Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
“Why?”
“I need you to be there,” he said.
Darcy looked toward the room where she had left Kelly. “Let’s go and see if she is okay with this.”
She walked into the room, feeling Joe at her back. He placed a palm flat to her back, and she felt the warmth from his hand. She told Kelly her plan, and the other woman looked so damn happy.
Kelly offered to make them a drink, and Darcy had no choice but to follow Joe upstairs to Andrew’s bedroom.
The man-boy was sitting on the bed, and it looked like he was holding a bowl.
“I thought you were my mom,” he said.
“Hey, man,” Joe said.
Andrew looked up, deathly pale, and his eyes were red-rimmed. He looked terrible. Worse than terrible, and Darcy felt so bad.
“Joe, I, ugh, yeah, man, I’m fine.” He groaned.
“Don’t lie, dude, it is not a good look on you.”
“I think anything would be a good look on me right now other than this shit.” Andrew groaned. “They don’t tell you about this, do they?”
Joe moved toward the bed and sat down. Darcy stayed at the door, watching. Joe put a hand on his back and Andrew winced. “Ah, yes, the pain, I remember it well. You think it will only be on the night of the full moon, don’t you, but then it seems to linger.”
Andrew sighed. “I thought my dad was going to … be here, but he’s busy with his other family. You know, the family he wants. He never told me the pain would get worse.”
“Only for the first time.”
The younger man started to shake his head. “No. Hell, no. There’s no way I can go through that again. No, I can’t do it.”
“I thought that,” Joe said.
“What?”
“It’s one of the reasons I left. I didn’t think I could take any more. I was embarrassed because of how painful it was and how I thought everyone else was able to handle it, and I just couldn’t. I’m the alpha’s son, and I knew there was a lot expected of me, so I left.”
Darcy listened to him, and her heart went out to the young man, who must have been so lonely.
“My friends told me they could handle it. How they found it enjoyable and a breeze. I’ve only recently learned, a good seven years later, that they struggled through it, calling for their mothers, not wanting it to happen.”
“They did?”
“Yeah, they did,” Joe said.
“It was the worst feeling in the world,” Andrew said. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get through it.” He started to shake.
“And until you learn to accept that part of you, it will always hurt,” Joe said. “The moment you accept your wolf, you connect, and it stops hurting.”
Andrew frowned. “It does?”
“Yeah, ask Darcy.”
The younger man looked up at her and she offered him a smile. “It does?”
“Yeah, it does. It can be the most amazing feeling in the world. We went for our run last night,” Darcy said.
“We?” Andrew looked from Darcy to Joe.
Joe looked at her with a brow raised and she nodded her head.
“Yeah, you see that sexy lady right there? She is my mate.”
“Wow,” Andrew said.
“Yeah, wow, but it doesn’t stop the fact I was a loser.”
“You’re not a loser,” Darcy said.
Joe nodded his head. “Yeah, I was, because I was so afraid of what the pack would think of me that I left. I left my mate behind. I left the potential of a future behind. I didn’t even realize Darcy was my mate. I should have known, though, I was a little obsessed with her.” He nudged Andrew’s shoulder. “It’s not wrong to be scared and it’s okay to not want to change again. Unfortunately, there’s no way to stop it. All you can do is hope for the best.”
Andrew nodded. “Thank you.”
“I think your mom is worried about you,” Darcy said.
“Do you mind if I go see her? I know she was there for me and I just wanted my dad. She must hate me.”
“Your mother could never hate you,” Darcy said.
Andrew left and Joe got to his feet, blowing out a breath as he approached her. “That was … interesting.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“You didn’t mind telling him?” Joe asked.
Darcy placed a palm on his chest. “I figured with how you reacted to your friends, Wade and Ryan, I have a feeling they said some mean things, and the protective mate inside you couldn’t handle it.”
“You’ve got that right,” he said.
“And, knowing the pack the way I do, we’re going to have to explain it, aren’t we?” She looked up at Joe and honestly couldn’t remember why she didn’t want to tell anyone about them. “Your parents know as well?”
“Yes, they know.”
“It kind of explains why your mother has been even more friendly than usual,” Darcy said.