Page 41 of An Unexpected Claim

Her brown eyes swung back to my face. “Oh, it’s not that. That would be really fun. It’s just…it’s complicated. In a way, I’m kind of stuck here until I figure things out. I have to make a choice and it will determine the entire course of my life.”

“Does it have to?”

Samantha looked at me curiously, her head tilted to the side. “What do you mean?”

I played with the ends of my hair as I considered how to word my answer. “Is there a third option? Or a fourth or fifth?”

“I…” She trailed off,looking thoughtful, and one of her hands tugged absently on her ear. “Honestly, I hadn’t considered it. Where I’m from, your mate is already fated to you from the time you are born. There are few things that affect your life more than a mate, so it often felt as though there was nothing in my control. But here, I can choose my mate, right?”

I nodded, even though I only knew what I’d learned about mates growing up. The process was complicated, and I’d never taken the time to learn all the stages and how they were accomplished.

“Even if they aren’t my true mate?”

“Yes.” That much I knew, but there was a caveat to that. “But from what I’m told, it’s not easy to walk away from your true mate. The connection is incredibly fierce and”—I smirked—“I’m told the attraction is super hot.” After my night with Nathan, I couldn’t imagine what it was like for true mates. How they didn’t just burn up into a pile of ash was beyond me.

“So, so hot,” she sighed as she scrubbed her face with her hands.

My brows hit my hairline. “Have you met your true mate?”

Samantha’s cheeks burned and she stared down into her lap. “I’m pretty sure. But…I’m not ready to decide whether I want him or not.” She looked up at me. “Does that make me a terrible person?”

“Of course not. Is he willing to wait?” I asked curiously.

She ran her hands through her thick red hair and sighed. “I don’t think he’s completely figured it out yet. And there are other major complications. Honestly, it gives me a headache just thinking about it. Why France?”

Her abrupt topic change threw me for a second, but I moved on because I didn’t want to cause her distress.

“I wasn’t sure at first, but another friend of my uncle’s met me there and gave me new documents, ones that had my father’s last name attached to mine. As it turned out, those were my real legal papers. My uncle had kept them hidden and let my grandfather assume my mother had given me her last name. But what really shocked me was when he handed me another set of papers and a new passport. It turned out my father had known about me. I guess he didn’t want the family life, but he’d made arrangements for me. Showing love in his own way, I suppose. I have dual citizenship and a trust fund.” I held up my right hand and showed her the gold ring on my thumb. “He also left me this. Apparently, it belonged to his mother.”

Samantha leaned in and examined it. “What does the engraving say?”

“Tu es ton propre destin.’ It reminds me that my life is of my own making. My past has shaped me, sure, but I do my best not to let it dictate my future. The truth is, I’m simply more like my father. I crave the freedom to roam, and I get bored easily.” I chuckled, then shook my head, my amusement fading fast. “I have to be honest”—I’d shared the rest of my darkest secrets with this woman, why not one more?—“I’m worried about being a mother. I love this little one so fiercely already, but what if…” I sighed and just blurted it out. “What if I suck at it?”

Samantha laughed and I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious, Foxy!”

“I know you are, Peyton,” she said, still smiling. “And your fears are normal. But I’ve known you for all of, what, an hour? And I already know you’re going to be an amazing mother. That cub is going to adore you.”

I hoped she was right, but there was still the problem of Nathan. “What ifthe baby is more like Nathan?”

“How do you mean?” Samantha asked as she unfolded her legs and stretched them out in front of her.

“I told you he’s been keeping me locked up, right?”

“Sure. That would drive me crazy too.”

“But that’s not all of it. I feel a strange connection, except it’s almost tangible, like a tether between the two of us. I’m sure it’s because of the baby and I realize we are connected forever through our child now, but this rope feels like it’s stronger than that. It’s making me worry that the cub feels a stronger kinship with Nathan. That they will be better off living here and putting down roots.”

“Are you sure that’s not what you want?” Samantha asked softly.

I blew out a frustrated breath and twisted my ring around my thumb. “It’s already making me feel anxious and claustrophobic. It’s why I staged a prison break today. And yet I can’t imagine leaving my baby with Nathan while I’m off running all over the world without them. So, how am I supposed to make everybody happy?”

“I wish I had an answer for you,” she said, putting her hands out to the sides in a helpless gesture. She was observing me carefully though and I wondered if maybe she was working through an idea. If so, I was all ears.

A cool breeze swept through the cavern and I shivered, which made me think about the way my body responded to Nathan’s touch. The way I craved him still astonished me. I’d never felt such a strong sexual pull to a man.

“It has to be because of the baby,” I mused.

“What does?”

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