Page 76 of The Return
He sighed. “I truly hope not.”
“But it’s possible?” My stomach clenched. “Is that what you’re telling me?”
“When we went away, I made him meditate every day, forcing him to focus on the pack as a whole and you as a part of that whole. Even then, I knew it wasn’t going to work if he didn’t use his head. You’re his heart, Corey. You are everything in the world that means anything to him.”
“The pack means something to him.”
“True, but compared to you?”
“Yes, even compared to me. He loves that pack, and he will give up his life to defend them. You should have seen him when Kinsey was shot. He was pale and shaky, but resolute.”
“How is Kinsey?”
“Jonas put him and Matt up at bed-and-breakfast in Colorado for a few weeks. He’s mending, but for Kinsey, it’s not fast enough. He hates that he can’t be here to help us, and hates that he isn’t strong enough to protect Matt.”
“Wolves are stubborn creatures.”
Oh, that I knew. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
It was quiet for a bit, and then he asked, “So, you knew about us being wolves?”
“Yeah.”
“And you didn’t tell anyone?”
I chuckled. “Who’d believe me? Plus, it’s Jonas. I would have done—will do—anything for him.”
“You know I can’t ever make up for my mistakes.”
When I was younger, I wanted to demand answers, but now that I had them? “You don’t have to make up for them. I understand why, and you may not believe this, I agree with what you did.” Time for a confession. “I wouldn’t have been able to wait for sex with Jonas. If he had asked me, I would have dropped to my knees anytime, anywhere.”
“That would have made things so much worse.”
“I figured. So you taking him away? It hurt, but it was the right thing to do. For him, for me, for the pack.”
He leaned closer to me, our shoulders touching. “How can you be so understanding?”
I puffed up my chest a bit. “Because I’m the true mate of an Alpha, and it’s my job to care for my pack.” He sniffled, and I turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
“You humble me. Watching you grow up, I said to myself many times that you would be an amazing influence on the pack, because you were on Jonas. In all my years, I have never met anyone who could ignore the pull of the wolf like he could. When I was his age, I didn’t have that kind of strength. Hell, even now, I don’t. Jonas is, without a doubt, the strongest Alpha I have ever met. He’s good, kind, and more than a little intimidating.”
“Jonas? Please, he’s an overgrown puppy.”
Dad’s laughter was loud in the car. Councilor Delray peeked in the mirror and gave us a smile, but said nothing.
“He told me about you seeing his third form. How you weren’t at all afraid. You’ve got a set on you, kid. Marta is terrified of mine.”
That made no sense to me. “Why? It’s still you in there.”
“It just scares her. I can understand. We’re bigger, hairier, growlier—”
“Stop, you’re turning me on.” I laughed. “I could never be afraid of Jonas.”
“Your trust in him is that absolute?” He smiled. “It must be nice.”
How could I not trust him? He was my mate, even if I still had little idea what all that meant. The only thing I was certain of right now was that my heart was hurting more and more the farther away we got from each other. At least now I understood why it was so painful when he left. He told me we had a connection, and I get it now.
I missed my mate.
