Page 17 of My Mate

“There hasn’t been any other female,” he said, pushing some of her hair off her shoulder.

This revelation certainly made her look up at him. “What?”

“You heard me, Casey. I’ve not been with any other female.” He leaned in close. “I’m as virginal as you.” He scrunched up his nose. “Probably not, because I know I’ve taken my dick into my hand and lost count of the number of times I’ve masturbated thinking about you.”

This made her gasp, but then she couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re being serious.”

“Deadly serious.”

She closed her mouth and then opened it.

In that moment, she was pretty sure if she didn’t already love Dex Arlington, she’d have fallen madly in love with him right then and there.

“You’re insane,” she said.

“No, just crazy about you.”

Chapter Five

Several Days Later

“You keep looking at the clock, son. Is there anywhere else you’d rather be?” Klaus asked.

They were in his father’s office, dealing with several handwritten complaints that had come from the pack. Some were petty, trivial things, like one of the kids bringing their dog to take a shit on his lawn. Others were arguing about the noise, and then there were some complaints about one of the shop owners being rude.

Again, nothing bad, just the pack acting up before the full moon. Sometimes it was like they created problems so they could take all that aggression out on the full moon.

And the strangest thing of all, a full moon was happening tonight, which was why he kept reading and not really seeing the words right in front of him. No, he knew Casey was excited about tonight. Nervous as well. She tried to deny it, but he read between the lines. This would be the sixth month she hadn’t been able to transition, if she didn’t. Dex had never been far from her during the previous months.

For the longest time, she would stand, just staring up at the full moon at a specific spot in the forest. He knew it well, as even when they were kids, it was where she would go to relax.

She would be surrounded by the forest and bushes, but it was like an opening that looked straight up to the full moon. Dex had felt its power, the rush through his body, but each month he tried to be quiet as he watched her.

While his wolf wanted to tilt back its head and howl at the full moon, he’d kept in control. Casey had simply stared up at the full moon as if she was nothing more than a human. No reaction, no lack of control, nothing. As the hours passed, she’d eventually sit and just stare up at the moon.

At first, he had thought she did it as a challenge, a way to give the moon a big fuck you, and she wasn’t budging until it turned her into a wolf. Now he saw it as something different.

This wasn’t an act of resilience or even defiance. No, this was her … giving up. She wasn’t going to turn into a wolf, so she would just sit there and admire the beauty. He had seen her cry once or twice. His father had given him orders not to approach her for fear of what his wolf would do. Knowing Klaus, his father was there, watching Casey, keeping an eye to make sure none of the pack decided to do something about her. Other than their peers, he’d not heard anyone register a complaint about her not turning. Glancing at the letters, he then frowned and looked up.

“Has anyone complained about Casey?” Dex asked.

“So that is why you’re constantly checking the clock.”

“Dad, come on, you know how important these nights are for her. If she doesn’t turn tonight, it will be six months, and all Casey has ever wanted is to be a wolf.”

Klaus sighed. “Maybe that is the problem. She is wolf, and right now she is thinking she is not a wolf.”

Again, riddles.

“Have you been hanging around Lucinda?”

“That’s not the point, and besides, you know she would come to me after going to see you and even Casey. She told me the warning she sees for the two of you.”

Dex ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t go looking for her. She came to me.”

“I know, which is why it was so important for her to tell me. You’re part of the pack, and Lucinda, in her own way, is part of the pack. She knows about Casey. She also knows how important it is for Casey to turn. This is a path she must take, and seeking out magic for help is not the answer.”

“Dad, Casey didn’t go looking for a quick fix, okay. What she did was go for a walk and she got distracted, that was all.”

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