Page 62 of Secretly Mated To My Monster Alien Boss
Deryg’s impenetrable gaze met hers. “When they’re fated mates, they do.”
25
DERYG
Why had he said that?
And why wasn’t Kiara saying anything?
The only sound in his apartment was the quickening pace of his twin hearts–and they both beat for Kiara.
There was only one explanation for the instinctual desire to be with her.
To protect her.
To care for her needs and her comfort.
For how he felt her energy and how she felt his wounds.
Deryg was a fool to not have seen it before.
Since they’d met, he had a need to be near her.
When they were at work, he found reasons–which had seemed logical back then–to ask her a question.
Or give her some information in person.
And he’d found reasons to meet outside of work, too.
He’d invited her to Rynar and Alissia’s wedding.
He’d stood by her side all night. He’d walked her back to her room.
Deryg had thought he’d found a friendly comfort in her that made him miss Deruzia less, especially early on.
How wrong he’d been.
Their first kiss had just opened his eyes to the real reason he had to see or talk to her every single day.
“Fated mates?” she whispered, sitting down beside him on the couch. Or maybe her knees gave out. She kept staring at the wall with wide, unblinking eyes. “Like you were supposed to be with Leyra? She mentioned something…”
“No. That was a relationship of convenience between two powerful families, no matter what Rexan told you,” he said, growling his brother’s name. “Deruzians can have mates, lifelong partners they live with. They raise a family, they depend on each other, keep each other safe. But fated mates…”
A wistfulness he’d never heard in his own voice rose from deep inside him; like he’d been keeping trapped all these years and it finally found freedom. “Fated mates are two beings who were created for each other. They live their existences together like mates, yes, if they are lucky to find each other, but it’s more than that. It’s the comfort of knowing someone accepts you for who you are, horns and claws and all, and would rather be trapped in the desert with you than be alone in a villa.”
“Because you know that together you can face anything,” he went on. “And you want to face it at each other’s side. Forever. There are no doubts. No uncertainties. There is only safety and love. Breathing the same air feels like home, whether you’re in the same bed or on top of a mountain. Each other’s embrace can make you forget about all your worries. Even a smile can make your hearts soar. And above all else, knowing that you have found the connection you were destined for. To nurture, protect,and grow forever. It’s a blessing to find your fated mate–and have them accept you.”
Deryg finished with a sigh, as if this confession had taken a piece of him that was now floating in the air, unsure of where it was meant to land.
“Why wouldn’t they accept you?” Kiara whispered so low, Deryg barely heard her.
Slowly, he pressed a finger under her chin and turned her head toward him. The moment their eyes met, he felt his chest constrict with so many other unspoken confessions. They would have to wait.
“Because some fated mates are not Deruzians,” he said.
Kiara’s panicked gaze softened. “Darcy told me about this. Like she’d found something she had never known she was searching for when she met Nazyn.”
That was exactly how Deryg felt. Searching his entire existence. For acceptance. For solace. For love.
