was just another Wednesday night.
"And…you're not worried?" she asked for the third time.
"Not really," Cassidy shrugged. "Our alphas know what they're doing."
Jocelyn had no idea how the other women could be so calm. Aric wasn't even officially her mate, but she was still terrified for him. The fact that she barely knew him did nothing to diminish her worry, especially because it would all be her fault if something happened to him.
In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized just how devastated she would be if any harm came to Aric. Her heart started racing, making her feel dizzy.
"Holy shit, girl," Darcy said, rushing to her side. "Are you all right? Sit down—you look like you're about to pass out."
They'd been standing in the kitchen, where Jocelyn had made coffee using supplies she'd found in one of the few cupboards that hadn't been shot up. Darcy led her to the couch, which was mostly fine other than a few holes in the cushions.
"I'm all right," Jocelyn lied, but she sat down anyway. "I'm just..."
She had no idea how to end the sentence. She was just…what? Desperately worried about a man who she'd claimed to hate? Certain that if he died, her life would have no meaning? Out of her mind at the thought of him even being grazed by a bullet?
"I get it," Darcy said, sitting down next to her and patting her hand. "You're in love."
"It's not that," Jocelyn exclaimed, aghast. She might not know what the hell was going on inside her, but she knew it wasn't…love.
She didn't even like Aric.
All right, so he was good in bed. Better than good. In fact, Darcy was pretty sure that no beta alive could pleasure her the way Aric did.
And he was undoubtedly brave, going out there to hunt a hardened killer. Few men would be as willing to put their lives on the line for her.
But he was also impossible. Blunt to the point of having no filters. Definitely arrogant. And obviously used to having his way, given how pushy he could be. In other words, hardly boyfriend material.
Although…maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to be pushed outside her comfort zone now and then. Aric had a way of bringing out elements of her personality that Jocelyn usually tried to keep hidden, the parts that made it difficult to navigate the beta world.
When she was around him, she felt brave, confident, like she could speak her mind. It didn't matter if Aric liked what she had to say, she felt free to say it.
Besides, she wasn't in the beta world anymore, she reminded herself—and she couldn't go back. Here in the Boundarylands, the traits that she'd leaned into before--keeping her head down and her mouth shut, staying in the shadows where no one would bother her—would not help her at all.
In the past, fear made her careful. Here, fear made her vulnerable and, worse, useless.
Her new friends hadn't created lives for themselves here by being timid. And no matter how hard she tried to hide, Aric had proved that he still saw her. Really saw her.
And he wanted what he saw.
That, too, he had proved again and again—even thinking about it stoked Jocelyn's desire and unleashed her slick. Fighting it did no good. She wanted him, and not just on a physical level.
She couldn't pretend she was just a victim of her hormones. Jocelyn's emotions were completely entwined with her desire. Aric had somehow become the backdrop of all of her waking thoughts, and—if she ever managed to sleep again—her dreams as well.
The simple truth was Jocelyn dreaded the thought of Aric putting himself in danger. She wanted him safe at home with her. It didn't matter that she didn't understand her feelings; she couldn't deny them.
She wasn't willing to call it love just yet, but the words she chose didn't matter. The important part was that Jocelyn needed Aric. Like she needed water or air.
He was a part of her. And she was a part of him.
And no matter what the other women said, there was no way in hell she was going to be able to relax until he came back to her.
Chapter Sixteen
Jo had been right to fear her old boss: the son of a bitch did not go down easy.
The alphas had spread out upon setting out from the house, Samson and Zeke flanking Aric on either side. They'd sprinted only a few yards into the woods when the first