I couldn’t brush the feeling of not being good enough aside.
* * *
Chael
Anger rolled through my body in waves. I held the doorknob in my hand, willing myself to calm down before I stepped out onto the porch. I had fought for my pack over my lifetime. I’d endured dropping my own dreams of independence to be the rock that my pack needed after my parents died. And I’d done it with pride.
Yet, as I sat in the kitchen, surrounded by my pack, all I wanted was for them to disappear. Every time our gazes locked, Sean, Chance, or another one of my packmates would step between us. Whenever I made a move in her direction, there was another question that had to be answered.
I wanted them to go away so much that thoughts of telling them all to get the hell out of my house nearly overran me. I barely held on to my cool. And the news that Reese could be a seer? That caused a great sense of unease to roll through me. Seers had become a rarity among our kind, but I feared the more people knew about her abilities, the greater danger Reese could be in.
I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. The growing sense that the needs of my pack conflicted with my desire to keep my mate safe grew. For now, I needed to follow my mate. When she ran out of the kitchen, claiming to need to check on Henry, I followed.
But as I stood by the door, listening to Reese’s confessions, a vise grip tightened around my heart.
Why the fuck did you take so long?I silently cursed Mother Moon for taking as long as it took to find my mate. If I had found her sooner, she would never doubt to whom and where she belonged.
Unable to hold off any longer, I pulled the door open and stepped out onto the porch. Henry lifted his head, causing Reese to turn around. Her eyes widened, and she licked her bottom lip. She couldn’t hide the heated gleam in her eyes as she looked me up and down.
I crouched until my face was only a few inches from hers. A vein in her neck pulsed double time as my breath fanned across her face. She might not believe she’s my chosen, but she damn sure couldn’t deny the draw between us.
I tucked a loose strand of her curly hair that she wore in a high puff behind her ear.
“Need some air?”
She looked down at Henry, continuing to stroke his head. “Yeah.”
I took her chin into my hand, turning her to face me. I searched her eyes, and my stomach tightened at the doubt and insecurity I saw there. I’d failed my mate in so many ways I had to bite back a curse.
“We haven’t talked yet,” I said instead. “You have questions, and I haven’t been around to answer them.” I traced the outline of her jaw, causing a slight tremor to course through her. “Ask me whatever you want to know.”
She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and stared off. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Wherever you want.”
She pushed out a breath. “How could you know that I’m your mate?”
I nodded and took a seat next to her on the opposite side from Henry. I ignored the jealousy I felt that he was so neatly tucked in her lap, her stroking behind his ear. I wanted that affection, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. Humans didn’t understand our world, and therefore human mates had to be approached differently.
“I scented you,” I told her about smelling her in the flowers at the hospital.
“You smelled me?” She surprised me when she lifted her free arm and sniffed at her armpit. “My odor can’t be that strong. I always wear deodorant.”
I tossed my head back and laughed at the cute look of confusion on her face. When I sobered up, I tapped my nose. “You smell divine, and it’s something that humans can’t detect. Not with your sense of smell alone.”
“But you can?” she asked.
I nodded.
“You didn’t approach me at the hospital.”
I pushed out a heavy breath. How to explain that I wanted nothing more than to make her mine when I saw her in that parking lot?
“There’re complications. The divide between shifters and humans has made it difficult for matings between us. We typically avoid human interaction for our safety and to preserve our way of life.”
“If that’s so, then how am I your mate?”
“That was fate. You and me,” I answered without thinking. I knew I had said the wrong thing when her face dropped. She quickly tried to hide it, but I saw it.
