“What if he’s lying, though?” Ro admitted his greatest fear.
“Like you think I did?” Zac’s voice came out a small whisper.
Ro didn’t say a word.
“I’m sorry for the pain we caused you.” Jay reached out and placed his hand over Ro’s. “But the truth is, fated mates are sacred, and a shifter wouldneversay you were his mate if it wasn’t true.”
“I know this is hard to hear, but I never said you were my fated mate,” Zac said. “I would never have.”
Rowan took a moment to think back, and he had to admit to himself he’d never heard the term fated mates till Zac had sent him all those texts and left the voicemails.
“I guess you’re right,” Rowan replied slowly.
“When you find that person for a shifter, you can’t imagine living without them. It’s magnetic,” Jay’s eyes went to Zac and they shared a smile.
“Literally,” Zac added. “It feels right, and trust me, there’s no denying it. You may think that I didn’t love you”—Zac’s voice softened as he continued—“but, the truth is… I did. The difference between you and Jay, though, is Jay was…ismy mate. You can’t push past those feelings.”
“I guess it’s different for you,” Jay spoke up, “because as shifters, we feel the pull.”
“Actually,” Zac interrupted his mate, “I had an uncle that mated a human—a woman—and she said that she felt drawn to him from the moment they met even though she didn’t understand why.”
Rowan couldn’t deny that he was drawn to Mikhail.
“I can see that’s the case here too.” Jay’s voice was knowing.
When their gazes met, the petit brunet had a smile on his face.
“Maybe,” Rowan admitted.
“Sometimes finding your true love is just believing they can be out there. If you have met your mate, then he knows it already, and trust me, if you give him a chance, you will too.”
Ro shook his head. “I don’t think I’m ready for all that,” he said.
“Well, it tends to come when you least expect it,” Zac’s voice was wry. “The important thing you need to do is make sure not to chase it away. You may not want to jump in with both feet, but give it a chance and it will happen naturally.”
“Just don’t fight it,” Jay said.
He had been fighting it already because he was scared to believe it was real.
“That’s really easier said than…” He stopped and squinted. Was that… it couldn’t be.
Rowan got to his feet and moved closer to the glass, and sure enough, standing in front of the bar across the street, pacing back and forth, was Mikhail. He had his phone to his ear, and he was gesturing angrily.
“Mikhail?” he whispered. What was he doing there?
Fourteen
Mikhail
He was talking to Malek, but every once in a while, he could hear Axel in the background. Talking to his brother was supposed to make him feel better, but as they spoke, Mik only felt more desperate.
“He’s your mate, Mik, calm down,” Malek said.
“He is, but,” Mik started. There was no doubt about that. He knew that Ro was his mate.
“No buts. He’s your mate; that’s it. Even if he’s seeing someone now, we both know the goddess has her ways.”
“He’s not seeing anyone.” Axel’s voice was insistent.
