Page 36 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

I stared at my wide hips and the way my breasts hung low. I could still feel his hands on me, skating over my skin. I chewed on my lower lip as I remembered how he tugged on my nipples, how his fingers grazed over my stomach.

I shook my head. “Enough, Hazel. It was a one-time thing.”

I turned and flipped the shower on. I knew better than to make something up in my head. Asher didn’t have any feelings for me. He was only being nice, and if he actually saw me naked, he would think twice.

I showered, trying to scrub last night’s events off of me. I got dressed wearing a baggy pair of pants and a sweater, not feeling like dressing up.

I went downstairs quietly, not wanting to run into Asher. But I quickly found out that his car was gone.

I turned my attention to the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of cereal. I walked around the house as I ate the bowl, looking through all the photos that Asher hung up. I found myself starting to enjoy them, even asking him about where he took them.

He had an entirely different life from what I’d had. He’d been out on adventures and seen the world. I was a little jealous of it. He had been to places I dreamed of going.

I paused at a picture of the woods, my heart suddenly beating too quickly. My fingers shook on the bowl, and all of last night seemed to slam into me again.

I was in the middle of the woods. I looked around, taking in the trees and hills surrounding me. There was no one else around, or at least I didn’t think there was. It was a sunny day just like any other.

The wind felt nice, and it was like I was truly there. Out in the woods, away from the pack and the safety it offered. But I didn’t feel fear. I felt like I was free.

I moved, slowly walking forward, but I got nowhere. I was going in circles, never to leave. I didn’t even know where I was walking. I just passed through trees and different flowers in bloom.

But then I heard someone screaming. It was a blood-curdling scream like they were being ripped apart. The sound ofa hybrid and all the hair on my body rose. That bubble I had been walking in suddenly burst.

I moved forward, running, but the sound only continued. Someone begging for their life, the screaming growing louder like they were close to me. Yet, I didn’t get any closer to them. No matter how hard I ran, I wouldn’t make it in time.

I felt like someone was watching me as I ran. I stumbled over a rock and quickly pulled myself up. I did a circle, not even sure where I was going. My heart was racing, and I could feel panic taking over.

But I stop dead in my tracks. Just ahead of me was a bloody patch, but there was no body. No hybrid. Nothing but blood in the snow. It was large, like a body had been dropped there, and droplets trailed forward.

I can’t breathe. I was slowly suffocating, and I don’t know how to stop it.

I turned around and froze. Just ahead of me was a man.

I jerk back, stumbling backward, smacking into the shelving unit behind me, and I heard something shatter on the ground. My hands on my bowl have gone white, and I am shaking.

Breath! Breath, Hazel!

I gasp for air, crawl backward until my back hits the wall.

What the hell did I watch? What did I see? What had I witnessed? Who was that man?

I looked around, taking in the house, and knowing I was safe. I could hear Asher’s words from last night. No one will hurt you. You’re safe here. I won’t let anything happen.

I closed my eyes and listened to my heartbeat. I grounded myself by repeating that I was okay. I tried to relax, but I couldn’t. My mind couldn’t connect that I was safe.

I pulled myself up and tossed the bowl into the sink. I grabbed my jacket, pulling it on, and slid my shoes on. I hurried outside to my car and drove. I had been avoiding Asher, but now I needed him. I needed to at least be near him. A part of me felt safest around him.

I found his car at the training ground. He was in the middle of teaching a class. I watched as they all moved, seeming to know how to protect themselves accordingly.

I got out of the car and headed toward them. I took a seat on a bench while he spoke.

“I want everyone to keep working on their punches and kicks. You want strong, quick movements. Don’t half-ass anything. Because when you’re defending yourself, you need power.”

He rounded the group and froze when he spotted me. I swallowed, my mind going back to last night. But there was no sign of that moment in his eyes. He was clearly in training mode with them.

He walked over toward me and raised an eyebrow. “You okay? You look a little flustered.”

I looked at the group, taking in everyone. They all knew how to protect themselves. I realized that I didn’t. If I had actually been out in the woods, I would have died. I had no idea how to fight. I suddenly wanted to be able to do that. I wanted to be able to protect myself.