Series: Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 51151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Just yesterday morning, life was completely different. I never could have imagined this would be my life so soon.
I keep my left hand on his squirmy little body and grab the tiny-ass diaper and wipes with my right. Someone’s bound to drop this squirmy little guy, but I’ll be damned if it’s going to be me. I chuckle to myself as I wipe his bottom, put the clean diaper on, and bundle him up like the little witch showed me. It doesn’t look right, but he’ll be fine. I sit with him in the rocker that Grace brought in earlier and stare down at the little guy; he’s wriggling a bit as I try to rock him to sleep. I’ll have to wake Lena if he gets any fussier since he might be hungry.
The very thought of doing that makes me nervous. She needs her rest and I don’t want to wake her. I don’t want to fail her at such a delicate time.
I’ve already done that tonight based on her little cries and short-lived sobs. I had to ask her what was wrong and in return she merely shook her head and refused to look at me. She’s not well and I can’t even hear her, I can’t soothe her as a mate should.
I don’t understand how Lizzie bonded with her before I did. How could she hear my mate when I hear nothing?
The thought eats at me in the night. As I stare down at her child though, our child, I’m reminded of how grateful I am that he waited to make an appearance until I got them here safely. My heart drops and my eyes travel along his face. I keep remembering that he’s not mine. And it fucking kills me each time the thought comes to me. I look between Lena and her son. Her eyes are almond shaped with dark thick lashes, her lips are thin, but the bottom lip is lush. Her cheeks high and jaw narrow. He looks nothing like her. He looks just like Shadow. My jaw ticks and my fists clench. I fucking hate it. I have no right to claim this child as my own, but I’m damn well going to do it.
Shadow’s a dead man. That’s all he is. He’s no father. He had no right to claim my mate. This child is mine. Just like Lena is mine. A low growl grows in my throat but stops as I see Lena’s body hunch forward in her sleep. I gently trail my fingers down her jaw and down farther to her neck. She’s so beautiful. My eyes linger on the silver scar on her skin as I settle the baby and put him down. I’m going to fucking destroy that scar. I can’t wait to ruin it with my own bite. At least three bites. And then I get the other side of her neck all to myself. The scars will be faint, but I want my bite to be clear and obvious to everyone. I don’t want it mixed with his wrongful claim to her.
Sighing heavily, I run my hands through my buzzed hair and down my face. Shock and disbelief from all that happened has deprived me of sleep. Just last week I was mateless and without a care in the world. A smile widens across my face. Now I have a family. How the fuck did I get so damn lucky? My smile dims as I watch Lena turn in her sleep. She doesn’t even know she’s my mate. I’ll tell her. It fucking hurts that I have to tell her because she feels nothing between us.
None of this should have happened this way. I don’t know how she came to be Shadow’s, but I’ll slowly torture him if his claim has broken my mate’s ability to feel our bond.
I always imagined my mate would feel this spark and pull, and I still have hope that in the morning she may feel the pull. With one last look at her beautiful form, her chest rising and falling with easy breaths, I quietly make my way to the door. The floorboard barely creaks and I pause, looking back and holding my breath before moving forward once again.
If I’m useful to her, surely she’ll accept me even if she doesn’t feel it. Nervousness creeps down the back of my neck along with the fear that is very real: she could deny me. After what she’s been through, I could very well see that happening, and it didn’t escape me when my pack brought up the possibility among themselves while I drove home in silence with her. Nothing like this has ever happened and I don’t know what to expect.
Swallowing thickly, I make my way to the kitchen, ignoring every thought in the back of my mind. I’ll grab her something to eat before I wake her. She’s got to be hungry. She had a quick shower while I changed the sheets, but other than that she hasn’t done anything but hold her son.