Page 46 of Rejected Broken Mate

Laura looked utterly shocked. I pulled the sheets up, covering Michael, and pulled myself back up. I spotted a fan sitting next to his bed and flicked it on.

"Sound sometimes helps, and blowing cold air helps a little as well. It doesn't stop the pain, but it helps the brain focus on something else. I listened to waves or the sound of animals when I was young."

She nodded, and we moved back down the stairs. She chewed on her cheek as we stopped at the landing.

"I know you think I'm a terrible mother."

I turned to her, confused. "Why would I think that?"

She shrugged, "because…I never told you about him. I clearly don't even know how to soothe my own child."

I frowned. "Laura, that doesn't make you a bad mom. Sure, I'm not loving the idea of this situation, but I don't think you're a bad person."

She chewed on her cheek, hugging her chest. "Why didn't you tell me you were a shifter? Why didn't you tell me anything?"

I didn't know what to say. I could have. I should have. I knew she was my mate, but I rejected her.

"I just… never found a time."

She scowled. "It would be one thing if we were only together a couple of months, but we were together for two years, Miles. That's… that's not a reason. You never told me anything about your family or your life outside campus. I know I'm not in the right for never telling you, but you ended this."

I felt my shoulders sink. "I never told you because of my folks."

Her lips tightened, and I knew she was going to need more.

"My folks would never let me be with a human. Trust me, I tried convincing them, but they refused. They wanted nothing to do with you, and I wanted so badly to be the perfect son." I rubbed my eyes. "I wanted to tell you, and I was going to, but my folks told me if I brought you back, they were going to cut ties with me. I would be out of the will and out of the family business. All those years at school would have been a waste of my time."

She remained silent for a moment before she crossed her arms. "So, instead, you thought of just lying to me instead of telling me the truth?"

"You had my child and never told me," I countered. "I think we both have things to be angry about."

She looked away, running her hands over her face. She shook her head. "How did we get here, Miles? How did we go from people that loved each other to people that can't figure their shit out?"

I didn't have an answer for her.

Chapter 17 - Laura

I'm nervous as I sit at the coffee table sipping my coffee. My mind is a mess going over Miles’s words. My folks wouldn’t have accepted you. Was that why he ended things? I didn’t know whether to feel bad or be even more angry about it.

I looked at my phone, checked the time, and swallowed, shaking my head. I couldn’t think of last night. I needed to focus. I'm waiting for Michael to come down the stairs. I let him sleep in, knowing neither of us got much sleep last night. I was tempted to call in again, but I’d already missed two days and knew I would have work I needed to complete.

I took another sip of my coffee when I heard the footsteps coming down the stairs. I perked up, and Michael rounded the corner and smiled at me. "Morning, Mom."

My eyebrows went up as I looked him over. He looked like his normal self, like he hadn't been in any pain the previous night. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel great," he said, walking towards the pantry by the fridge. "What's the plan today? Am I going over to the neighbors?"

I shook my head. "No, I thought you might like the idea of coming with me to work today."

I had already got the okay from Ayden earlier. I wanted to keep a close eye on him. Everyone told me if he was shifting, it would be today with the full moon, and I needed to be around for that.

He grabbed a pop-tart, kicking the pantry door shut as he turned to me. "Really? Are the guys going to be there?"

I could see the sparkle in his eyes. He loved hanging with the guys when he got a chance.

I nodded. "Yeah, but you need to remember it's work. So, if those bells go, you have to come into my office and let them do what they need to."

He nodded his head eagerly. "Okay!" He then paused. "Does that mean I can ask them questions about shifters?"

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