Page 29 of Plus-Size Mate

Winter did drop the phone, then. Her hand trembled so badly she barely managed to pick it back up.

“Winter? Are you okay? Did you hear me?”

“I…I did.”

“I'm so sorry, Winter. I had been trying to find a way to get back at my ex, and sleeping with a werewolf, at the time, seemed like the best way to do it. He…he was a witch, and as a witch, I'm sure you know…”

“Okay, stop. I don't need to hear anymore,” Winter said. She knew well what her mother was saying. She had slept with a werewolf to piss off her stupid witch ex. Whatever the reason was, it was a seriously stupid thing to do. More than that, it meant that she had been a mistake, a freak of nature, a half-breed, all this time.

“Why…why didn't you tell me?”

Even as the question escaped her mouth, she realized she didn't really want to know the answer. Her mother started to speak, but Winter didn't hear her. Instead, she slammed the phone down on the desk and ended the call.

Shaking with shock and disgust, Winter stared at a fixed spot on the wall. She needed to do something, needed to distract herself, needed a way to stop this feeling in her stomach.

Maybe she should rearrange the stock cupboard, or even give the shop floor another check over for glass. It was only about five hours until she had to open up shop, anyway. And there was no way in hell she was going to be able to sleep. Not afterthat.

How could she not have told me?Winter thought. Anger at the deceit clawed at her insides.

So many things seemed to make sense now. The feeling that there wassomethingelse inside her, more than just her witch powers, her instincts and her being able to hear things that others couldn't.

She had always been good at those things, always on the ball when it came to finding things, especially people. Was it because she was part wolf?

Bile rose in the back of her throat.I'm a half-breed.

Did the coven know? Did anybody know?

She didn’t think so. Half-breeds weren't exactly well-liked among the supernaturals. In fact, in some communities, they were sought out and sometimes even executed. The traditionalists thought them to be abominations, freaks of nature that never should have existed.

Is my wolf side the reason I'm so attracted to helping the pack?Winter wondered.Is it why I'm so attracted to him?

Confusion warped Winter's mind, and she leaned forward, her elbows on the desk, head in her hands.

Nothing made sense anymore. And yet, at the very same time, it made so damn much sense that it infuriated her. It was no wonder her mother had never told her anything about her father.

He's out there,she thought, shivering hard. Somewhere out there, she had a werewolf for a father.

Her mind was reeling, driving her insane, when there was a sudden knock at the back door.

After all that had happened, Winter instinctively reached for the nearest thing to defend herself with: her keys.

Placing her finger through the keyring, she gripped one of the keys between her index and middle finger and stood, headed for the door.

“Who is it? Who’s there?” she called through the thick wood, wondering if they would even be able to hear her.

“It's me!” came the response, and Winter's heart skipped a beat.

Immediately, she grabbed hold of the doorknob. She had to be imagining things. Surely, at this time of night, he couldn't actually be here.

Gripping the keys just a little tighter in case her struggling mind was playing tricks on her, Winter yanked open the door.

The second she saw him, Winter's mouth fell open. “Eddie, what are you doing here?”

Her exclamation was far harsher than she had intended, and in the near darkness of the alley behind the shop, she struggled to see the way Eddie's cheeks grew red.

“I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd come and check on you after what happened tonight,” Eddie said, gesturing at the small window beside the door. “I saw the lights on.”

Instinctively, Winter bit back, “I'm fine. I don't need you to start acting like you care just because we're going to be mated. You don't need to play the doting boyfriend.”

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