Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Eli shook his head. “Not at all. And neither does she—I know that for certain. I know her.”
“Maybe it’s not fear, then. Maybe it’s just hard for her to trust that you won’t betray or hurt her the way others did before you.”
“I see why your thoughts have taken you in that direction, considering her family let her down so badly, but it’s not that. She trusts me one hundred percent. I know that all the way down to my bones. She wouldn’t hold back from this; she wants what her grandparents had—a mating that’s strong and true.”
Nick shrugged. “Then I don’t get it, E. I wish I did. Look, the bond will fully form in time. You just have to be patient. I know that’s easy for me to say. I know this must be killing you and your wolf. But it’ll be worth the wait—trust me on that.”
Hinges creaked as the door swung open. Kathy stepped onto the porch and gave them both a tentative smile. Knowing his mother as well as he did, Eli had no doubt she’d done a little eavesdropping.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “Willow had a nightmare. Shaya’s checking on her, but Willow’s asking to see you as well, Nick.”
His brother rose. “Give me a few minutes, E.” With that, he disappeared inside.
Crossing to the swing, Kathy slowly settled onto the spot that Nick had vacated. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” replied Eli. “You?”
“Better now that Ignacio no longer walks the Earth. How’s Casey? She was covered in blood earlier, so I’m guessing her duel with Sherryl was brutal.”
“Her team’s healer took care of her wounds before we came here—we just didn’t take time to wash away the blood. She’s okay. Just tired.”
“Must have been hard for you to see her so hurt.” Kathy looked off into the distance. “Your father fought alongside his Alpha many times. He’d come home covered in wounds—there’s not a lot worse than seeing someone you love injured and in pain. Of course, losing them definitely beats all. That’s an agony like no other. An agony every shifter is terrified they’ll one day feel. It’s one of the main issues that block mating bonds.”
Eli’s forehead wrinkled. “If you think I haven’t bonded with Casey because I’m holding back out of fear that I’ll lose her—”
“That’s not what I think at all. I know you, Eli. You wouldn’t hold back from your mate to protect yourself. That’s not who you are.”
Mollified, Eli nodded.
“It’s your father’s birthday next week, you know,” she said, fingering the necklace her mate had once given her.
“I know.”
“I miss him every day. But you know, even if a Seer had told me long before I met your father that I’d lose him, I’d still have mated with him. I don’t regret it, never have.”
“Not even when you were at your lowest?”
She raised a brow. “Would you ever regret mating with Casey?”
“Never,” he said without hesitation.
“Then you understand. And although losing him is something I’ll never recover from, I have never once wished I’d let myself die along with him. I’m not unhappy, Eli. My three children are now all mated, and I have grandchildren to spoil—hopefully, I’ll have more of them soon. It is a pleasure and a privilege to see.
“What I do regret is that he and I didn’t always make the most of what time we had together. Sometimes we let life get in the way, or we took it for granted that we’d have forever together. It doesn’t always work that way.” Kathy gave him a quivery smile. “Make the most of every single moment you have with Casey. Never let her doubt how special she is to you. Celebrate the small things, not just the big things.”
“So you’ve fully accepted her, then?”
“I was worried at first. You might not be a born alpha, but you’re so close to it that you could easily lead your own pack. You need someone who won’t crumble under the weight of your personality. Take Shaya, for example. She’s a submissive wolf, but she has the inner strength to push back when Nick pushes too hard. I should have trusted that fate would give you what you needed, but I still worried—that’s what it is to be a mother.”
“Casey’s exactly what I need.”
Kathy nodded. “She suits you. She’s strong, focused, and has her shit together. She’s not afraid to give you all of her or to show others just how much you mean to her, which takes a whole other type of strength. There’s only one thing that can break a person so resilient, and that’s the loss of a mate. But you already know that, don’t you? And it scares the life out of you.”
His mother twisted to fully face him. “I meant what I said before—you’d never hold back from Casey to protect yourself. But I believe you’d do it to protect her.” Kathy rested her hand on top of his. “We can’t dictate how the future will go, but we can damn well enjoy the present. So let that fear go. Shove all that negativity aside. Live and laugh and be happy. That’s all any of us can do.”