Helanie:
He had his hands under my shirt, gently reaching for my breasts. There were moments when I felt like I might freak out or repeat what I did in Emmet’s office the other day—push Kaye away and run out on him.
But his tender kisses on my lips eased my nerves, making me feel more comfortable with him. Yet, a lingering fear remained in the back of my mind.
What if some Alphas arrived and tried to touch me? Would Kaye run away like Altan did?
Would I be left on my own?
Even though I knew Kaye was far more powerful than Altan in both strength and presence, I couldn’t shake the fear that he might not step up for me. What if he was too afraid of being known as romantically associated with me?
His hand softly caressed my bare breast, and a moan escaped my lips into his mouth. Embarrassed, I quickly felt a flush of heat rise to my cheeks. Somehow, he must have noticed because he suddenly stopped and pulled his hand back from under my shirt.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked quickly, our lips only inches apart.
"No! Absolutely not," he smiled warmly. "I just don’t want to do anything out here in the open air. I can tell you’re a bit shy about intimacy. Take your time—I’m in no rush," he added, his tone sweet and reassuring as he gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Thank you for being so understanding," I uttered in disbelief. For a moment, I’d been scared he would get angry with me.
"But I do want to talk about us," he said softly.
The moment those words left his lips, I straightened my back and turned my head to the side, avoiding his gaze.
"I—," I began, but the words caught in my throat.
As much as I would have loved to have a mate like Kaye—an absolute dream for any she-wolf—I couldn’t accept him. Not just because of the vow I’d made to defy the Moon Goddess until I’d exacted my revenge, but because Kaye wasn’t the only one who was my mate.
How could I tell him without triggering him that his brother was also my mate?
And what about Emmet? What if he denied it altogether? I wasn’t even sure if he still remembered anything about our bond.
And then there was the Lycan—the beast I’d felt a mate bond with. I didn’t even know who he had been before he turned into that creature.
I was losing my mind, suffocated by the complexity of my life and the challenges it constantly threw at me.
"I haven’t thought about it," I murmured in a shaky voice.
"Will you give it a thought after tonight?" Kaye asked gently, almost desperately.
My fists clenched beneath the blanket, and my lips quivered under the weight of my misery.
"I don’t know. I don’t want to think about anything right now," I said, my voice trembling. "My mother is marrying your father, and if we got together... her relationship would be doomed."
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