Page 36 of Their Mate
The words stung, but beneath the cold rejection, I sensed uncertainty, fear, and maybe even a bit of curiosity. She felt the connection as strongly as I did, however much she fought against it.
“Deny it all you want,” I said, holding her gaze steadily. “You feel it too—right here.” I tapped gently at my chest, where my heart thundered beneath my palm.
She didn’t respond, stubborn silence stretching tense between us, but the flush rising faintly along her cheekbones betrayed the truth. She knew I was right.
Logan stepped forward and met my gaze, looking from me to her before he spoke.
“He’s right. You can pretend all you want, but my wolf knew you the second our eyes met. I felt it instantly. You’re our mate. You belong to all four of us.”
She jerked at his words, narrowing those piercing blue eyes at Logan as if daring him to say it again.
“I don’t belong to anyone.”
Her voice was proud and filled with tenacious insolence, but I could see the flicker of uncertainty behind her intense stare.
Jamie moved closer, his posture easy, but his gaze serious beneath his usual casual mask. “Aye, lass. And as much as it surprised the hell out of me, I felt it too.” He tilted his head slightly, studying her carefully. “I never thought I’d find a mate, much less share one. But here you are, plain as day. You feel it just like we do.”
Edward’s calm tone cut in next, his expression unreadable, but his jaw tight with tension. “If you’d told me a week ago, I’d be standing here claiming a mate—let alone sharing one—I’d have called you bloody insane.” He shook his head slowly, the corner of his mouth twitching into a bitter smile. “But there’s no denying this. My instincts don’t lie, and neither do yours, no matter how hard you fight it.”
She stared at each of us in turn, her expression tense, conflicted, torn between anger and confusion. “I don’t want this. Any of this,” she snapped, but there was a subtle quiver beneath her voice, betraying deeper emotions.
Logan stepped closer, careful but firm, holding her gaze unflinchingly. “It doesn’t matter what you think you want right now. It matters whatis.Fighting this bond won’t make it go away.”
Her defiance flared again, strong and bright, a fire I couldn’t help but admire. She stood taller, lifting her chin boldly. “Don’t assume you know anything about what I want or what I need.You think you’ve got me figured out just because your wolves decided that I’m your mate?”
I spoke up quietly, drawing her attention back to me, my voice sincere. “It’s not just our wolves, and you know it. We can all feel it, deep down where logic doesn’t reach. You’re ours, and we’re yours, whether you admit it yet or not.”
Her breathing quickened visibly, anger mixing with frustration and uncertainty in her gaze. She shook her head stubbornly. “You’re wrong. You’re all wrong. I don’t—I won’t?—”
Jamie chuckled softly, cutting off her protest gently. “Keep telling yourself that, lass. But eventually, even you’ll get tired of fighting what’s already in your heart.”
Edward exhaled roughly, the ever-reliable soldier in him surfacing again, voice calm and pragmatic. “Right now, we’ve got bigger problems than this fight that you’re determined to have with yourself. You said yourself we can’t face the Elder Lycan alone, and neither can you. Deny the bond all you want, but accept that right now we’re stronger together. You need us as much as we need you.”
She hesitated, clearly struggling between pride and the reluctant acknowledgment of Edward’s logic. For a tense, silent moment, we waited for her.
Finally, albeit grudgingly, she blew out a harsh breath, shoulders sagging just slightly.
“Fine,” she muttered, voice dripping with irritation, but softening slightly with resigned acceptance. “You’re right. I do need help. But don’t mistake this for surrender. I’m here because I choose to be, not because some ridiculous mate bond dictates it.”
Logan nodded slowly, respect glinting briefly in his dark eyes. “Fair enough. We’ll take it. For now.”
CHAPTER 13
Sera
This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to happen.
Everything was turned upside down, the clear lines I’d always clung to blurred beyond recognition. Wolves had always been simple, predictable, and the enemy. Targets to be neutralized, threats to eliminate. I’d built my life around that clarity. But these four wolves, these stubborn, frustrating, beautiful men had shattered every carefully constructed wall within moments.
I pressed trembling fingers to my temples, desperately fighting to regain my composure. Even now, my traitorous heart pounded unevenly at the memory of their hands on me, the heat of their skin, the possessive way they looked at me, as if I already belonged to them, as if they already knew me better than I knew myself.
My whole life had been a battle, full of training, discipline, control. There was no room for softness or uncertainty. I’d watched wolves tear apart my world once already, losing my brother to their ferocity long ago. I’d trained and hunted,become the blade the Watch needed to defend humanity from that same violence. So why, after all I’d endured, was fate cruel enough to bond me irrevocably to the very creatures I’d sworn to fight?
I felt the bond even though I didn’t want to. It was a powerful, burning tether wrapped around my heart, tying me to Logan, Edward, Jamie, and now even Aidan. The wolves who’d pursued me, captured me, and challenged everything I thought I knew.
Logan, the fierce alpha with his dark, intense eyes and commanding presence. He infuriated me, pushing every button I had with his effortless dominance, but I couldn’t deny the irresistible pull he held over me, his quiet strength speaking to a part of me deep inside my soul.
Edward, the disciplined soldier. Cool, calculating, deadly, but beneath that icy control was a loyalty and genuine sincerity I never expected to see in a wolf. When he looked at me, his steel-gray eyes held promises I couldn’t bear to acknowledge, yet desperately wanted to believe.
