“Do you…” Goddess, I felt like a teenager with a crush. “Did Wolfe tell you I spoke to him?”
“I don’t speak to the alpha every day,” he said, his voice clipped. “He trusts me to run his pack in his absence.”
“I didn’t think he didn’t.”
Killian blew out a breath. “I did speak to him earlier, but he never mentioned you spoke.”
“Oh.” I dropped my eyes so he couldn’t see my reaction. Why was I so disappointed?
“Hedidsay he knocked Diesel flat on his ass for the way he spoke to you.”
I looked up in surprise, and Killian rubbed his jaw. “The only person I’ve ever seen to knock D down was Wolfe.” He looked at me in assessment. “Might need to go easier on you.”
“Don’t you dare!” I said, my temper flaring at the thought he was going to take it easier on me just because of Wolfe. I was not some frail thing to be protected. Killian grinned at my response, and I let out a laugh. “Sneaky,” I admonished him, catching him in his trick.
“You want to wash up before dinner?”
I nodded and Killian and I walked up the hill. At Wolfe’s door, he handed me a phone. “I put his number in it. Mine, Cody’s, Thalia’s, and some others.” He saw my look. “Alpha’s orders. He said to tell you he might not always have it on him, but he’ll let you know if he’s calling.”
I turned it over in my hand. “Thank you.”
“There’s a charger inside.” He showed me the socket on the phone, then pointed to the top right of the screen. “When this turns red, plug it in. Don’t overcharge it, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He pointed at one of the small squares, where the picture was a square beside a triangle on its side. “This allows you to FaceTime. It’s like talking, but you see each other.”
I peered at the small square. “Why?”
Killian looked away, biting his lip. “I reckon you’ll find out soon.” He opened the door to the house. “See you at dinner.”
I went inside and hurried through my shower, eager to be clean so I could spend more time with my phone. The gray squares in the message changed to reveal punctuation, and I learned how to use capital letters. In a short time, I was happy knowing that I could send a proper sentence to Wolfe.
Me:I got a new phone.
No dots appeared, and when Killian called from outside to ask if I was ready, I reluctantly put the phone down as we headed for dinner. Throughout the meal, I kept wondering if he had replied. Eventually, Killian set his fork down and groaned.
“Is this what humans suffer through with their children?” he asked no one in particular. “Rowen,please, go.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, forcing myself to stay in the seat.
“Go see if your mate has called you,” Killian said with an exhausted drawl. “Please, put yourself—and me—out of your misery.”
I was already heading for the door, grinning as laughter followed me.
“I’m training you twice as hard tomorrow!” Killian yelled after me, but I was already jogging up the hill and didn’t care if he went three times as hard tomorrow.
I threw myself through the doorway and launched myself at the phone, my enthusiasm dwindling as quickly as a drain in a storm when I saw he hadn’t replied.
Sitting down with a thump, I pushed back the wave of disappointment as I told myself it was fine, he was busy. He was an alpha.
Later, as I lay in bed after getting up to place my phone far from my reach so I stopped staring at it, I decided phones were stupid, manipulative things, and only the Goddess should be able to hold such power over one’s emotions. Not stupid pieces of plastic.
It was embarrassing how quickly I leapt from the bed to snatch the phone from on top of the trunk when I heard it beep.
Wolfe:Rowen, you there?
Me:Yes.
