Page 33 of My Pucking Mate

The anxiety is immediately extinguished while shock and confusion make themselves at home in my body.

“Th-that can’t be true. Those are the vitamins I took my whole life. I'm sorry, Roman, but you have to be mistaken.”

“Leera, look at me. This is a poison called wolfsbane. In small doses, it prevents someone’s wolf from surfacing. In large doses it can be fatal.”

The room is spinning, and I can’t get enough oxygen to my lungs. I’m just staring at Roman, but I can see the gears turning in his mind when he says, “How long have you been out of vitamins?”

“J-just a couple weeks. I-I couldn’t find them online anywhere, so I j-just bought a popular multivitamin.”

“Your parents knew,” he says so quietly I’m sure he’s actually talking to himself before he lifts his head and stares directly at me, “your parents knew.”

“My parents knew wh . . .” I trail off when my mind finally catches up with Roman’s, and I can no longer control my body as I crumble to the floor.

“My parents knew.” I want to scream at him and call him a liar. I want to tell him my parents would never do that to me, but I feel the truth in my soul. How the hell else would I live my entire life without knowing I'm a werewolf?

I’m the one talking to myself now, “My parents knew I was a wolf and they poisoned me my whole life. No. That's not possible. My parents loved me. They would never p-poison me.” I’m trying so hard to take deep gulps of oxygen but it’s just not enough.

“My parents knew I was a wolf and they poisoned me my whole life!” I’m yelling now. “Who were they? Were they human? Were they wolves?”

I feel the spiraling fear seeping into my bones when a warm body nearly completely envelops me in an embrace that I can feel from my toes to my soul. I've never been touched like this by anyone, let alone a giant man. My brain is telling me it's a little fast but my body and my heart wish he'd never let go.

“Shhhhh sunshine, it’s going to be okay. No matter what we find, or what happens for the rest of my life, I promise, it willbe okay. I’ll make sure of it,” he says while rubbing my back and soothing the panic from my body.

I feel that strange feeling under my skin again.

“Roman,” I gasp.

He looks at me with concern and compassion.

“I thought I felt something under my skin. It was a calm feeling, like when a cat rubs against your legs.”

He squeezes me tighter, and I’m pretty sure I would die happy if we stayed just like this for the rest of my existence.

“That’s your wolf. She’s either trying to calm you, or she’s trying to nuzzle me and my wolf. Which means she's definitely waking up from the sedation she's been under for, well, forever.

It’s such a surreal thing to realize your body is not just your own and it’s also not the only form you possess.

I don’t know how long we sit like that, not saying a word, just holding each other and soaking each other in when I speak up, “Hey Roman?”

“Yeah, Sweetheart?”

“Can we pretend this didn’t happen for a little while and go about our evening? We can figure this out later, can’t we? I'm hungry,” I pout.

It's not just the hunger that needs to postpone this moment. This is just too much information. I can't wait to meet my wolf, but after the pain from last time, it's also terrifying.

I can't wait to meet you, but I'm scared. I'm sure werewolves are supposed to be strong and brave, but you'll have to be patient with me.I tell my wolf, hoping she can hear me. Last time there was no response, but this time I feel the same calming brush under my skin. I allow myself a small smile at her compassion.

“Of course we can,” and just like that, he’s pulling me to my feet and towards the door. “Is it okay with you if I take this bottle to Jeanine—the healer—,to look at?”

I just nod because I still can’t believe I might have been poisoned my whole life. If this is true, my parents poisoned me my entire life. The only people I had in the whole world. The people I thought about every day. The people who knew I was a werewolf and never told me. Did I even know them? I know they loved me, though . . . right?

When we pull up to their home, I’m plagued by flashbacks of my last visit. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to going to this giant townhouse.

I really hopeshedoesn’t show up again.

As if sensing my concern, Roman says, “She won’t be here. I promise.”

“Are we going to be talking about that?” I ask timidly.

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