Awaken a Wolf by R. E. Butler Read Free Book Online Page B

dropped her head and backed out of the room.  Guilt pricked at him, but he shoved away the unwanted feeling.  He was making the best decision for his relationship with Cinder.  With the tiger gone, she would have to deal with their mating on her own.  It wouldn’t take long before the mate-heat became too much to bear, and then she’d come to him.  Taking the tiger out of the equation meant she would have no choice but to turn to Adam.  He wasn’t a patient male by any stretch, and he hoped she’d turn to him sooner, rather than later.
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    Cinder felt Angie before she even opened the door to the clinic Thursday night.  She normally worked at the Cleveland Mother Earth Store on Thursdays and Fridays, but Doc Whalen had asked her to work Thursday to make up for missing Tuesday.
    Earlier in the day, Brick had brought lunch for her, and she’d been treated to homemade fettuccine alfredo courtesy of Adam’s mom.  Cinder had liked the meal so much that she decided to wear the pendant Adam sent for her.  The wolf charm was warm and comforting as it hung around her neck.
    Angie had a small silver gift bag in her hand, and she set it on the counter.  Cinder heard a tinkling sound, and she noticed that Angie was wearing a bracelet with little bells hanging from it.
    Grinning, Cinder reached for the bag and said, “I didn’t mean you literally had to wear bells.”
    Angie wiggled her arm, and the bells danced.  “All morning my mom kept saying she was hearing bells, and I didn’t tell her it was my bracelet.  She thought she was losing her mind.  It was pretty hilarious.”
    “Brick said your mom made my lunch.  It was delicious.”
    “I’ll tell her you said so. It’s one of my favorite meals of hers too.”
    Cinder pulled a tuft of tissue paper from the bag and extracted a small white box.  She lifted the lid and found four squares of chocolate, stamped with the name of her favorite candy shop.
    She put down the box and stared at the contents for a long moment before looking at Angie.  “He asked Leo what my favorite candy is, didn’t he?”
    Angie’s gaze seemed to light everywhere but on Cinder’s.  “Yes.”
    Cinder put the lid on the box and said, “It’s bad enough he took my friend away, but to mine him for information about me just seems…really shitty.”
    “I’m sorry, Cinder.”
    “It’s not your fault.  I guess I don’t hate him for trying to figure out what I like, but he could have asked me.  Does he ever do anything himself or does he always send people for him?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “He’s sent Solan and Brick to bring me lunch.  I’m betting he didn’t clean my apartment himself while I was in the hospital, and you’ve brought me gifts the last two nights from him.  Doesn’t he know it would mean more if he did these errands himself?”
    Angie shrugged but seemed to agree.  “He’s alpha.”
    “And?”
    “And nothing.”
    Cinder leaned back in the chair and looked at the young wolf.  “If I were a she-wolf in the pack, would he be doing this kind of thing?”
    “If you were in the pack, you’d be thrilled to be his mate.”
    “Because he’s alpha.”
    Angie nodded.
    Cinder thanked Angie for the chocolates and turned down the invitation for a ride to Adam’s home.  After Angie left, Cinder felt an odd twist in her stomach, a mild cramp that made her pause.  She picked up the bag and sniffed it, finding it smelled like Adam had, like the woods at night.  Her stomach twisted again, and she put down the bag and pushed it to the edge of the desk.  She felt irked at Adam for talking to Leo about her.  For all she knew, Leo had told Adam about her bedroom habits.  A blush crept up her neck as she wondered whether Adam had asked Leo what she was like in bed.  She really didn’t want to know what males talked about when they talked about sex, although she truly hoped Leo had only good things to say about her.
    Her