The Chef's Sick Mate (Book 17 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 22

Linc nodded slowly. He could understand why. Well, not really because he hadn't experienced it himself, thankfully, but just watching his cousin go through what he had the last five months had been painful enough. Aidan had a one-night stand with Ana, and then she disappeared, leaving him unable to find her.

He'd grown more and more restless over those months. Each time Linc had seen him, he could easily see how agitated his cousin was getting. Aidan would be forced to mark another female, one he didn't care about, or he'd become completely obsessed with marking his mate, that literally being the only thing he could think of.

Lincoln was fairly certain he had been getting to that point, too. Every time he'd seen Aidan lately, he'd been distracted, half paying attention to the conversation around him, his mind elsewhere. Linc wouldn't want to trade places with him.

But somehow, Aidan had found his fated mate, though Linc still wasn't exactly sure how. He knew eventually he'd find out, but for now, Aidan was more relaxed and calm than Linc had seen him in months. He'd noticed earlier that Ana was marked, which explained Aidan's calmness. Ana would probably be marking him within the next twenty-four hours and completing their bond.

"I did, for months on end. Probably a good six months before the plane crash, then it slowed down some after that. When I was being held..." Xavier stopped, and a dark shadow crossed over his face. "I dreamed of her and my wolf. It was one of the few things that kept me sane. Or at least somewhat sane. I was convinced vampires were taking my blood." He smiled and shook his head, his eyes widening as he stared at his plate.

"You what?" Linc asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"And the whole time, you were an actual werewolf," Aidan laughed, then sobered. "Though frankly, I can't blame you for thinking that."

Xavier smiled as he looked up at him. "Yeah, my thoughts were all over the place." He pushed his palm against his forehead. "I had way too much time to think. It wasn't like I could do anything else. I was too weak."

Aidan studied him for a long moment, and Xavier looked up and smiled. "Don't worry, Aidan."

"What am I missing?" Lincoln asked, watching the two of them.

"My mate's father was one of the two males who were holding Xavier captive," Aidan said, his eyes on Xavier, a frown on his face.

Lincoln stared back and forth between the two of them. "And you're okay with this?"

Xavier shrugged. "I never saw him. Just his partner."

"The cruel, sadistic bastard of the two of them," Aidan muttered in disgust.

"Aidan read through the notes on the laptop Ozark took from the place before they burned it down," Xavier told him. "And Ana is a cop. Well, a detective. She was kind enough to come here and return my things to me. I'm not worried about her."

His mate was a detective? Lincoln's gaze swung back to Aidan. "Is that how you found her?"

Aidan nodded. "That was a shock, finding her here at the pack house."

Lincoln snorted. "I bet. But I guess if it was meant to be, it was meant to be."

Both Xavier and Aidan nodded distractedly.

"And frankly, at this point, I think it would be rather selfish of me to ask Aidan to give up his mate," Xavier mused. "She had nothing to do with any of it."

"She's just as appalled by it as I am," Aidan said quietly.

"So why are you asking?" Xavier asked him. "About the mate dreams?*