Page 59 of Wolf's Redemption

"Wait!" she said, touching her neck. "Why did you do that? I told you I hadn't awakened my wolf; I don't even know who my destined mate is."

She pushed me away and looked me straight in the eyes. It was then that I realized that I had instinctively marked her as my destined mate, and from that moment on, there was no turning back. Thus, there was no point in keeping the truth from her any longer.

"I am your destined mate," I confessed to her.

"How can you be sure?" she asked, shocked. "What if you're wrong?"

I ran my hand across her chin and stroked her gently.

"I know what I said. It's kind of hard to understand, but I'm sure it's you."

Her cheeks turned red, and she lowered her face a little, but still, in her eyes, I could see a hint of doubt. For the simple fact she hadn't developed her connection with her wolf, she couldn't feel the bond between us.

"When did you realize it?" she inquired.

"Since the first moment I saw you six years ago in my room," I told her, feeling guilty for hiding something so important.

"And why didn't you tell me anything," she asked indignantly. "If only I had known..." And then, she lost track of the present moment, immersed in her thoughts.

"Hey, look at me." I raised my face to her. "It wasn't the right time. Besides, I had the engagement to Chloe and the pressure of the pack on top of it. I wasn't prepared to face all that then," I replied. "It's not your fault; it's mine."

She shook her head and hugged me. "It's no one's fault, we were too young, and honestly, I wouldn't have believed you," she replied. "Besides, my father would surely have used me to blackmail you."

"Does it mean that you do believe me, don't you?"

"Yes, there are many things I don't understand, as well as the way I feel with you, that's something I've never experienced with anyone before, and despite all the years, that feeling has only gotten bigger," she answered sinking her face into my chest. "If I think about it, everything makes sense in my head."

I wrapped my arms around her tightly and kissed her forehead.

"I looked for you. I sent several investigators after I cut my ties with Chloe, but you were gone. I swear I searched for you relentlessly over the years until I exhausted every possible resource and followed every lead," I told her. "But I never gave up hope, and I was waiting for fate to bring our paths together again."

Cathy looked fragile for the first time, and her eyes became glassy from the tears she was holding back. "Sometimes I wish I could understand why I am different, why I, of all people, had to be born without the gift to shapeshift."

"I told you that sometimes that happens; you have nothing to worry about. Now that you're here with me, I can ask the pack doctor to check you out this week, he might get the answer, and maybe he can help you." She was silent and squeezed me tighter.

"But I'm leaving tomorrow. I won't have time," she replied.

I took a deep breath and felt an emptiness inside. For an instant, I had forgotten the whole issue of her leaving entirely.

"I don't want you to leave, I want you to bring Elliot, and we can be a family," I said. "My son needs me, and I need you."

"Believe me. I want that more than anything in the world too, but I can't do it," she said. "I have a business to take care of, a home, and Elliot is in kindergarten. I couldn't take him out like this when he's already made some friends."

I knew she was right, and we had talked about it before. But the idea of her being away from me, I didn't like. Now that I marked her, I wouldn't be calm at any time. I'd always be worried about her and feel like my hands were tied because I couldn't be with her because of my responsibilities in the pack.

"At least let the doctor check you out," I asked again. "That's the only thing I ask."

She shook her head. "I can't, and I won't stay any longer. I miss my son, and I have a lot of unfinished business to do."

I bit my tongue and sighed. "Okay, but promise me that at least you will agree to let the doctor check you out, not just for me but for our son. He is one of our kind, and at any time, he'll start to feel the connection with his wolf. Moreover, the city is not a good place to raise a shapeshifter."

She nodded. "I know, and I've always been aware of that, but I didn't want to think about it," she said. "I promise I'll see the doctor the next time I come here."

I felt relief that she would at least try, but I couldn't help but be helpless. I thought she would stay. I thought because of our connection, she had the need to stay by my side. But the fact that her wolf didn’t manifest yet makes everything harder. She will never understand what I feel unless she feels it too.

Chapter 21 Cathy

I woke up and the side of the bed. Eric wasn’t there, but I felt the warmth of his body. I didn't feel him wake up because I was submerged in a deep sleep and dream, one that I tried in vain to remember what it was about but I had the sensation that it was a desperate one. There was sweat on my skin and my heart was beating fast.