Page 153 of Labor of Love

6

CLYNT

Three days passed in a whirlwind of mating bites, knotting, and tender moments. I basked in every second, happy to be with my mate.

It was on the fourth day that I realized I didn’t know much about him. We were naked and in bed yet again when I decided it was time to get some answers.

“What’s your full name?”

He chuckled. “Maklihn Turneaux. What’s yours?”

“Clynt Lette.”

“That’s beautiful. Would you prefer to take my last name, or I take yours? I don’t care either way so long as it’s the same.”

I leaned away from the comfy position I’d taken up on his chest to look at him. His expression showed nothing but honesty, and his scent was clean. Sometimes when other shifters lied to you, it was obvious because their scent took on a burning smell.

My mate was telling the truth.

“I’m not opposed to either option. Would your family want your name to continue? Mine doesn’t much care,” I replied.

“My family has all passed. I’m the last one of us.”

I gasped. “Oh, Alpha.I’m so sorry. How long has it been?”

“A long time. Maybe fifty years or so since the last relative died.”

My jaw dropped.

“Fifty years? You don’t evenlookfifty!”

Granted, I knew shifters aged differently. I was one. But even so, I couldn’t get my brain to put the pieces together properly.

His laugh shook my body too. I smiled at the carefree gesture, despite the topic not being the happiest.

My mate had been alone for a long time. It hurt to know he had no one to turn to. I couldn’t imagine not having my family and Judy around to support me. Sure, most of them were across the country at this point, but they still answered the phone and my texts when I sent them.

“I hope this isn’t a deterrent since we’re already mated. You might have heard Kris mention how happy he was I’d finally found my mate on the call the other day.”

“Oh yeah. I remember that.”

“He’s one of the few people who knows just how long I’ve waited to find you.” He took a deep breath. “It’s been over three hundred years. I don’t regret a single one I spent alone since it led me to you.”

There was no holding back the tears. My eyes swelled with them; the emotions of the moment were too great to keep inside.

“Don’t cry for me, mate. I’m more than pleased with the outcome of fate’s decision. You arebeyondwhat I dreamed was possible.”

I leaned forward, kissing him with all the love I felt. He deserved to know every second of every day how much I cared for him.

Three hundred years? Dear Fates, that had to be rough.

“I’m yours, Alpha. Forever and always. Until the end of time.”

He grinned. “Sounds perfect to me.”

Neither of us considered the ramifications of our mating until the first time I threw up. We’d been cooking dinner, and the smell of garlic had me rushing to the bathroom. It was odd because garlic was quite literally one of my top five food groups.

My mate came to run a cool cloth on my neck while I hurled into the toilet. It was far too embarrassing, but the relief I felt at his touch alone was enough to have me holding back from sending him away.

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