Page 35 of The Alpha's Son

The younger man started to shake his head. “No. Hell, no. There’s no way I can go through that again. No, I can’t do it.”

“I thought that,” Joe said.

“What?”

“It’s one of the reasons I left. I didn’t think I could take any more. I was embarrassed because of how painful it was and how I thought everyone else was able to handle it, and I just couldn’t. I’m the alpha’s son, and I knew there was a lot expected of me, so I left.”

Darcy listened to him, and her heart went out to the young man, who must have been so lonely.

“My friends told me they could handle it. How they found it enjoyable and a breeze. I’ve only recently learned, a good seven years later, that they struggled through it, calling for their mothers, not wanting it to happen.”

“They did?”

“Yeah, they did,” Joe said.

“It was the worst feeling in the world,” Andrew said. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get through it.” He started to shake.

“And until you learn to accept that part of you, it will always hurt,” Joe said. “The moment you accept your wolf, you connect, and it stops hurting.”

Andrew frowned. “It does?”

“Yeah, ask Darcy.”

The younger man looked up at her and she offered him a smile. “It does?”

“Yeah, it does. It can be the most amazing feeling in the world. We went for our run last night,” Darcy said.

“We?” Andrew looked from Darcy to Joe.

Joe looked at her with a brow raised and she nodded her head.

“Yeah, you see that sexy lady right there? She is my mate.”

“Wow,” Andrew said.

“Yeah, wow, but it doesn’t stop the fact I was a loser.”

“You’re not a loser,” Darcy said.

Joe nodded his head. “Yeah, I was, because I was so afraid of what the pack would think of me that I left. I left my mate behind. I left the potential of a future behind. I didn’t even realize Darcy was my mate. I should have known, though, I was a little obsessed with her.” He nudged Andrew’s shoulder. “It’s not wrong to be scared and it’s okay to not want to change again. Unfortunately, there’s no way to stop it. All you can do is hope for the best.”

Andrew nodded. “Thank you.”

“I think your mom is worried about you,” Darcy said.

“Do you mind if I go see her? I know she was there for me and I just wanted my dad. She must hate me.”

“Your mother could never hate you,” Darcy said.

Andrew left and Joe got to his feet, blowing out a breath as he approached her. “That was … interesting.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“You didn’t mind telling him?” Joe asked.

Darcy placed a palm on his chest. “I figured with how you reacted to your friends, Wade and Ryan, I have a feeling they said some mean things, and the protective mate inside you couldn’t handle it.”

“You’ve got that right,” he said.

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