He smacked me on my thigh. “Oh, quit the guilt. I know you, and I bet you’re overthinking this. Okay, last night wasn’t your finest hour, but we both know that was mostly your instincts at the forefront. Honestly, I’m surprised you held out that long,” Papa mused. “And yes, you handled it poorly, but that’s what groveling and jewelry and chocolate are for.”
I snorted.
“There he is.” He nudged my side. “Son, licking your wounds never solved anything, and if I know you—which I do since you shot out of me.” I groaned, and he chuckled. “I knew I could make you laugh.” I sighed and turned to face him.
“Gabe.” Papa took my hand in his and squeezed. “I bet you’ve been worrying about the fact that your mate is human since the moment you met him. If I know my son, you’ve tied yourself up in knots telling yourself you can’t break the rules.”
I leaned my head on my papa’s shoulder, trying to draw strength from him.
He nudged me until I looked at him again, and he took my face in his hands. “The rules are not there to punish, Gabe, neither are they there to keep mates apart.”
I blew out a breath.
“I know how seriously you take your duty, son, but Urs wouldn’t send you your mate just to taunt you with what you can’t have. Kian has been Rhys’s friend for a long time, and you’ve never met him because you never left the ranch. He shows up here. Don’t you think there’s a plan you can’t see?” Papa gave me a stern look. “And that plan wasn’t to show you your future and then keep you from having it.”
“So what do I do?” I whispered like a little kid needing their father’s advice.
“Oh, it speaks,” Papa teased. “I wasn’t sure.” My lips curved slightly. “Well, first off, quit pushing him away. Second, you’re not the first person to have a human mate.”
“But this time, my mate will be the alpha-mate,” I pointed out. “I’m not just sharing my secret—I’m sharing the whole town’s.”
“And this town knows you put it first. Your dad and I are so proud of how you take care of everything. Since you were a child, you’ve protected your siblings fiercely.” Papa looked sad for a second. “But, Gabe, it’s okay to have things for yourself. To put yourself first. Put your mate first. Besides, there’s Joe and Edith in town, and Mark and Thomas, just to name a few. Joe’s human, and so is Thomas. They’ve been mated for over twenty years each. Built a life, a family.” Papa nudged me at that. “I would love some grandcubs. Hint. Hint.” He waggled his brows.
I burst out laughing. “So this is all about you, right?” I teased.
“But of course. Now go get me a son-in-law so I can have some grandcubs to spoil,” he teased.
“Thanks, Papa.” I wrapped my arms around him for a hug. And he rubbed up and down my back.
“It’ll work out, son, I promise,” he crooned.
I hoped so. I really did.
* * *
I couldn’t stop thinkingabout what Papa had said. He was right. Why hadn’t I thought about speaking to someone who had been through what I was? Maybe they could help me through all the noise.
Because for some reason, I couldn’t see a way through. I was always the one with the answers. Even my brothers came to me for advice, so not having them made me feel off-kilter.
I stared up at the ceiling, hoping the answers would magically appear, but Kian filled my mind. Was he okay?
It was a battle not shifting and going over to Rhys’s to listen and see how he was, but maybe the best thing I could do for my mate this time was to leave him alone. Maybe that was all he needed from me. I was hurting him, and that was the last thing I ever wanted to do. But just thinking about it felt like a shredder was being taken to my insides. I just couldn’t do it, and maybe that made me a selfish asshole, but I didn’t want to give up my mate. I sighed. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to let him go.
I looked over at the groceries Papa had brought with him. Since I’d come over shifted, I hadn’t really thought about bringing anything, but right now, I wished I had some beer or, better yet, whiskey.
The door to the cabin opened, and I covered my eyes with my arm and growled, “What are you doing here? You would think leaving and hiding out at the edge of a two-thousand-acre property would give you some privacy.”
“Guess thinking isn’t really your thing.” I didn’t have to see him to know he was furious.
I knew he was baiting me; the anger rolled off him in waves. And I deserved it.
“Rhys,” I sighed. “Not now, please. You can bite my head off later. Just, please… Later.”
I heard him take a seat, and he blew out a breath. And I waited because I knew Rhys would say what he had to say before leaving.
“You know I came here ready to tell you what an ass you’re being,” Rhys sighed, “but you maybe look worse than Kian does.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he was okay, but I pressed my lips together. Not only was it a silly question—I didn’t deserve to know.
