Page 34 of Fractured Mates

She slammed the door and has been hidden behind it for at least five minutes. I decide to brush my teeth in the room, using a plastic cup from next to the coffee maker and a bottle of water. By the time I’m done and have changed into a pair of grey sweatpants, she still isn’t out.

I’m tempted to knock on the door and check on her, but something tells me that it’s better for her to work this out on her own.

I grab an extra blanket from one of the drawers in the dresser and head to the couch. I turn the main light out and leave a lamp on next to the bed. As soon as I lay my head down, I finally hear the bathroom door creak.

My eyes watch the dark corner of the room, and the silhouette of Sophie slowly comes closer to the light.

“I just…” she says, but the words trail off.

“It’s okay, Sophie,” I promise. “I’m not going to rush you into something you’re not ready for.”

Even if my cock is aching and there’s nothing that I can do about it with her right here. At least nothing I’m willing to do, knowing it would likely make her feel guilty.

She doesn’t say anything as she crawls into the bed. I watch her face as she reaches to turn out the light. The deep crease between her eyes worries me, but the fact that she didn’t stubbornly choose to sleep in the bathroom tells me that she’s not completely ashamed of me making her come.

“Sleep well,” I add when I can hear her rustling under the blankets.

She’s quiet for a beat before responding, “You, too.”

Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Not when I know she’s within touching distance. Between her reservations and my wolf’s oddly given approval, though, I also know that I shouldn’t and can’t reach for her.

Just as I assumed it would, sleep eludes me. I listen to Sophie toss and turn for most of the night. It isn’t until after three that her breathing begins to settle into an even rhythm. So, when I see the sun peeking through the curtain just before six in the morning, I keep quiet.

I head to the shower, taking new clothes with me, and get ready for the day. When I’m done, she’s still out, so I make my way outside, ignoring the desire to watch her sleep or brush her hair out of her face or press my lips against her creamy skin.

The morning air is chilled, but it doesn’t bother me. Not when everything inside me feels so charged.

I head to the main office to grab coffee. Every step away from the room feels wrong. There’s something pulling me back. Not the tether of a mate bond that I would recognize, having experienced it before, but there’s some sort of connection to Sophie.

She has to feel it as well. After last night, there’s no denying that. Still, I meant what I said before. I’m not going to rush her into anything. Though, I also have no intention of stopping her from throwing herself at me when the need strikes.

There’s nobody behind the desk when I slip into the office area. I quickly grab my coffee and just as I make an escape, I hear someone humming and getting closer.

Not that I’m trying to hide. I just don’t feel like making small talk with a human.

Okay, and maybe because I can’t stand the thought of staying away from the room any longer than this. My stride lengthens, and I’m back at the door to the room in under a minute.

There’s a tightness in my chest, and I have to close my eyes, resting my forehead against the door as I level out my breathing.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I haven’t felt this out of control since…

Cara.

But that can’t be right. This isn’t a fated mate bond. Sure, there are feelings—desire and the need to protect Sophie—but that’s a far cry from when I met Cara. She had literally brought me to my knees.

It’s our second chance, my wolf says, this time without the hostility I’ve grown used to sensing from him over the last couple of days.

What do you mean? I ask, because I’ve heard of fated and chosen mates, but nothing about second chances. The way he said those two words makes me believe they mean something more than a surface-level second chance at happiness.

I was visited by our creator, The Moon Goddess, he replies reverently. She told me to stop fighting you and to remember that everything happens for a reason. That if I embraced the draw to Sophie, I would understand.

Understand what? I feel confident I know what he’s saying, but I need to hear the words from my wolf. I need to know that the discontentment between us won’t continue.

Sophie is our second-chance fated mate, he confirms, just as I hope. I’m sorry I was so angry before. I just didn’t want to…

He doesn’t need to finish, and I don’t make him. I know, and we’re not going to forget Cara. I believe she led us here.