MATED TO THE ALPHA I HATED
I panted, stopping at the bottom, my hands resting on my knees as I caught my breath.
Ava didn't even turn her head. She gave a tiny shrug. "Maybe."
Panic seized my chest. Say something, Hale. Fix it. Cheer her up.
"You know," I started, trying for a lighter, charming tone as I climbed the rock, "most mates give off a scent trail or broadcast their bond so their Alpha doesn't look like an idiot wandering through the dirt for half an hour."
"I'm not most mates," she said flatly, her voice entirely absent of any humour.
Bab Populer