Page 60 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

Thank you for everything. It’s easier this way. You can move on without fighting. You don’t need to worry. I’ll figure things out. I have to.

It was short and straightforward. I turned quickly, hurrying out the front door. I looked all around, half expecting her to be walking down the street as she’d just written the note a second ago. But there was no one around. It was silent, and there were no footprints in the snow. No trace of her being here.

I ran my hand through my hair and tried to wrap my head around what was happening. I looked down at the letter, reading it over and over again. I curled my fingers around it and threw it to the ground.

How could she leave? Why? I knew that things were rough, but to just abandon this life? She didn’t even want to fight for it anymore?

Had she gone to her sisters? The thought brewed in my head for a moment, but it didn’t feel right. If she had, she would have packed more. She had packed light.

I kept walking, following her scent. It was faint, but I could smell where she’d been. She’d crossed the street and gone through the park.

As I walked, I realized that she was headed for the woods, and I paused as I got to the edge of the barrier. The wind blew, and I could smell her scent with it. I stared into the darkness. Just yesterday, we lost people, and she walked willingly into it.

I knew that I should alert Brandon. I should be telling everyone that she’s run off and that we need to set up a hunt. But I didn’t have time to do that. She could be in danger, and every second counted.

I headed into the woods and scanned the area. I saw no tracks. Nothing but a light scent of her that was starting to become less and less strong as the wind blew. I followed it, finding some footsteps. But they weren’t going straight. It was almost as if she were purposely trying to make it impossible for me to find her.

It angered me. Why hadn’t she just told me what she was feeling? Why didn’t she just talk to me? We were supposed to be a team, or was I the only one who thought that now? Had I been misreading everything about us?

I took a deep breath and focused. I took in a bush that had been thrown over and a tree branch that had been stepped on. I continued to move, tracking every space that she could have been.

I froze when I noticed fabric was caught on a low branch. I yanked it free, knowing it was part of the scarf she wore.

I looked forward, taking in some footprints. I hurried with them. I could see a good distance ahead of me, and there was still no sign of her.

But I wasn’t giving up. I couldn’t just walk away and throw the towel in. Not after everything we had been through. All the laughter and stressful times we shared. She couldn’t leave. I wouldn’t let her.

I hadn’t even gotten to tell her how I felt. I hadn’t been given a chance to fight for us. She had to let me fight first.

As I walked, I realized she was heading south, where the dark-energy pull had been. We had visited this place twice, and the last time was a shit show. Why on earth would she be going in that direction?

Thoughts entered my head quickly. Had she been caught and dragged against her will? Had she been struck and knocked unconscious only to awake there? Had she been murdered, and I didn’t know it?

I knew I would have seen blood. There were no signs but a few footprints that indicated she’d even headed in this direction, which meant she went willingly.

I froze when I heard the snapping of twigs and narrowed my eyes on a shrub near me. I expected something to come out, but I was thrown back from behind. I stumbled back, slamming hard into a body.

“Fuck,” I cursed, and looked over my shoulder. She stood there panting for air. Her face was flushed, and her forehead had sweat running down it. She looked out of breath, and I wanted to hug her. I first wanted to shake her and ask what the fuck she was thinking. Why in hell would she come out here?

She placed her fingers over her lips and tugged on my arm. She pointed to a large fallen tree. I moved with her, letting her pull me along.

So many questions bubbled in my head. I didn’t know which ones to ask. But then I saw the blood that was splattered on her face. I reached out, smearing it as I tried to wipe at it. “Whose is this?”

I quickly scanned her over, looking for any signs of injury. There was more blood on her, but she didn’t look like she was in pain.

Her eyes softened as she pulled a hand up, wiping at it with her jacket sleeve. “Shit. I thought I got it all.”

“Whose blood is that, Hazel?” My voice came out sharper this time, my anger starting to boil up again. I grabbed at her hands, shaking them. “Answer me. Whose blood is that? Are you hurt?”

“Shhh…” She cupped a hand over my face, searching around us. She looked worried as she pulled herself closer to me. She waited a moment before dropping her hand. “He’s dead. I was being followed, and he snuck up on me, but I handled him.”

I just stared at her with wide eyes. She said it so calmly. Maybe she understood how dangerous it was out here after all. But I had even more questions. Who followed her? Why was she hiding if she killed him?

“If you killed him, why are we hiding?”

“Because another came. I could tell there was more than one person, so I hid. I managed to kill him, but I know my limits, and I wouldn’t have been able to handle more. One of them was just around here a minute ago. I started following him. Seems he was heading back to the base area.”

“Are you insane? We need to get back to Belrose. Why on earth would you be following him?”