I passed out, probably in the middle of Wolfe kissing my neck and cuddling me. I became a sobbing mess again, but this time, I was in his arms and genuinely felt the comfort he was giving me. I felt cared for, and on top of that, I found out he was my mate. I felt like an idiot for not realizing that, and again, he had a point. I was drawn to him since the night I met him, and ever since our first time, my body craved and longed for him. If our matebond made me feel that way, then what he said had to be true.

When I finally regained consciousness, I was still lying on the bed, but he wasn't with me. It was nighttime, and only the fire in the fireplace kept the place lit and warm. I didn't hear him chopping any wood outside and thought maybe he went out for a pee, and I just so coincidentally woke up around that time.

I closed my eyes to slip back to sleep, but it didn't work. I couldn't go to sleep, not with this aching feeling of wanting to always be near the alpha. The alpha was my mate for crying out loud.

I grew excited, lying there and staring at the ceiling. It started to feel like he was gone for a while, so I figured I'd get out of bed and add more wood to the fire while I waited. And then it hit me. Earlier, Wolfe told me he would make them pay, and he would make them all pay for what they did to me.

Was he being serious? As much as I wanted Micah to pay for what she did and her betrayal, she was my best friend. Surely, our five years of friendship meant more to her than some jealousy?

It was okay for friends to get jealous of one another, and like ordinary people, they had to work around it. Lannard somehow influenced her and turned her against me. It wouldn't be surprising that he wanted me dead; I always got weird vibes from him.

But if Wolfe was really about to go to town in that angered state, there was no telling what may happen. I could tell he was an alpha, a very strong and powerful alpha. I couldn't bear it over my heart for him to hurt Micah.

I quickly got up and looked for something to wear since the clothes he put on me a while back were also torn off my body. I found my old clothes, all dried up, that I first wore when he found me. I wore them and walked out the door barefoot. I was used to walking this ground with my soles, so I wasn't afraid of stepping on hard and pointy rocks. And this side of the forest was hardly filled with sharp objects.

I decided to walk in the direction of the town. I hugged myself while I carefully walked in the dark. I then stepped when my senses suddenly went haywire. It was as if I was about to hit the ground because of the intense waves of pheromones coming from my left and that familiar scent that came with it. Omegas always sensed it whenever their alphas were nearby. This was Wolfe, which meant he didn't go to the town. He was around here all along. But something didn't feel right.

He wasn't controlling his pheromones. I should've hit the ground by now, but they affected me differently. The same effect they had on that night we met. He was in a rut again.

That's why he went out. He was still in a rut, and I was asleep, so he wanted to keep himself away from me until it was over.

That was the only conclusion I could come up with. I looked through the woods, seeing a few fireflies here and there and crickets chirping. If Wolfe was my mate, he never had to go through this alone.

I gathered all my strength because my back was still sore after the earlier heated session. I followed the trail of his scent and pheromones. I released my own to get his response, but he was too powerful and overwhelming.

I walked past a few trees, getting closer and closer. I heard the waterfall and pond nearby, then reached the waterfall. He was here, but I didn't see any sign of him. Where is he?

And then I did see something. Right there behind the falls was an entrance to a cave. Wolfe was in there.