Page 43 of Protector Dragon's Shattered Mate

She had waffled, and gone back and forth, and strung him along to the point where he may have lost interest. Could she blame him?

She’d run away, and he’d come after her. She’d put herself in danger, countless times, and he’d rescued her. She’d said she didn’t want a mate, and he’d remained her friend.

She sank down onto the bed where she’d been sleeping. It was time for her to go. She texted Rhett, and he told her they were in Arizona and gave her the address. She could be there in two days if she took the bus. If she told Kellan where she was going, he’d have her there in a few hours, via private plane. She’d gotten spoiled with this clan. Having such solid support was priceless, and she would always treasure them.

But Levi was theirs first. And if she wasn’t going to be his mate, then she needed to go, and quit rubbing salt in the wound.

She cried as she packed her few belongings. Juliana and Clara had been so sweet. After the battle, they had taken hershopping. Thanks to them, she had everything any female could possibly need. She even had a cute backpack purse.

Once she had her suitcase and her backpack ready, she headed downstairs to tell them goodbye. Once that was done, she would go find Levi and tell him in person. He deserved to hear it straight from her.

As soon as her feet hit the bottom stair, her stomach revolted. Someone was cooking tacos and the spicy scent of the salsa hit her nose and made her gag. She vomited all over the floor. That made her start crying again. Because of course, there were several people in the kitchen.

Fallon rushed over. She ignored the vomit and put her hands on Sofia’s shoulders. “Oh no. What’s wrong? Is it magical? Could it be poison?”

Everyone knew shifters rarely got sick. When they did, it was a big problem. Across the room, Clara and Juliana were staring at her with abject worry. Juliana grabbed a towel and started cleaning up, which was mortifying, and Clara wiped her face and handed her a glass of water.

Only Brynne wasn’t freaking out.

Brynne was staring at her. Then she crouched down in front of her. “Sofia. I have a personal question. Would you like for me to ask it later?”

“No. Ask it now. You all are my family.” Clara wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed.

“I’m a shifter, like you. There’s another reason shifter females throw up, besides dark magic or poison.”

That was right. The women in the room all had shifter mates and shifter children, but only Brynne and Sofia were shifters themselves.

Sofia’s head was fuzzy. She couldn’t think. “Why?” She asked.

Brynne sat crossed legged in front of them. “You and Levi were intimate, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s a very real possibility you could be pregnant.”

The world stopped spinning. “What?” She didn’t understand. She and Levi had used protection.

“It’s not perfect,” Fallon said. “Shifters are very fertile.”

“Very,” added Juliana, and they all laughed. Except Sofia. Because she was frozen, unable to process what was being said.

She was going to have Levi’s baby? Would it be a dragon hatchling? Or a bear cub? Or both? What was he going to say? Did he want children? He’d never said, and she’d never asked.

“But I’m leaving,” she wailed.

“When?” Clara asked.

“Right now. My bags are packed. I was walking downstairs to tell the three of you goodbye. And then I was going to walk over to Levi’s clinic and tell him goodbye too.”

“Are you going to stay with Rhett?” Juliana asked.

“Yes. I texted him just a few minutes ago.”

Juliana sighed. “Is this a recent decision?”

“I just decided this morning. As much as I appreciate you all letting me stay here, I’m just delaying the inevitable. I’m keeping myself from making a decision. And I’m leaving Levi in limbo too. The both of us can’t keep going like this.”

Fallon nodded. “All of that sounds very reasonable. None of us want you to go. If it was up to us, you would say here, but I understand why you can’t. I understand how wrenching it must be to live so near Levi, but not be with him.”

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