Page 49 of Destined Mate

She whisked the eggs. “My son is a complicated man who’s been preparing to lead since he was a young boy. He believes that rules are made for a reason, so you need to be patient with him. I’m just glad he’s playing again and has someone like you in his life.”

I went still. She’d pretty much told me she approved of me, but Bodey didn’t want to be with me. I wanted to tell her what the real issue was, but telling her wouldn’t change a thing. Besides, if he wanted her to know, he would’ve told her himself. “Thank you,” I barely managed to say, fresh tears filling my eyes. I blinked again, desperate to hold them at bay.

“Give him time.” She patted my arm. “He needs to realize things on his own terms since being with you would cause a rift between him and Zeke.”

I remained silent. I had nothing to say. A rift with Zeke was definitely not the problem, but it wasn’t my place to correct her.

The two of us worked in silence as Michael rejoined us. I was certain he’d ensured he didn’t come back too soon.

Brisk footsteps sounded on the stairs, and I immediately knew who they belonged to.

Bodey.

My traitorous heart quickened.

He walked into the room, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. I wanted to rush to him and kiss him, but I already knew how that would end.

“Good morning,” he rasped, his voice more gravelly than normal.

Unable to stop myself, I glanced at him. There was stubble on his jaw and faint dark circles under his eyes. When our eyes connected, he grimaced.

“Morning, dear,” Janet said cheerfully and moved to kiss Bodey’s cheek. “Callie decided to come down and help.”

Bodey frowned. “She’s still not recovered.”

“She has enough.” She went back to scrambling the eggs and checking the biscuits in the oven. “She’ll be returning to Zeke’s pack very soon.”

“Dear,” Michael warned, no doubt knowing what she was up to.

Getting a large bowl from the cabinet, she shrugged. “What? It’s the truth.”

Luckily, the front door opened, and the advisers and their parents entered.

Jack snickered, leading the pack. “Man, it’s not a big deal. You’re blowing this out of proportion.”

“There isnothingnatural about walking in on you pooping,” Lucas retorted, and the front door slammed shut.

Breezing into the hallway between the dining room and the kitchen, Jack tapped his nose. “I can’t help it if you didn’t know. Maybe you should be more worried about your wolf not connecting.”

“Six men live in the same house. Everything smells.” Lucas scoffed. “If I didn’t go places where my nose told me there was something smelly, I’d be staying outside.”

I chuckled, unable to help it. I could picture the three of them being messy, but I assumed their fathers weren’t so bad, or at least their mates were there to clean up after them. Bodey was definitely not messy, and I was thankful I’d been staying with him.

“You guys lived there for over a week before Destiny and I got there.” Taylor placed her hands on her hips. “Forgive us if it’s taking a while longer to clean things to your standards. Every night, you six come back and mess it all up again.”

Destiny wrapped an arm around Taylor. “Everything she just said. We’ll give you each a list of chores, so we don’t keep repeating this conversation.”

“Wait.” Miles leaned back. “How many times have you walked in on him pooping? Dude, that’s just weird.”

“He was inmybathroom.” Lucas patted his chest.

Jack’s face scrunched, and he stared Lucas down as if he was dumb. “Yeah, I don’t want to stink mine up and then have to get ready.”

“You two, shut it.” Dan hurried over and reached for a piece of sausage. “I have a headache, which should be impossible for shifters.”

I smacked his hand away before he snatched one. “You can wait with the rest of them.”

His eyes widened, and he glanced at Lucas. “I thought you said she was a weak wolf.”

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