Page 32 of A True Mate Bond

Making her way down the highway, she drove slowly so she wouldn’t miss the little dirt road that would lead her to the village. To her relief, she spotted it right away and drove the rest of the way with a little less worry. She parked the truck by Christa’s path, and quickly made her way to her cabin. She was already waiting for her, sitting on the porch in a rocking chair.

“I’m so sorry, Christa. Blake woke me up, but I fell back asleep. I promise I’ll set an alarm from now on.”

Christa’s warm face amused, she shrugged it off. “Growing a child, let alone two, takes its toll.” She pointed at the rocking chair next to hers. “Sit. I have a few books you might find interesting. I thought before I teach you any further you might want to learn about human anatomy. Of course, the healing is a little different, but while in their human form, wolf men are no different from any other human.”

Niev sat down and took the books Christa was handing her. “Sounds like a good plan.”

“Take your time reading them. If you have any questions, I’ll gladly answer them.”

For the rest of the day, they sat in silence while each one read a book. Christa was reading a novel while Niev was buried deep in the anatomy books. Here and there when she had a question, they both broke the silence and returned to their books as soon as the question was answered. Niev was so deep into her reading that she didn’t even notice that the sun was setting.

“Christa, do you mind if I stay till Blake returns? I’ve promised him not to drive in the dark. If he doesn’t find me at home, he’ll come pick me up.”

“Of course. Stay as long as you need.”

Not even an hour later, Blake came through the trees with a big smile on his face. “I thought you would be home by now.”

“I didn’t even feel the time pass and by the time I was thinking about driving home, the sun was already setting.”

“I’m glad you waited for me.”

“I promised, didn’t I?” Turning to Christa, she said, “I’ll be back tomorrow on time.”

“Come by whenever you want.”

Niev waved goodbye before walking off the porch into Blake’s arms. “How was your day?”

“It was good” He took her hand and they both walked toward the village. “How was your day?”

“It was good, I was reading about human anatomy, and it was quite interesting even though it’s also very difficult. I started with the heart, the blood flow and how to measure pulse and blood pressure. Did you know the fetus’ blood flow is slightly different?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“In the womb, the baby’s blood doesn’t have to flow through their lungs to get their oxygen because it comes from the mother through the umbilical cord. It only changes when they are born and take their first breath.”

“I never thought about that, but it seems logical.”

He opened the passenger door for her and helped her climb in. She loved those little gestures from him–it made her feel cared for. Even though in the beginning, she’d always thought he did so because he thought she was too weak to do it on her own.

“Have you been working all day?”

He nodded. “Yes. Even though we are able to work faster we still have a lot of work to catch up to if we don’t want to lose our clients.” He started the engine and drove off. “Seth would like me to let you know that Lyliann, my mother, and a few other women are leaving tomorrow afternoon to run a few errands including the mall and groceries. Lyliann said she hopes that you still want to join.”

“I will.” She tried to hide how nervous she was about it, but apparently didn’t do so very well.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

“Yes, even though I know it’s silly.”

He took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. As always, his touch calmed her. “It’s not silly and I know this is a big step for you. Just be yourself and they’ll see what an amazing woman you are.”

“I hope I get along with them and don’t spill the beans about the twins. I’ve never been too good about keeping things a secret.”

“You’re not the only one, but hopefully after we move, and you’ve made some friends it’ll become less scary.”

“I hope so.”

“There will be lots of people willing to help you if you ever need it.”

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