Page 9 of Unloved Mate

“Not too long, and he says he loves me, and I'm scared because no one has ever said that to me.”

“Valor, you're my son, and I want you to feel every possible emotion this world has to offer and that includes love.”

“But I'm worried that I might ruin this thing between us.”

“You haven't even tried yet. If that were the case I wouldn't have found your late mother,” he chuckled. “It’s ok for you to love. I want you to know that. How do you feel about him? Zeke, I mean?”

“The same way. But…”

“I’ll stop you right there, young man. No buts. What about the other guy?”

“I don't know much about him, but he's unrelenting in his pursuit. Every time he's around, it's like the whole world fades and it's just the two of us. I don't get that feeling when I'm with Ezekiel, but I feel something. And I know that sooner or later I'd have to maybe make a choice.”

“Hey, you know what you want. Until the time comes, I need you to make sure you don't make a mistake with who you'd be mated to forever.”

“Thanks, dad. What will I do without you?”

“You’ve done a lot, my son. Now go find Zeke and tell him how you feel. That's a start,” he persuaded, and I placed a kiss on his cheeks. “Bye, son.” He added. I rose to my feet and walked out of his ward, wishing him a wonderful day. I was glad my father had helped me get the clarity I was seeking. Now all I had to do was find Zeke and tell him how I truly felt.

6

Zeke

I was running away from the fact that I felt something for Valor and that feeling might be greater than my hunger for revenge. Right now I was at odds with myself, but after last night, after my confession. Maybe I could give this a try. Maybe I could forget everything that happened in our past and move on with the present. I was sitting under the shades of the trees opposite from the crystal clear lake with Valor. I had planned our picnic together as a way to foster our relationship and so far it had been going well. Except the part where some of the food I made were too spicy and that had Valor grumbling the whole time we had lunch together. He was lying on the floor with his hands under his head, looking through the canopy of trees that partly clouded the skies, the rays of sunshine spilling through and brightening his beautiful face. As I looked at him, I imagined what it would be like to actually give myself over, to fall in love with him and to have him in the way we both deserve and bring pleasure to his body. These thoughts were still a battle in my head, but as each moment passed, my desire for revenge blurred into a line of longing. For him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He bit back a smile as he eyed me still in the same position.

“Nothing,” I chortled and lay next to him. “Just charmed by the man lying right here with me.” I smirked at him, then there was a sudden silence that followed my words. I reached out to him and ruffled his hair. “What is it, Valor?”

“I talked to the guy who killed me. I know things didn'tgo well with us, but I…” Sadness masked his face as he struggled with the words. He rose to a sitting position with that look in his eyes. I drew closer to him and pulled him into an embrace.

“You know you can show me, right? If you can't speak about it then show me.” I reassured him. He sighed and we knotted our hands together and shut our eyes.

~

Valor

I woke up early the next morning, joining Logan and the other wolves for an early morning run. Zeke joined this time around and I was head over heels into him. My wolf seemed indifferent, like something was wrong. But I had to give him time to readjust after all—Kane had chased us through the woods and tried to kill us.

After the patrol, we all headed back to our rooms for a shower and returned downstairs for breakfast. This time I had to catch up with my cousin, Anthony and how he was dealing with the duties since my absence. Anthony was away at the Sentinel Training Camp as one of the warrior wolves that oversaw the cadets in the camp. With me gone, Logan had pulled him back home to take on the duties at the pack, and I was glad he did because he had equally helped to take care of my father. “Hey, Anthony. I haven't gotten the chance to speak to you since I came back. Thank you for everything you did for me and my dad.”

“Sure, don't sweat it. We are family.”

“Yes. We are.”

“Besides, my brothers are out there trying to make babies and, like you, I'm unmated, so I don't have anyone to dedicate my time to, do I?”

“No, we don't. Just the pack. Um, I have to catch up withthe Luna. It's really important.”

“Of course. I'll see you later.” He said and headed out of the house.

I sauntered into the common room where Frey was pacing on the floor with her son. She gave me a smile and raised her brows when she saw the look of concern etched on my face. “Is anything wrong?”

“Um, I'm not sure if Aiden is still here. Is he?”

“He is, but Shannon asked us to put him away after he tried to kill Logan and I.”

“And successfully killed me.” I chuckled and pocketed my hands.

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