Ex-Mate Wants Me Back (Seraphina and Mortimer) novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Mortimer’s POV

After Tade cleared out, I tried to hit Seraphina up through the mind-link. No surprise-she’d dead-bolted the connection.

My heart was actually thumping.

“Where are you? Free for dinner tonight?”

I sent it. Then I waited.

Five seconds felt like an hour. No ping.

Thinking about how ice-cold she’d been lately, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I actually felt a jolt of stage fright-the Alpha of the Blades was genuinely afraid of being left on ‘read.’

I gritted my teeth and quickly sent a follow-up to bait the hook.

“I wanted to pick your brain about Rolf’s condition.”

That did it. The reply came back almost instantly.

“I’m at the pack. If it’s about Rolf, I can call the ICU for an update, but he should be stable.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and started typing fast.

“I booked a table. I’ll pick you up. We can talk while we eat.”

It was officially the fastest I’d ever replied to a text in my life.

I stared at the simple “Okay” on the screen, and my mood went into a weird tailspin.

On one hand, she said yes. On the other, that one-word answer felt like a slap.

I scrolled up through our history.

The old Seraphina was a talker. She used to fill the screen trying to keep me engaged, while I was the one giving the one-word brush-offs. “Mhm.” “Got it.” “Busy.”

Now, the roles were flipped.

The irony was a bitter pill to swallow. I let out a dry laugh. If I hadn’t used Rolf as an excuse, she probably wouldn’t have given me the time of day.

I’d officially reached the point where I had to lie just to get my own mate to grab a burger with me.

Whatever. Leaving her in Alaska for two weeks was a trash move, even if I had a reason. 2

Tade was right-mates need maintenance. Seraphina was always easygoing; a nice meal should patch things up.

I drove back to the main villa at the heart of the compound.

The biometric lock clicked open, and the second I stepped inside, I ran right into her coming out of the bedroom.

She’d ditched the stiff doctor’s shirt for a soft, cream-colored cashmere knit.

Her hair, usually pinned up tight for the OR, was gathered loosely at the back of her head.

A few stray strands framed her neck. The evening sun was hitting the floor-to-ceiling windows, catching her in profile and giving her this soft, golden glow.

I stood there in the foyer and, for the first time in three years, I just… looked at her.

1/2

Chapter, 3

+15 Bonus

Uur group’s clubs are packed with top tier models, and the pack has plenty of high-ranking she-wolves, but they all smell like desperation that cloying omega scent designed to bait an Alpha. It usually just gives me a headache.

But Seraphina? Standing there in the light, she looked like a piece of fine art. Cold, quiet, and impossible to look away from.

When she caught me staring, my heart did a weird double-tap.

I felt the heat rise to my face-pure, unadulterated embarrassment. I’d never felt so out of my depth.

“Ahem…”

I faked a cough to kill the awkwardness and let my voice go stiff. “I made a reservation. We’re eating out.”

She just gave me a flat nod. She grabbed her camel wool coat from the rack and swung it over her shoulders-smooth, efficient, and totally unbothered. “Let’s go.”

As I started the car, I felt her eyes on me for a second.

Look, I’m not humble-I know I look better than most. In the tight space of the SUV, I was hoping for even a shred of a reaction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her looking at my hands on the wheel.

But then she just looked away, staring out the window at the blurred traffic like I wasn’t even there.

The silence in the car was deafening. I turned up the radio just to drown out the sound of my own thoughts.

I glanced at her, trying to find a way in. “I booked a French place. That okay with you?”

She didn’t even turn her head. “Sure. I’m not picky.”

Right then, her phone chirped.

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