Page 70 of His Wild Mate

Mom sighed. “You poor thing. Don't worry. Esme and I will take care of it today. I have a feeling my son isn't going to let you out of his sight anytime soon.”

Paige smiled up at me. “I don't mind that.”

Paige

Chapter 18

Long after Emmett's family left, I still couldn't believe they had just accepted me. Eileen had made a delicious breakfast for us before she and Esme took off to go shopping. A part of me really wished I could have gone with them, but it was safer this way. Besides I hadn't been in a store in a long time. They intimidated me with all those people crammed into one little building. Yet somehow, they made it sound fun.

Ernest stayed to continue helping James. They hadn't come back inside, so I assumed they were still working on the new security cameras he had promised Emmett he would install.

Alone with Emmett, at last. I could tell just looking at him that he had questions.

“I'm sorry I blurted all that out to your family.”

“What? No. You have nothing to apologize for. That was your story to share with whoever you are comfortable enough to share it with.”

“I'm not as strong or tough as I let on,” I admitted. “And I've done things I'm not proud of, Emmett.”

His jaw tensed and I reached out and soothed it, but I was also terrified he wouldn't want me when he heard it all. How could he? He'd been outraged when I told them about my parents trying to mating me off to an old guy when I was thirteen. But how disgusted would he be when I confessed the man had followed me and I'd killed him. He was just the first in a string of deaths around the country.

My first instinct was never to fight. I fled first, but some were relentless in their pursuit. I didn't want to admit that trespasser was also very likely the creeper Lily's girls had seen trying to peek into the windows. He was also watching me out on the range when I had a strong sensation that I wasn't alone. And I knew from experience thathe wouldn't stop until he got to me. Men like him went crazy once they got my scent and just couldn't let it go. Unfortunately it had happened more times than I cared to admit. The guy my parents had tried to mate me to was like that too. I knew I was going to have to kill this man just like I had him.

“You are the strongest woman I've ever known,” Emmett told me, breaking me from a walk down memory lane.

I didn't know how to respond to that. When he looked at me, I felt strong, beautiful, and capable of anything. But I was terrified that one day soon, he was going to realize just how strong I was and he would hate me for it, or worse, fear me.

I couldn't stomach having Emmett afraid of me, but he should be. My wolf was strong and overly protective of me. The fact that she adored him was an even bigger testament to him being my true mate than her incessant cries ofMineandMateevery time he was near.

“Since you aren't in heat right now, I would love to take you out tonight,” he said when I hadn't responded to him.

“What?” I asked.

Was he crazy? Someone was after me and he wanted me to just go out in the open?

But Emmett will be with me the whole time, I thought.

“I'm serious. How about dinner at Kate's tonight? I'll let our friends know and they can meet us there for extra support. I want you to feel safe here in Collier, sweetheart. I've mostly kept you locked away and constantly watched since you got here. That's not because of you, that's because of me. My wolf cannot stomach you being alone for even a second. And when you ran off and I came home to the house ransacked and no sign of you, my wolf didn't handle it well. I didn't either.”

“I shouldn't have just left without saying anything, especially after you caught me trying to really leave. I swear I just needed to stretch my legs and go for a run. And food. I was hungry and went foraging too.”

He growled. “You don't need to forage anymore. There's plenty of food here.”

“I know, I just didn't know what to do with any of it. I haven't lived in a place with a kitchen for more than half of my life. I'm sorry.”

“Don't apologize for that. You did what you had to do. Will you let me teach you how to make a few things and use the stove so you don't have to feel like you need forage for a meal?”

I truly hoped when everything inevitably came out in the open, that he would still feel the same. But I didn't say that, instead I nodded. “I'd like that.”

He seemed to relax a little. He was always so uptight. From what the girls had shared with me, that wasn't normal for Emmett. They also assured me it was most likely a product of our mating making him crazy. I didn't know when or if that would ever settle. I liked it when he relaxed and smiled. It didn't happen often, except when we were alone and intimate.

Sex always seemed to relax him and he smiled a lot. We’d certainly done a lot of it since my arrival. It made me wonder why I’d never caved into the desires before. Could something that felt so incredibly good be all that bad?

Then a shiver ran up my spine. Emmett wasn't really affected by the curse. He wanted me for me, just as I am, all my flaws and all. Others were predatory and scary when they would try to get that close to me.

I could feel myself starting to withdraw just thinking about it.

“Whoa. Where'd you go just now?”

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