Page 49 of Confusing Hearts

“Jenna, Kyle. Her name is Jenna.”

“Jenna, huh? It's serious, isn't it?”

“Yup.”

“How serious?”

“Kyle, she's my true mate.”

“So, panther, is it?”

“Yeah.” A sinking feeling hit my stomach. “You got a problem with that?”

“Dude, if she's your true mate, you know I might not understand it, but of course I wouldn't have a problem with it. I'd never deny anyone their one true mate.”

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. “Good.”

“That serious? You thinking about completing the bond with her?”

“I'm not thinking about it, Kyle,” I said, trying to relay to him the full impact of what I was trying to say.

“Shit, you already bonded? I'm your Alpha and you didn't think to call and tell me?”

I laughed. “Technically, Alpha,”—I exaggerated the name—“I have seven days to tell you, and it just happened.”

“Something like that doesn't just happen, Chase.”

“I don't mean it like that, I mean literally, Kyle, it just happened yesterday.” Before the shock of my words could fully sink in, I figured I might as well disclose it all. “Oh, and we bought a house, so we've been a little busy the last twenty-four hour.”

“You what? You seriously bought a house? Why? I thought you were just looking for a place to rent.”

“Because I want to spend time with my mate,” I said matter-of-factly. “And I didn’t like any of the rentals available.”

“Then you put a sock on your doorknob. You don't run out and buy a house.”

“Well I did, and I'm happy for it. If you have some free time you and Kelsey should drive up and check it out. It's a nice place and we have plenty of room. We'll be here another two years, Kyle, it just made sense. Plus, her family isn't exactly going to be thrilled with her taking a wolf for a mate.”

“You're telling me. King Lockhardt is pretty vocal on his stance of interspecies dating, let alone mating. He's going to flip when he hears one of his panthers bonded outside his circle—pure bloods and all that.”

I flinched. “Yeah, about that, it's a little worse than that.”

“What?”

“Um, okay, so Jenna isn't just some panther, she's Jenna Lockhardt. Her dad is the King.” There was silence on the other end. I gave it a moment and nothing. I thought maybe the call had dropped, but looking down, it still showed connected. “Kyle? You still there?”

“Tell me this is a joke, Chase.”

I growled. “I would never joke about something like this.”

“Chase, please tell me you did not mate Lockhardt's daughter without seeking permission first.”

“Why would I do that? We both know he wouldn't have granted it.”

“Chase!”

“Don't Chase me, Kyle. She's my one true mate, so I have every right to bond with her. There's nothing he or you can do about it. If you can't support that, then fine, we don't need you in our lives.”

I had never once considered that my family wouldn't back us one hundred percent. The pain and hurt that caused was almost unbearable.

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