Twenty.

Aiden

“I can take you there myself. I can show you where the dead Wolf is if you don’t believe me.” Bella continues to scowl at me.

I stare at her. She hadn’t come back because of our mate bond. She had only come back to tell me of the dead Wolf. And that pissed me off more.

The first hour after she left, I had stayed in the kitchen, expecting her to come back. By the second hour, I knew I had screwed up. I had granted Bella freedom and she took full advantage. The more the hours passed, I knew that I was less likely to see her again.

“Go after her!” Halle had begged when she found out what I had done. “You can scent her. You can find her.”

I could have, but that wasn’t the point. Bella hadn’t had a second thought about our bond. She didn’t even look back as she disappeared into the trees.

“This is what she wants.” I snapped back

“You are just like every other man. You have no clue when it comes to females.”

“What are you talking about, Halle?”

“What do you think it is that she actual