Page 34 of Carter

I stare at her briefly before it finally clicks inside my head. Holy shit, she likes women. “Oh,” I say eventually. She laughs again before tucking her red hair behind her ear. “Yeah, it’s not something my pack knows about yet.” Then she places her hand back down on the dock, brushing my fingers in the process. Tiny sparks fly through my hand, but as nice as it might feel, it also feels wrong.

“I’m sorry,” she says, moving her hand away. I let out a sigh I was holding in. Looking at the beautiful view in front of us, I start to see things for what they are. “Sienna,” I pause for a moment trying to gather my thoughts so that what I’m about to say doesn’t hurt her wolf or mine. “Is it normal to feel this way?” I question.

“What way?”

“Not feeling anything special like you described earlier. Mates are meant to be all over each other almost like you need them to live, to breathe. Without them, it’s like you're dying.” I say, looking directly into her eyes. “I think that the Moon Goddess can get it wrong sometimes. I mean, she can’t be right all the time.” Sienna smirks, rolling her eyes. “My mom and her mate never worked out.” She says, suddenly catching me off guard.

“Why’s that?” I ask curiously.

Sienna shrugs. “He wasn’t right for her. They fought constantly, and the attraction for each other wasn’t there. He cheated on her and in the end, she couldn’t forgive him. My mom wasn’t in love with him, so she had me with another wolf." Sienna gives me a half smile. “What about your parents? Are they mates?”

“I barely see my parents. They're both retired; just enjoying life and traveling the world. Their marriage has withstood a lot and they're still together to this day.” I say, remembering my parents' love and respect for each other. “Are they mates?” She questions. My mind gets stunned because even though I have witnessed their love for each other, they have never really said if they were mates.

“I would have to assume that they are. Fuck, now that I think about it, I’m not too sure.” I say because my parents never openly told me if they were. Thinking about it now, neither my mom nor my dad ever really discussed the concept of a mate with me. “You should probably find that out, Carter.” She raises her eyebrows at me. “You never know, you might be surprised.”

I think about what she’s telling me and I know I need to find out sooner rather than later. We stay silent for a few moments. Sienna’s eyes study me. I can feel her stare on me, but I’m too busy thinking about how much groveling I must do to win Leandra back. “What’s the matter?” She says, bringing me back to reality. “Just thinking,” I say, looking out into the lake.

“About your parents?” She asks sincerely. I shake my head. “No, I fucked up one of the best things that has ever happened to me.” I close my eyes tightly. “Leandra?” She says, and my attention is turned toward her. She smiles at me. “You love her, don’t you, Carter?”

I nod my head answering her at the same time. “Yes,” I say, my voice cracking slightly. “She’s my girlfriend.” I pause, swallowing hard, thinking she isn’t mine anymore. “Well, she was my girlfriend. She broke it off when she found out I had met my mate. Meeting you, Sienna wasn’t meant to happen. I was adamant that I would never meet my mate. I’ve always been married to the job and never really found my person, so I never thought it would happen.” My voice became quieter.

“I’m sorry. I know my Alpha put pressure on getting your pack to train ours. Your pack is one of the deadliest and most feared when it comes to defense, but it’s also the fairest.” She says, and I can see the sincerity of her words. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I would rather have you and your pack trained by us so that you and your pack are better equipped for rogue attacks.”

“You should go get her, Carter,” she tells me supportively.

I shake my head. “She hates me,” I sigh. “She’s human and doesn’t understand how my wolf wanted time with his mate. Plus, I promised her that I would choose her, and I broke that promise when I allowed my wolf time with yours.”

“That shouldn’t stop you from going after her. You love her. So, fight for her, or trust me, Carter, you will come to regret it.”

I nod in reply. Sienna’s right and I know I have a lot of work to do. But, I’m going after what’s mine and Leandra is mine. “She’s special, you know. I can hear her thoughts, and from the beginning, we had a connection that went beyond our physical attraction to each other. There’s a special connection between us, and not being with her right now is slowly destroying me.”

I look up to see Sienna’s eyes filled with sympathy. “You should look into that, Carter. Maybe talk to an Elder.” I pause for a moment letting her words sink in. I know she’s right. I need to talk to someone who knows what this connection between Leandra and me might be. “You’re right. I need to.”

She grins at me before she playfully shoves my shoulder. “I’m always right, Carter. But seriously, you should ask an elder. It sounds like it might be something rare. It's interesting to hear what you're telling me about being able to hear her thoughts. She’s human after all. She could be your human soulmate.” She shrugs as if that’s a possibility. I breathe out sharply through my nose. God, I wish that were true. Sienna nudges my side and brings my attention back to her and our conversation.

“Guess there’s only one thing left to do.” She says.

“What’s that?” I ask her.

“We reject each other.” She whispers the words and my wolf inside of me sulks. It hurts, but it’s for the best. There is absolutely no physical attraction, chemistry, or connection between us. The only bond we ever felt was our mate bond, which felt forced and fake. Sienna’s a sweet girl and her wolf is amazing. They deserve happiness with someone who wants and feels a real connection with them.

“Sienna, did your wolf hurt when you said that?” I question with genuine concern for her. She frowns as she nods at me. “There’s no point in forcing something that isn’t there or prolonging the inevitable. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?” She smiles at me, and I stare at her momentarily. This woman is truly amazing, and I will always be grateful that she understands my feelings for Leandra.

“I wish you the best of luck Sienna, and I truly hope you find that connection with someone who can value you and your wolf. You deserve to find your happiness, and I hope you find the woman of your dreams.” I give her a genuine smile, and she smiles back. We hug as this will probably be the last time I see Sienna. “Okay, shall we get this over with so that you can go find your woman?” Sienna suggests. I nod excitedly about the fact that in just minutes I’ll be fighting for Leandra.

“I, Sienna Evans, reject Carter Grayson Anderson as my mate.” She winces inside, slightly letting go of my hand just for a second before grabbing my hand once again. “I, Carter Grayson Anderson, reject you, Sienna Evans, as my mate.” My wolf whines inside me, and I feel our bond breaking as if it’s getting pulled from my body, but the feeling quickly disperses and when it’s gone, I don’t feel guilty.

I feel relief. Sienna pulls me into a hug as she whispers the following words of encouragement.

“Go win her back and tell her I’m sorry if I got in the way.” Pulling away from our hug, I see her lips fall into a frown. “I will and Sienna, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for being so understanding.” I give her one last hug kissing her on the cheek. Letting go, I have the biggest smile on my face. I know how happy I am that in the next ten minutes, I’ll be on my way to find Leandra.

I'm coming Peach.

Chapter thirty

Leandra

I couldn’t sleep even though my body was begging me to rest. My mind would not settle down. My conversation with Ash helped me clear my head, but that didn’t stop me from overthinking. On top of everything else, I wasn't feeling good. Ash was right. I was throwing up earlier, and now I feel nauseous again. I was tossing and turning all night and couldn't get comfortable. Looking at my phone, I see it's now almost seven in the morning.

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