Page 44 of Fated
He hovered around me for the next couple of hours. He watched me closely for any signs of the change that we knew were going to start soon. I kept myself busy with arranging my mom’s burial. It didn’t leave me with time to stress over what was to come. I knew from experience that it was very painful and mine was going to be worse because I was an alpha.
You’re beautiful, I heard Blake say through the mind-link. Startled, I turned to face him.
I’d forgotten that we were connected even though he hadn’t joined my pack.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said as he stood a couple of feet away from me.
“It’s fine, I just forgot that was going to happen,” I said, feeling nervous about the reality of our mating.
He reached out and took my hand into his. The feeling that spread through me calmed my excited heart.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to touching you,” he admitted as he looked down to where our hands were joined.
I felt the same way.
“Hey,” Curtis greeted us as he walked into the room, shattering the intense moment I was having with Blake.
“Sorry to interrupt you love birds,” he teased, flashing a teasing smile.
I rolled my eyes at him as I pulled my hand out of Blake’s hand. Immediately I felt a loss.
“So glad to see you guys have mated,” he added, and I felt my cheeks tinge with a blush. It was weird how an intimate thing like mating with my mate was common knowledge to everyone now.
“At least you'll be able to protect yourself,” he said, his expression becoming more serious.
“Yes,” I confirmed, still struggling to shake off my embarrassment when I thought back to the finer details of my mating with Blake. It didn’t help that Blake noticed my embarrassment and gave me a sexy smile. It was like he liked the fact that thinking about that made me react the way I was.
I ignored Blake.
“You still keeping a handle on the perimeter checks?” I asked Curtis.
After my last attack, we’d discovered that Richard had someone on the inside feeding him information. It was the only way to explain how Richard had been able to slip through the security in my territory. It unsettled me that I had a traitor in my pack and none of us had any idea who the person was. That would be my next focus once my change was complete and my mom was buried.
I had to fight the emotion that wanted to swell up inside of me at the thought of my mom. I pushed all thoughts of my mother from my mind in order to keep myself together.
“Yes,” he confirmed, nodding his head. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, even though I was starting to get a headache.
Let me know when it starts, he said through the mind-link, just to me, and I nodded my head.
“I’ll check up on you later,” Curtis said before he left.
“I hate it when you guys talk through the mind-link and I have no idea what you are talking about,” Blake muttered to me, looking a little annoyed.
“You know it’s easier talking through the mind-link sometimes. It isn’t like we are trying to keep something from you,” I assured him.
His forehead creased.
“I thought mating with you would allow me to see inside your mind, but I don’t know you any better than before,” he told me.
I was still getting used to the whole mating thing and I wasn’t finding it easy. My thoughts were my own and I didn’t know if they were something I was willing to share.
“I’m used to keeping my thoughts to myself,” I tried to explain with a shrug. Having the life I’d had meant I was always aware of what I was thinking and I was good at keep them from prying minds.
“I know that,” he said as he dropped his arms to his side. “I just keep hoping that you'll let me in.”
I pressed my lips together as I held his intense gaze. I wanted to say I would try but honestly I wasn’t sure it was something I could do.
