house?”