Page 58 of My Unexpected Mate

“You hurt yourself,” he said sadly and wiped the blood from my face with his thumb.

Before I could answer him, I heard Gabriel’s worried scream coming from the house.

“Nick?!”

“I’ve got her, Gabe!” he yelled back.

He continued to stroke my face with his thumb, and it sent pleasant shivers down my spine.

“Why did you run?” he asked me, and I could see how much that hurt him.

I decided to be honest. I couldn’t run again. He would catch me.

“I am afraid,” I said quietly.

“Of what?” he asked me, confused.

“I don’t know,” I said and looked down at the ground.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked me.

I quickly looked back up at him and shook my head. “No. I am not afraid of you.”

“Then what?”

What was I afraid of? I had no idea. Nick was handsome and kind. I did feel this bond. Not strongly, but I did. What was stopping me then?

I guess I took too long to answer because Nick sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Look, I don’t want to force you to do anything, Aria,” he said and grabbed my hand. “We are going to take this as slowly as you want. But I do have a request.”

“What request?” I asked quietly.

“No more Jack,” he said. “Or any other male. I went crazy yesterday. It was so painful, and the bond isn’t even complete yet.”

I furrowed my brows. “It isn’t complete? Because you haven’t marked me?”

“Well, yes. But not only that,” he sighed. “My warlock side is much more dominant and that is the reason we don’t feel the bond to the fullest. I have to shift when I’m close to you for us to feel that bond completely.”

“But how can you be sure I’m your mate then?” I asked, confused. “Maybe I’m not. And it is just some weird attraction.”

He smiled at me lovingly. “You are my mate. I am completely sure of that. I feel the tingles. Your smell is amazing. I can feel some of your emotions. When I shift, I will be able to feel all of that even more. And so will you.”

I can’t really tell what I feel right now. I was confused, but mostly scared. And I couldn’t explain this fear.

“What does your wolf say?” I ask him.

“Nate adores you,” he smiled brightly. “He thinks you are the most amazing, beautiful woman he has ever seen. And he can’t wait to meet you. When we first saw you, I had to use all of my strength to keep him from coming forward. And he has been stronger ever since I met you. My wolf side is stronger.”

I was out of words. A part of me was glad he was my mate. I felt wonderful around him. But another part was scary as hell.

“Look, Aria, we don’t have to decide anything right now,” he said. “I am not even going to shift yet. I don’t want to force you because I can feel how scared you are. But no other males. And I will have to shift soon because Nate is going to kill me if I don’t. He is annoying as is.”

I smiled and hugged him. At first, he was surprised, but then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

“Thank you, Nick,” I said while holding onto him. “It means so much to me that you are willing to go slow. I won’t lie to you. I do feel this bond. But I am afraid. And I do need a little bit of time.”

He kissed the top of my head and breathed in my scent. “Whatever you need.”