Page 43 of Confusing Hearts

“They will actually. My bonded mate will be accepted into the pack, period. It doesn’t matter what you are.” I begged her to understand that.

“That’s a nice thought, but I live in the real world. Cats and dogs, they don’t mix.”

“Are you saying we don’t mix? Are you saying we’re not right for each other because my animal spirit happens to be a canine and yours is a beautiful feline?” I let my fingertips drift lightly up her arm and watched in satisfaction as a shudder wracked her body. I let that sink in and changed subjects abruptly on her. “What are you plans for spring break?”

“What?” she asked, sounding a little dazed and I knew it was from my touch. “Oh, um, the sisters are heading to Cabo for spring break.”

“And you?” I asked.

“I’m expected to go with them,” she admitted.

“Can you get out of it?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.”

“Will you try? I’d really love to take you home with me for spring break. You can meet my family and my pack and see how it goes.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Chase, you don’t understand. Even if your family and pack opened their hearts to take me in, Daddy would never allow it. My family will never accept you.”

I pulled her over to my lap and held her while she cried. I honestly hadn’t thought about that. I could give a shit if her father accepted me. I could easily provide for the both of us, and if he was that insistent, we didn’t need him in our life, but I hadn’t considered how that would affect Jenna.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” I said, stroking her hair and toying with the ends. “I’ve been so busy working out things on my end to ensure you had everything you could need or want, and I hadn’t stopped to think that would include your family.”

“He’ll disown me, Chase. Panthers aren’t like your kind. We’re okay alone. Being banned isn’t as devastating a thought as you’d think, but still. He’s my father. He won’t let me see or talk to Tessa and Mother once this gets out. I’m not saying he’s a complete tyrant. He’s a very good man and a strong leader, but he’s very elitist and insistent that we protect the purity of our breed.”

“What do you want, Jenna?” I asked, knowing I’d do whatever it took to give her what she wanted or needed most. If that was her family, it would hurt like hell, but I’d back off and give her that.

She shivered, so I got up and led her back into the house. We sat on the leather couch that had been left. The cabin was mostly furnished. The few things the owners had taken seemed to be artwork and personal items instead of the big stuff.

She seemed to be deep in thought, so I stayed quiet. She rubbed her hands down her pants. It was another nervous tick I had noticed. The confusion and frustration on her face seemed to disappear and I could see her resolve strengthen. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to hear the outcome.

Jenna reached over and took my large hands in her small ones, and when she focused those beautiful, exotic eyes on me, I felt more vulnerable than I ever had in my life.

“Chase,” she started, and I had found I was holding my breath in anticipation. “My entire life I’ve known what was expected of me and what would happen should I find my one true mate was anything but a black panther. Meeting you has been more than I could ever have imagined. I don’t care what you are. I care who you are, and I know you, Chase Westin. You’re a good man with strong family values. You are protective of those you care about and you let your heart guide you. Your positive outlook makes me want to believe everything you paint of a future together, but we don’t come from the same places. I don’t trust everything will just be okay, and I know I can’t have everything I want in life. That brings me to a crossroad. It’s the biggest decision of my life and I’ve been sick to my stomach for weeks over it.”

I squeezed her hands to encourage her to continue. This woman held my future in the palm of her hands. Wolves were different than other shifters in many ways. One of those was our fierce allegiance. I had given my heart to Jenna and it could never be occupied by anyone else. I didn’t want to put that added pressure on her decision. It had to be hers alone to make. If she chose not to accept me, I knew she would go on and find a compatible mate and live a happy life. If that was best for her, I could live with that, but I also knew my life would always be hollow without her. I would never take another mate. It was her or nothing for me.

A tear slid down her cheek and I reached to wipe it away. I wanted so badly to fix everything and tell her it was all going to work out, but I couldn’t know that with certainty, and it wouldn’t be right to give her false hope. If she chose me, I would do everything in my power to make her life happy, filled with laughter and love, but that’s all I could promise her.

My family was everything to me. I didn’t know what decision I’d make if I were in her shoes. In the moment I’d say I’d always pick Jenna over anyone, that my true mate was more valuable to me than anything or anyone else, but I didn’t have to truly make that decision. Even if my family wasn’t happy about it, or couldn’t understand it, they’d still love me, unconditionally.

“I know what I’m supposed to do, Chase, but I can’t.”

My eyes stared deep into hers. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? Her spine straightened, and she raised her chin in defiance.

“I never expected to meet my true mate. There aren’t a lot of male black panthers, so the odds of finding one and being my true mate, was low. I always figured if I met him, he’d be a jaguar, maybe a puma, something compatible but still unacceptable. Daddy kept us sheltered to avoid situations like this. Maybe he was right.”

My heart plummeted. She was going to break our bond. I couldn’t speak and vowed to stay and hear every heart wrenching word first. I already knew I would never return to this cabin, as it would hurt too much. I looked away, unable to fully meet her eyes any longer.

“Maybe he was right to shelter us in order to preserve our breed, because meeting my true mate—” She paused, and her small hand caressed my cheek until I stared back into her eyes. “Meeting you, I know without a doubt or hesitation that I could never settle for anyone less.”

My mouth dropped open as my heart soared. I let out the breath I was still holding. The anguish I had felt only a moment earlier melted away like the snow on a warm day.

“I love you, Chase Westin, and I don’t have a freaking clue how this is going to work, but I’m all in. I’m yours and could never be anyone else’s.”

My lips were on her with a possessive growl. She roared in response and my entire body lit with pure need. I was a little surprised to feel my canines elongate. Breathless, I pulled back and smiled, showing her exactly what she was doing to me. She grinned widely, proudly showing me her fangs for the first time.

She repositioned so she was straddling my lap. I knew I was already rock hard and there was no way she didn’t know it, too. When she tilted her head and brushed her hair back to expose her neck to me, I could barely control my breathing and excitement. I wanted her so badly.

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