The Beta's Forbidden Mate

Chapter Eleven

For the next five days I went through life like a sleepwalker, only half-aware of what was going on around me.

On Tuesday, I finally caved and let Kelly drag me to girl's night at one of the local pubs. I tried to laugh and joke along with my friends like nothing had ever happened, but it was no use.

The world was different. I was different. The mark on my shoulder had begun to fade into a deep purple bruise, but I knew I would bear the scars from his fangs forever.

I often found myself running my fingers over the puncture wounds unconsciously, reliving the moment again and again when he had sunk his teeth into my skin. Every time I touched the mark, I felt a rush of desire so strong it almost knocked me off my feet.

Wednesday morning, Naomi Perkins returned my acoustic guitar, saying her grandmother had found one in a pawn shop and given it to her for her birthday. I blinked at the instrument for a solid thirty seconds before remembering where I was and why she was handing it to me.

One thing was for sure, if this kept up it was seriously going to start affecting my ability to do my job. At least the semester was drawing to a close, so Mrs. Ng chalked my spaciness up to a big case of summer-fever.

"Only seven weeks left!" she crowed on Thursday afternoon. I made myself smile and agree, but she might as well have been speaking Pig Latin for all I could bring myself to talk to her.

Finally, it was Friday morning, and I did something I hadn't done since high school.

I faked sick.

Thankfully, Principal Boehn's secretary was a sweet, unsuspicious woman who didn't bat an eyelash at my exaggerated "congested" voice and wished me a speedy recovery.

My heart pounded as I set down my phone and went to stare out the window.

Asher showed up a little before noon, and by then I'd managed to pace every inch of my apartment three hundred times. I practically sprang at the door when he knocked.

Immediately, I noticed the change in him. Gone was the furtive, bristling posture. For once his shoulders were relaxed, and his gaze didn't constantly jump from exit to exit.

"Hey," he said with an easy grin.

I smiled back, feeling the tension that had been holding my body rigid for the past week melt away at the sight of him.

The mark on my shoulder throbbed when he stepped inside and kissed me.

"Can you really stay away for two full days?" I asked, hardly daring it could be true. So far, we hadn't spent more then half an hour in the same room together.

"The pack thinks I'm on my way to the Canadian border," he said.

"And they won't know that you came here instead?"

"I can't see how they would. Alpha Samson trusts me. I've never lied to him before."

Asher winced at the words. This was difficult for him, too. We'd both had our lives blown off track by the force of our mating bond.

At least we finally had some time to get to know one another.

"So, what should we do with all of this freedom?" I said with a laugh, trying to keep the mood light. "I could take you on a tour of the city, or we could stay here and order takeout?"

"I like the idea of staying in bed all weekend," he said with a devilish grin.

My body immediately thrilled to the idea, but I tried to hang on to my self-control. "Well don't forget you're coming to the concert tomorrow night to meet my friends."