Page 14 of Rejected Broken Mate

"No."

"What an ass," Ashley said. "The guy should have told you. Especially if you had his kid."

"He doesn't know."

Both of their eyes widened again.

"He doesn't know?"

I shook my head. "Like I said, it wasn’t a great relationship. I got let go soon after. The place went under and he moved away.”..."

"Fuck," Wendy said under her breath. "That fucking sucks."

I laughed because they had no idea.

"No wonder you don't know."

"The best way to normalize this for Michael is talking about it. Bringing it up," Wendy said. "Even if it's just about other things. The more you guys talk about it, the more normal it will become. And the easier it will be for him when he does actually shift."

"How will I know when that will be?"

Ashley frowned. "You don't. It just happens. He's showing signs that it's coming, but you won't know until he's going through it. Each child is different. Some are early bloomers, and some are late."

I felt the worry build in my stomach again. I didn't feel any more confident in myself than I did a month ago when I first found out.

"And what do I do when he does?" I asked. "What happens when he does shift."

"Praise him," Wendy said, taking a long sip of her smoothie. "It's a big accomplishment for them. He's going to want to go running, so you should let him."

I took that into mind. "And after he shifts? Will he continue to? Is he just going to continue to be forced to shift?"

"It's the only time it will ever be forced," Ashley said. "Every other time, it's his decision. Once he finally does shift and connects with his other side, Michael will be like any other kid. No more fevers or feeling he's in pain."

The idea sounded nice. But I still worried about his shifting. How did I normalize something like this?

"Their wolf is a part of them," Wendy added. "The better connection Michael makes with his wolf, the better connection they have. It helps them a lot later in life. It's how the guys communicate, it's how you find your mate."

I scowled. I remembered the first time Michael had brought up the little voice. I thought he was just little, like any other kid who spoke about imaginary friends.

"And what if he doesn't have a good connection?" I asked, knitting my fingers together.

Ashley gave me a gentle smile. "He will. You guys just have to start talking about it."

I looked back at Michael, knowing all I wanted was for him to have a normal, happy life. But my normal wasn't going to be the same for him.

Chapter 6 - Miles

"I'll take five tomatoes, a head of lettuce, a bundle of onions, and a cartoon of blueberries," I said, pointing to everything I wanted.

Patty, the woman running the produce stand at the farmers market, smiled as she grabbed everything and started wrapping it up in a reusable bag.

"Word on the street is you guys are doing your fundraiser a little differently this year," she said as she placed the bag in front of me.

"Oh yeah?" I said, pulling out my cash. "What did you hear?"

"You guys are having bouncy castles and game stands. I've been hearing about it all day today. People are excited, I heard you guys will even do demonstrations."

My eyebrows went up. This, I hadn't heard. I knew we were doing a different fundraiser, but I hadn't heard the details. Laura avoided me, and whenever I tried to speak with her, she would be busy on the phone or computer.

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