Page 47 of Shifter Marked and Claimed

Her eyes widened.

“Did you hear me? I want to claim you, Lucy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and with Vada. I want us to be a family.”

She shook her head and it felt like a knife was slicing through my heart.

“You don’t mean that. You can’t mean that.”

“Do I look like I would joke about something like this?”

“I know you think you’re doing the right thing, but you don’t even know me, not really.”

That hurt as much as her denying my claim.

“Don’t know you? Okay. I get we haven’t known each other that long, Lucy, but I do know you. I know you’re an amazing mother. I know that despite you finding it humorous, you put up with my obsessive tendencies. I know every noise and whimper you make when I touch you. I know when you’re watching me even when you think I don’t. I know you were hurt, but I’m here to help you heal.”

I took a chance and stepped closer to her. I needed to feel her in my arms, but she retracted and took a step back.

“This is going too fast. I need some time. I need space to think. I can’t do that with you around. The bond makes me crazy with feeling things that cloud my judgement. I need to be away from you for a bit to think this all through and decide what’s best for me and for my daughter, because no matter what I want, her needs take priority.”

“That’s what makes you such a wonderful mother,” I whispered, even while feeling as though my heart was breaking.

“I don’t think we should see each other this weekend. I’ll see you at the office on Monday or I’ll let you know my decision before then.”

“I don’t know if I can stay away,” I confessed.

“Try,” she said coldly.

I needed to punch something. I needed to yell and scream, but I couldn’t take out my frustration on her. Not now when I knew she was scared and vulnerable. I was shaking inside, furious, hurt, and a little terrified I was going to lose her for moving too quickly.

Without another word and with tears starting to burn my eyes, I nodded and turned and walked out the back door, leaving my car there in her driveway. I shifted not even caring about destroying my clothes and then I ran.

My wolf stopped at the edge of the woods and turned back to the house one last time. Just like that first day when Vada had run outside, I saw Lucy’s shadow in the window watching me.

My wolf sat and raised his nose towards the sky letting out the most soul crushing howl I’d ever experienced. He wanted his mate as much as I wanted mine. We’d never even seen her wolf, but I knew he could feel her presence because I could too.

I tried to force him to leave but my heart wasn’t in it. Instead, he took control and peed a perimeter around her property warning off every other wolf in the Pack and marking her as ours because in human form, I hadn’t been able to do the same.

It started to rain which seemed fitting for the melancholy feelings I was experiencing. Still we stood there watching, knowing she was watching us back.

When the house went dark at last, my wolf finally turned and ran all the way home.

The second I was back in my skin, I wanted to call her. I needed to hear her voice and have her tell me everything was going to be okay.

I knew she was scared, but so was I, more now than ever.

I’d royally screwed things up just when I couldn’t imagine life any more perfect.

The next morning,I awoke after a restless night feeling like I was hungover, only I hadn’t drank a thing. My head was pounding as I stumbled to the bathroom to find some Tylenol. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken the stuff for myself, but I kept it here for emergencies.

“You just never know when you may need it, son,” my father would say so at the house, my car, the clinic, most anywhere I had stuff, there was a bottle on standby. This morning I was grateful for it.

I spent the bulk of the day sulking. I knew it too, but I wasn’t going to stop it. Wallowing in self-pity seemed like a good idea for the moment. She had asked for the weekend. I had to give it to her, but I felt completely lost and hopeless without her.

It rained all day long only contributing to my foul mood.

I almost wished there was another baby ready to enter this world. I’d even take another breech one without complaint right about now. Anything to keep my mind off Lucy.

As night fell, I forced myself to go to bed for another restless night’s sleep.

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