Page 41 of Rejected Broken Mate

I kissed the top of his head, hoping his fever would break so he could finally get some sleep. About thirty minutes later, I felt him relax and fall back asleep.

His breath was labored, so I knew his fever still hadn't come down. I crawled out of bed and checked the time. It was a little past three in the morning.

I walked back into the kitchen, grabbed a cold rag, and placed it over his forehead. I looked at my phone, tempted to call anyone who would relate.

But it was late, and everyone would be asleep.

I chewed on my cheek. What if this was more serious? I grabbed my phone, chewing on my cheek as I flipped through my contacts.

My finger hovered over Ashley's name. I didn't want to call since it was so early, but I had no one else. I certainly couldn't call Miles after the blowout we had.

I clicked her name and stepped out into the hallway. I tightened my robe as the phone rang a few times. I closed my eyes, knowing she was probably asleep. She likely wasn't going to answer.

But suddenly, she answered. "Hello? Laura, what's wrong?" Her voice sounded groggy yet panicked, and I knew I had woken her.

I pinched my forehead and sighed. "I'm a shitty mom."

"What? Hold on, let me get out of bed." I could hear her moving and a door open and shut. "What's going on?"

"Michael is running a temperature again and says his body hurts."

"Oh, well, he's going to be okay. This is normal."

"For a shifter," I said softly, feeling tears build up. "Not for a human." I felt my voice crack, and tears broke free.

"Don't cry," she said softly. "You're not a terrible mom, Laura. You just don't know how this works. You're out of your depth."

"No shit," I said, moving down the living room into the kitchen. "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what's right and what's wrong. I don't know any of this."

"If it makes you feel better, neither do we. It's shitty, no matter how you look at it. No one wants their kids to suffer."

I looked at a few pictures of Michael that I had hanging up. "I just want what's best for him. That's all I ever wanted."

"Because you're a good mother."

I wiped my eyes. "I'm sorry to wake you. I shouldn't have called at this time."

I could hear her laughing. "You're fine. I about shit myself, but I'll forgive you."

I sat down on the island and sighed. "When does this end…when does he…shift?"

"He's been getting these normally now, so honestly, any time soon."

I frowned. He hadn't had an episode in a week or so. I thought maybe it was over, but I knew I was only fooling myself.

"Have you told him yet?" she asked, and I could hear her moving around.

I shook my head. "I don't know how to…I know you guys said I needed to, but…I just... I don't know how to."

"You'll want to sooner rather than later… He's going to shift, and he needs someone to guide him."

I knew that. I remained silent for a long moment, wondering if I fucked everything up. Miles would hate me and likely wouldn't forgive me for never telling him until now.

"Speaking of guiding him…Owen told me about your argument with Miles."

I should have known that was coming. Miles pretty much screamed that he was the father, and it wasn't hard to put two and two together.

"He hates me," I said, rubbing at my head. "And he has every right to. I lied."

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