Hearing her speak his name was heaven, but knowing she was out of his reach was hell. But then, he’d been in hell for a while with only brief glimpses of heaven when she’d beenwithhim.
“I got the number from Anna,” she said. “She and Gustavo are mates, and they’ve been able to communicate throughtheirbond.”
Dalton winced as a wave of unwanted jealousy rolled over him. He desired that connection with his own mate. He wanted to feel her in his mind and know what she was truly feeling. “Gustavo isn’t with me. He’s in the pixierealm.”
“Yes, but so is Crina, and apparently, she has, like, every wolf on speed dial or something.” She laughed again, and still it sounded so fullofpain.
“Please tell me what’s going on, Jewel. I need to know that you’re safe. I’m dyinghere,love.”
“I don’t know that telling you will put you out of your misery or only prolong your death,” she practically whispered. “It’s not good, Dalton. I wish I had something positive to tell you. I wish I could tell you something that would make you so proud, but Ican’t.”
“Baby, I don’t care about anything but you. Your health, your safety, your happiness. You. That’s it.” He didn’t know what to say to help her open up to him. Whatever she was facing, he didn’t want her to have to face it alone. He knew what it was like to be alone, facing the darkness and evil, and he didn’t want that for Jewel. He wanted her to know that he waswithher.
“Don’t you know that, as your mate, it’s my job to not only fight beside you, but to fight for you when you can’t fight for yourself? You don’t have to bear any burden alone ever again. Let me share it with you,” he pleaded. His wolf wanted to reach through the phone and snatch her from whatever harm she’d found herself in and wrap her up in his safe embrace. It was driving them both crazy to hear the hurt in her voice and not be able to give her anyrelief.
“My mom is dead,” she said after several minutes of silence. He’d only known she was still there because his wolf’s excellent sense of hearing allowed him to detect her softbreaths.
“Oh, Jewel, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” he told her as he felt his heart break all over again. He ignored the tear that trailed down his cheek. Tears didn’t shame him, not when they fell for the rightreasons.
He heard her shaky breaths as she wept. “I just wasn’t expecting her and she was there, and then she was telling me all this stuff and then she was just gone. Just like that. There was no preparation, no time to understand. She was just there one second and gonethenext.”
Dalton didn’t say anything. He just listened as she cried. He didn’t understand all of her rambling, but that didn’t matter. The woman he loved was hurting and confused, and she didn’t need his questions. She justneedhim.
“She loved me so much,Dalton,”
“Of course she did. You’re amazing. Sheknewthat.”
“I got to see myself through her eyes. It was … I don’t know how to explain it. I guess … unexpected.” She chuckled. “I mean, I knew my mom loved me. I guess I just didn’t understand what that looked like, from her side. She thought I was perfect but not perfect. Does that makesense?”
“She saw your flaws as a part of your beauty and what makes you unique,”hesaid.
“Exactly. How didyouknow?”
“It’s how Iseeyou.”
“You see my flaws?” There was a smile in hervoice.
“I would be a fool, setting us up for failure, if I pretended not to, Little Dove. And I hope you see mine and want mestill.”
“That’s pretty beautiful,Dalton.”
“I love it when you say my name,” he admitted. He wanted to add that he hoped she’d be saying it for the rest of their lives but forced his wolf to reel it in. “Can I ask how ithappened?”
“She died protecting me,” Jewel admitted. “I can’t give you details because I’m not ready to tell you everything else.Notyet.”
Dalton hated that she was afraid to tell him. He could hear it in her voice, the doubt. “What are you afraid of,Jewel?”
More tears came. Her tears werekillinghim.
“We’ve already lost the mate bond,” she said. Her voice trembled and ripped a hole in his chest. “I don’t want to lose what wehaveleft.”
“What we have left?” He growled, sudden emotion flooding his veins. “We aren’t broken pieces, Little Dove. We are two halves of a whole, bond be damned. We are not less. You still have all of me. Do I have allofyou?”
“What if I can’t give you all of me? Because this is taking me apart piece by piece, and I don’t know how much will be left when it’sallover.”
Dalton wanted to roar in frustration. He hated this. He hated how scared she sounded. He hated that he couldn’t take away her fear and worry. He hated that he couldn’t reach through the bond andsootheher.
“You will give me all of you, even if I have to put you back together piece by piece, Jewel. I am your mate, and I am the one person on this earth who has the right to have all of you, just as you are the one person on this earth who has the right to have all of me. I will compromise on most anything but this. Do youhearme?”
