Chapter 21

---------------

Evelyn did not know how much time had passed.

She sat curled up, with her knees to her chest and her head resting on her knees in the bathtub. She had locked herself in this room's bathroom.

Her mind was on an overdrive and she developed a headache but she could not stop thinking

Mate!

That one word has turned her world upside down.

What would she do now?

She had been so set on her future, so determined and now fate was laughing at her. Mocking her for thinking she was in control of her future.

Her hopes crashed around her. The feeling of despair overwhelmed her. This mate of hers would not let her go, that was for sure and as she understood once her wolf came out, it would be impossible for her to leave him for their wolves would bond.

Why her?

There were many who dreamed of a mate, wanted to have one. Not her and definitely not now.

Hot tears streaked out of her eyes unchecked.

Now that she found her mate it would be only be matter of time her wolf manifested and her instincts would be driven by that animal inside of her.

She could see her dream of attending medical school and moving to city disappearing in to thin air. Her life has been thrown in to a spin with one word.

It was not fair!

She thought bitterly. She could not see any way out of her predicament, once that wolf declared to her Alpha that she was his mate, she would become his property in all sense. No one would understand her side, no one would be willing to listen. They would repeat what they had told her earlier. Let your wolf come out you will know.

She did not want a stupid wolf! She did not want a stupid mate!

But she knew, this wouldn't get her anywhere. She needed to think practically, she needed to face her reality.

She had a mate!

There, she finally acknowledged this fact. Tears streaked out of her eyes with renewed vigor as the fact finally sunk in. She angrily swiped at the tears with her palms.

What would she do now? What would he want from her?

The uncertainty of her future was killing her.

He was a Roma wolf that was sure, so would she have to leave with him to Roma?

A cold dread set on her with this thought. Surely he would want his mate to follow him to any corner of the world.

From what little she knew about mates, there was no way he would let her stay here.

She would have to leave her family, her friends...her home, she finally had a place she could call home. Some semi balance of happiness with her mother and Jeff. Now she would have to leave everything behind.

She was not ready, she just was not.

Maybe she could talk to this mate of hers? Reason with him? Ask him for time to get used to this idea?

This thought was like a ray of sunshine.

She knew there was no escape for her and for now she could kiss college goodbye, however she still had three months of school left. She would bargain with him for three months to graduate from school and then she would follow him anywhere he wanted her to.

Those three months would help her get adjusted to her new reality.

If everything she heard about mates was true, he would want her to be happy right? So he would take her feelings in to consideration, wouldn't he?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

But what if he didn't? Then what?

But again there was only one way to find out. She had to confront him.

She got up looked at herself in the mirror, her hair in disarray her eyes red and puffy, her face having tear marks across her cheeks. She started to make herself presentable, after all it's not every day you get to meet your mate for the first time.

After she was satisfied with the way she looked, she stepped out of the bathroom and in to the room and to the door and just as she was about to reach for the knob to open it. She paused.

She remembered how he looked the last time she saw him as the elevator doors were closing, the feral look in his eyes, pitch black with his wolf in total control.

He would be unpredictable now, with his animal firmly in control there was no telling what he would do. Meeting him now was a bad idea, he would be in no state of mind to listen to her or even reason with her.

She stood there for a minute, contemplating her options.

What to do?

She could give him time to cool off, maybe today. She could come and find him tomorrow?

She did not even know who he was but it wouldn't matter, she knew he was in this hotel and knew how he looked she could find him and he would surely find her, she recalled the determination on his face before the elevator closed. He was not going anywhere. Especially without her.

She would skip the rest of her shift, call in sick. Maybe call in a favor with Amy to cover for her and then she would come back tomorrow. To meet her fate.

Satisfied with her thought she saw through the peephole of the hotel door and looked out. The hallway looked clear. Her only objective was to get out of the hotel before he caught her and since she knew all the service pathways of this hotel she was confident she would be able to accomplish this without any trouble.

She opened the door slightly and peered in to the hallway. All clear.

She stepped out and tiptoed to the emergency exit door. The door had a small glass window which she looked though. Nothing there, and then opened the door stepped in to the stairway and looked both up and down the stairway.

All clear. Luck was clearly on her side.

In a quick moment, she stated running down the stairs, not stopping for anything. As she reached the ground floor she again checked the hallway from the glass window on the door. It was empty she entered the hallway and quickly ran to a service door a few feet away.

She quickly entered closing the door behind her. This area was generally used by staff. She now felt relatively safe and her confidence grew.

Almost free.

As she walked thought the hallway of the service area she encountered staff going about their business and she passed the kitchen, she quickly took a left that would lead her to the service entrance of the hotel. There were two of them one on the other side of the kitchen and one here and this one was closer.

As she turned in to the exit hallway she could see the door, her heart beat sped up she could almost feel her freedom. She moved toward the door hurriedly, she saw a guard leaning against the wall there who straighten up looking at her approaching.

She did not think anything about it.

All entrances and exits were being guarded by the Roma wolves, she was used to the guards. Now that she knew why, she understood the security she always felt confused about earlier.

But she slowed as she approached the door. The guard stood in her path, usually there was a smile or acknowledgement, she had become quite familiar with a few of them. But now he was all business.

As she came to a stop near him blocking her exit "Sorry, we are currently in a lockdown, no one is supposed to go out or come in."

"Why?" she asked, a shiver of uneasiness running inside her. The more time she stayed the more likely her mate would find her. She did not want him to find her not in his state.

He shrugged "Don't know"

"How long" she asked, acting casual trying to not show her desperation.

"Not sure, may be for the next half hour? He said, she looked like she wanted to leave.

She looked past the guard to the double doors. She could see the outside from the small square glass pane windows the doors had, light streaming through them.

For a second she thought she would run past the guard but squashed the thought. She wouldn't make it far and un-necessarily attract attention. Something she should avoid now at all cost.

She looked back at the guard who was looking at her keenly "Shall I come back in half an hour?" she asked.

"Sure, we might be done by then" he said.

She turned back with dread and headed back in to the interiors of the hotel, she could try the other exit but she was sure the result would be the same...unless.... A thought struck her.

She brought her phone out and stated texting.

***

"Whoa! Maxwell what's happening?" Alex bumped in to him as Max was prowling the hallways like some hunter, he was stopping occasionally and sniffing in the air.

One of the guards had called him and told him that Maxwell had gone all wolf and had ordered the hotel to be on lockdown.

He had been looking for him since then and finally found him on the first floor. A guard had messaged him on the two way radio he was carrying that he was on this floor. They had been looking at CCTV cameras to find him.

"Need to find her" Maxwell said bypassing and ignoring Alex completely.

"Who?" Alex asked following him.

Maxwell did not respond.

"Look" Alex said putting a hand on Maxwell's shoulder "Why don't you come to the security room, we have cameras covering all of the hotel. You will find whoever you are looking for."

Maxwell paused, considering and liking that idea, he nodded to follow Alex to the security room.

As they entered the security room, Maxwell peered in to the monitors quickly scanning the displays.

Alex stepped a little back and pulled out his cell phone and started typing a message to Adrian

"Maxwell's gone Wolf and acting crazy, he ordered the hotel on lockdown get your ass back ASAP"

Of all times Adrian and Roma had to step out, they had to do it when Maxwell went all wolfy.

A moment later he got a response.

"On our way . Don't leave him alone"

The messaged indicated that Adrian knew something and Alex was feeling uneasy with the whole situation.

"There!" Maxwell shouted and Alex looked up but before he could see that person she had moved out the camera he just saw a flash of a woman passing by.

"Where is this?!" Maxwell growled.

"Ground floor, service hallway sir" the operator responded.

Before Alex could comprehend Maxwell bolted out of the room like a bat out of hell. But not before he overheard one word tearing out of his mouth.

"Mate!"

Alex was rooted to the spot, shocked not believing what he heard.

Fuck-in' hell!