I pulled over and got out to pace the parking lot of whatever building I'd just stopped in front of. Some kind of grocery store. There was an image of a nymph in their logo.
"Gwen asked me for advice about Jonah, and I told her he has feelings for her. Which he does, but I probably shouldn’t have admitted it, considering the fate thing. I told her to ask him to try getting back together."
There was a moment of silence.
"Hello? Kat?"
"Sorry, I'm just processing the fact that you gave your soulmate's ex-fiancée advice about how to win his heart back. What the hell, Liv?"
I groaned. "I told you that you couldn't judge me."
"No, you didn't."
"It was implied! Is Callum there? Give the phone to him."
"He heard the whole conversation already, and he still thinks you just need to bargain with Jonah so you can start figuring your shit out."
"I want him to love me before he finds out about the bond. Is that too much to ask?" I shoved a hand through my hair.
"You know that love can come after you’re mated, right?"
"I'm not willing to risk that. I'm glad it worked out for you, but the level of anxiety I have about all of this is..." I sat down on the asphalt, ignoring the lumpy parking lot beneath my ass and pulling my knees to my chest as I fought my anxiety. "This isn't like your situation. He doesn’t want me, Kat. Helovesher. Deeply. Why would I mate with someone who loves someone else?"
"If you’re fated, it’ll work out. You’ll fall for each other," she said, but didn’t sound convinced.
She and Jonah hadn’t been close since he became the Beta. He’d been spending too much time with Gwen, and she’d been spending too much time with Callum. Not that I blamed her for the latter. They were mated, after all.
"He's not even possessive. Today, I said I would find someone else to screw me at the club, and he told me Ishould."
"What? I’ll kill him for you."
"I can kill him myself, but thanks."
"Well, maybe you guys just suck at communicating."
I huffed out a laugh, my eyes stinging. I was going to have a panic attack here, in a freaking parking lot. "There is no doubt about that. I just told his ex how to get him back."
"That wasn't your best moment, but Jonah cares about you. He wouldn't run a marathon every day for just anyone. It's like... Callum's stalking."
"It's nothing like the stalking."
"It probably takes just as much energy."
"My magicgiveshim energy, and he doesn’t even show up for all of the running. I’m acting pathetic at this point."
"Stop arguing with me and insulting yourself, Liv. I'm trying to cheer you up."
"Sorry." I took in a deep breath, fighting the incoming panic. "What do I do?"
"For now, Callum has a different problem for you to deal with."
"What problem?"
"I'm going to give him the phone. It's going to work out with Jonah."
I didn’t see how that was even remotely possible.
"Hey." Callum's voice made my throat swell all over again.
