Page 189 of Moon Craving

"Talorc called me his true mate, I thought he meant I was his friend."

Emily didn't laugh, but Abigail would have. What a dolt she had been.

Misunderstanding words that explained so much.

"Wolves mate for life and his wolf has mated with you," Emily said with complete

assurance. "While it is rare for a Chrechte to mate with a human, it can happen. I'm

evidence of that. Our child's presence and my current condition is further evidence that

mine and Lachlan's is a true mating. I do not understand how I was so blessed, nor how

you should share the blessing with Talorc, but it is possible."

Abigail remembered the possessive look of the wolf, both in the forest and then

after he had killed for her, and felt faint. "This cannot be true." Though her doubts were

more voice than substance now.

"It is. I would never lie to you or tease you about something so important. You know

that."

Abigail remembered the way the voice had yelled at her when the wild boar had

been coming. "He can talk to me like that all the time or only in moments of great

emotion?"

"Lachlan talks to me that way all the time, as I do him. Cait and her husband are

true-mated with the gift as well. As far as I know, it is possible to communicate that way all

the time for the sacred mates blessed by mindspeak."

"Why didn't Talorc tell me?" Why would he not use their ability to talk in such a

special way? How could he deprive her of the sound of his voice when her entire world

was silent without it?

"I don't know. He never told me either, when I was here as his intended. Lachlan

wasn't the one that told me about the Chrechte's true nature either. Cait did."

"But why hide it?"

Emily gave her a pointed look. "You of all people should know the answer to that."

"Because differences are often seen as threatening."

"Exactly. If their secrets were to be discovered, it is likely the Chrechte would be

hunted and destroyed like animals. You know what could have happened to you if people

had known of your deafness; how much worse if they discovered someone was capable