Page 37 of Tolerated By the Sigma (Mate Hunt 7)

“I know, but… oh, damn you.” I heaved another sigh. “You’re making all this sound so easy and romantic, and it doesn’t feel that way, okay? Do you know what everyone’s calling me, Del?” I leaned forward, lowered my voice, and whispered, “Second Mate.”

She lifted an eyebrow at me. “I’m not following.”

“Like I’m second best. Do you want to be second best at anything? Because I definitely don’t.”

“Would you rather be called his first mate?”

I blinked.

“You’re currently his second mate because all of this is new, right? New for him, new for you, new for everyone in town. They’re only used to thinking about Lisa as his mate who rejected him.” Del gestured around the restaurant, though no one was really looking at us. “But when the newness fades, what are people going to call her?”

I fiddled with a chunk of hair. “His ex-mate?”

“Liar.”

I both loved and hated how easily Del could call me on my shit.

A sigh escaped me. “The girl who rejected him.”

“Exactly. And what do you think they’ll call you? Not tomorrow, or next week, but six months from now, when they run into you at the grocery store. Or five years from now, when you’re big and pregnant and he’s taking you out for fast food because you want cheeseburgers so much you’re in tears?”

The image those words painted in my mind was enough to make my chest squeeze.

And the chest squeeze wasn’t unpleasant… it was far, far from that.

I was distracted by my thoughts, and forgot to answer her question.

“They’ll call you his mate, Char. Nothing else. You choose him, and make the decision to belong to each other, and you’ll be it for him. The past is irrelevant; what matters is this moment, right here, that you’re living in.”

I bit my lip.

Were tears gathering in my eyes?

Dammit, I hated the way strong emotions made me cry.

Del gave me a few minutes to process all those obnoxious emotions that I should’ve been much better at processing, eating her food like we both probably should’ve been doing since the moment it was all placed in front of us.

I finally picked up my fork and knife, cutting into the steak that some blessed chef had put in front of me.

“And by the way,” Del added, her mouth half-full with food, “No one’s calling you his second mate. Or even his mate at all, really.”

I wasn’t sure where she was going with that, so I just gave her a dirty look while I chewed the food in my mouth.

Her lips curved upward as she grabbed her glass of water and took a long, slow sip.

Finally, she set the glass down and cleared her throat.

But still didn’t say anything.

“What are they calling me, then?” I asked, my voice grudging.

Her lips curved upward further, but her eyes were soft. “The miracle that saved his life.” She picked up her fork again. “On campus, they’re just calling you ‘Miss Miracle’. Don’t be surprised if the nickname sticks.”

I snorted. “I amfarfrom a miracle. Yesterday, I was literally wearing a shirt that said, ‘calm your teats’.”

Del grinned. “That one’s a classic. Didn’t Sab find it for you?”

“Mmhm. But all this is beside the point—it just happened.”

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