Page 57 of Confusing Hearts

“Wait,” Jenna finally said. Her voice was solid despite her racing heartbeat. “Anita, come back. We need to talk.”

“It’s okay, Jenna. I got this,” Matt assured her.

“Uh-uh,” Anita said, pushing her way back to the room. “Girl, spill it. I thought you just messed around with him that one night to screw with our sisters.” She perched on the top of the table and waited with unabashed excitement.

“Where’s Chad?” I asked Matt.

“He said he was heading on home.”

I let out a breath of relief. “Good, thanks. Make sure the damn door’s closed.”

“Did you know about this?” Anita asked, turning on Matt.

“Um, no. No, I didn’t. Okay, so I sort of suspected, but I didn’t actually know.”

“Jenna? What’s going on?” Anita asked, turning her attention back to my mate.

I couldn’t help the overwhelming need to protect her as I stepped between the two girls to shield Jenna from her friend.

“Whoa.” Anita clearly noticed my aggressive stance. “Calm down, dog-boy, this is girl talk time right now.”

“It’s okay,” Jenna said, sounding far calmer than I certainly felt. This was the one thing she absolutely did not want to happen, at least not this soon.

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” she said, and then shocked me back down a peg as she rose up on her tippy-toes to press a kiss to my lips before taking a spot on the table next to Anita.

“Please promise me you won’t tell anyone about this, Anita. Not yet. I know it’s all going to come out before the end of the semester, but I’m not ready to lose Tessa or any of you just yet. I need some time to prepare for it.”

Anita laughed. “Jenna, you’re not going to lose us. To be honest, there’re a few of our sisters that will be relieved to hear this. I mean, come on, you’re Jenna Lockhardt! No offense but you’ve never done anything wrong or disobeyed your father even once in your entire life.”

Jenna flushed red in her cheeks. I started to protest, but she held up a hand to stop me. “She’s right. I’ve always done whatever it took to please my parents and everyone else.”

“Exactly.” Anita turned to me as if to say “I told you so.” “So what makes him worth going against your dad’s orders to not fraternize outside our kind?”

I watched Jenna turn beet red, but she raised her chin in determination. “I don’t know how to say this any other way. Anita, Chase is my true mate. My one true mate.”

I’m not sure anything had ever shocked Anita more. Her face started to turn an odd shade of purple and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head, then it contorted and she started to laugh.

“That can’t be,” Anita said with certainty.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth,” Jenna said.

Matt was eyeballing me, equally as shocked as his girlfriend.

“A feline and a canine? True mates? I’ve only ever seen that happen one other time,” Matt said solemnly. “It didn’t end well, and it won’t be easy, Chase, if you decide to pursue it.”

“There’s no “if” to it, Matt. Jenna’s my true mate. That’s it. You know how my family feels about true mates,” I reminded him, since he knew how I felt on the issue already.

“Do they know?” he asked.

“Yeah. They haven’t met her yet, but my family is well aware of the situation and looking forward to seeing her over spring break. The pack has been notified too and so far, so good,” I told him.

“Wait, you officially notified your pack?” Matt asked, even more shocked than before, and I just grinned and nodded.

“What does that mean?” Anita questioned.

Panthers didn’t follow the same rules as wolves. She didn’t understand the pack or our customs. I grimaced slightly, realizing Jenna needed more information on that too—on the off-chance someone challenged her. I didn’t expect to go through the trials. What other wolf besides me would want a panther for a mate? But I hadn’t thought about it from her side. Someone could challenge Jenna for me. I bit back a growl at the thought just as Matt yanked my shirt collar down. He and Anita gasped simultaneously at the sight of my bond mark.

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