Page 108 of Awakened
The glugging stopped, and Seth chuckled. “None taken. My dad keeps a dry pack house. Says he’s atoning for his parents’ sins.”
“Wow. I met your grandma. She seems like a great lady.”
“Oh, she is. My dad’s just a prick.”
“Ah.”
A couple of cans opened as I kept trying to move my pinkie.
“Well, this is awkward.” I knew Zach would break first. He could never sit in silence.
“Yeah. I’m not sure how to make it not awkward.” Seth offered the worthless assist.
“How about we just put it out there?”
“Okay?” Seth’s tone was cautious. He’d never been one to open up.
“We both love the same knocked-out girl.”
I am very much present in this conversation and would appreciate it if you two would kindly shut the fuck up.
“We do, but yougetto love her. That’s the difference.”
After a minute of silence, Zach said matter-of-factly, “And you hate me for that.”
“No, I’m envious. As long as you keep her happy, I have no beef with you. Step out of line? I’ll rip you apart.”
Zach laughed nervously—Seth must have had his “I’m an alpha, don’t fuck with me” face on. “Noted. I would never purposefully hurt her. You have to know that.”
“I do, but I also saw you in your mate haze today. You need to watch that shit.” A growl laced the last few words.
“I feel terrible about what I said, but it just fell out. I miss what I lost, but I can’t explain it to her, you know?”
“No, I don’t. I don’t have the same mate relationship you did. All the feelings you described are how I feel about Les. My suggestion? Focus on your current partner and move past the mate bond.”
Zach whispered, “I don’t know if I can.”
My heart ached, but not as bad as I thought it would. Maybe it was because I already knew this about Zach. His confession didn’t break me. If anything, it made me feel better about my own misgivings.
After a lull, Zach continued, “How did you do it? How did you fight the mate bond, move past it?”
“Clearly, I didn’t.” Seth’s voice was full of sarcasm. I wasn’t sure if Zach was ready for drunk Seth.
“Six years is a long time, and you’re here now . . .”
“I love her. That’s how. The mate bond is great at forcing you to feel, but with Les? It’s like breathing. I remember the first time I saw her.” Seth stood, and the floorboards creaked under his weight. “She thinks it was in the cafeteria, but it was actually in the hallway that morning. She was rushing toward the office, her hair flying behind her, her face all pink. From those five seconds, I knew she was something special. Hell, I hoped she would end up being my mate, as ridiculous as that sounds.
“When I finally met her at lunch, I found out I was a creepy senior perving on a sophomore.” Seth laughed, and I wanted nothing more than to see his smile. “Aiden saw her, called dibs, and the rest was, well . . .”
More silence settled in, and I desperately tried to open my eyes. I had heard more than I should have and wanted the conversation to end.
“I do love her, but I just can’t forget Grace. I can’t stop waiting to feel the way I did with my mate.”
“Then you don’t love Les as much as you should.”
“She knows how I feel. It’s up to her to decide that.”
“Whatever you say.”
