“It’s normal to feel that way,” my mom reassured me. “It’s a lot of emotions hitting you all at once.”
“You feel a little out of control,” Dad said. He hit the nail right on the head.
“Yes. And that’s what I’m worried about. What if I accidentally hurt her?”
“Atlas.” His voice was soft—sympathetic. “We obviously aren’t humans, but I don’t think you have to worry about harming her.”
“There are so many wolven-human mated pairs. We’re extremely compatible,” Mom said, and Dad nodded in agreement.
“Have you talked to her about it yet?” he asked.
“No. I mean, I mentioned mates and the full moon, but I didn’t tell her that I thinkshe’smy mate.” I let out another deep breath. “I’m just not sure how to bring it up without freaking herout. I don’t want it to seem like I’m pressuring her into it or moving too fast.”
“You need to remember that you aren’t the only one who’s affected by this,” he said. “She must be feeling it, too, but without the knowledge to know exactly what’s happening. There’s still some time before the next full moon. You should talk to her about it and see how she feels.”
“Yeah,” I said. “You’re right.” Just like they always were.
“The worst that could happen is that she wants to take it slow,” he added. “Spend a few more full moons away from you and slowly ease into it—or she’ll be gung-ho and ready to embrace the mating bond. For some pairs, it’s one of those ‘when you know, you know’ type of situations. There’s no point in dragging it out.”
I wondered what type Tegan would be. We had only been together a short time, but if I knew her like I think I did, she would be the jump-headfirst-into-it type.
“I really appreciate you guys,” I told them.
My mom wrapped her arm around my dad’s, leaning into him. “We’re glad that you felt comfortable coming to us about this.”
Dad nodded. “Remember what I said last time, we just want you to be happy.”
“I am just so excited for you, but I’m trying to hold it in,” Mom said, wiggling back and forth. Her tail was probably going a mile a minute. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
I laughed. I loved how happy she was about this. “I promise that as soon as it happens, I’ll let you know, and we’ll come for a visit.”
“We’ll be looking forward to it,” Dad said.
“Love you, sweetheart,” Mom said, still swaying from the force of her tail. “We are so happy for you.”
“Thanks. Love you, too.”
We said our goodbyes, and I ended the call feeling slightly better about things.
I needed to talk to Tegan, but she’d already had a lot dumped on her today that she wasn’t ready for. If she was really my mate, there wasn’t any reason to rush the convo. We had a lifetime together.
Thirty-Six
Tegan
I couldn’t stop thinking aboutmating. Since Atlas mentioned it, it was the only thing on my mind. I had so many questions, but I was too afraid to ask them.
I mean, what if I was totally jumping the gun here?
The way Atlas brought it up kind of made it seem like I was his mate, but what if I was just projecting my own feelings?
Every time we hung out, it just felt like there was something lingering between us. Something that neither of us was ready to admit or acknowledge. For us, that was really unusual.
The full moon was only a few days away, and he hadn’t even asked me to spend it with him yet.
And maybe he wasn’t going to.
I let out a big yawn as I turned onto the gravel driveway that led to the cottage. Selene was off today, and after working by myself, it was obvious just how much I needed her. I was exhausted—not just mentally over the whole mate thing but physically. I couldn’t wait to take a warm shower and crawl into bed.
