Page 57 of Adored By the Wolf
“We don’t have to; we can take it to go. Bubbie has a hard time cooking for just two people, so there’s always leftovers. Don’t worry, if you don’t want to eat it, there is always someone in the family who will.”
“Oh no, this is all mine. I’ll eat it every day this week.” I spooned copious amounts of food onto my plate and started eating. It was delicious. Wiping my mouth from the juice that had dribbled out from the dumpling I just ate, I contemplated how I should ask him about what I’d been feeling, but it seemed I didn’t have to think on it for too long because, yet again, he preempted my question, saying, “You can ask me anything, you know.”
I looked up to see he had leaned back in his seat and had once again finished his plate before I’d even made a dent in mine.
“Why do I feel so calm now that I’m with you?” I asked him, trying not to feel silly as I asked the question.
“You’re my mate,” he said simply.
“Your mate?”
He nodded. “Has it felt like half of your soul was torn out when we were apart?”
“Yes . . .”
He reached over and held one of my hands in his. “We’re fated mates, Millie. It’s why you felt the way you did when we were apart.”
“Fated?”
“Destined; meant to be.”
I shivered. “But those are just myths.”
“Really? What if they were true?”
What if they were true? What would that mean for humankind if the mysteries in fantasy were real?“Does that mean all the fairy tales we’ve ever known are true?” I asked him.
“Yes. The good and the bad.” He squeezed my hand and let go, watching my reaction closely.
I released a breath.The good and the bad.I pushed away my food and leaned back in my seat, really looking at Jacob. He didn’t look any different than any other human I’d ever met, but then his eyes flashed yellow before settling back into a chestnut brown, making me suck in my breath.
He noticed my reaction and said, “It’s part of being a wolf shifter. We are born with fated mates. It used to be rare to find one during my parents’ generation, but they were able to find each other. They have always instilled in us that we should try our hardest to find ours. Connecting with your fated mate means more than what humans do when they get married. It’s a life bond that can’t be broken once the two have met. Your souls combine, and that is why it felt like you had lost half of your soul when we were separated.”
“So, you’re saying we can never be physically separated? That might be a problem.”
“No, it’s only when we’reemotionallyseparated, when we’ve consciously made the decision to not be together. You will feel great despair, and I will . . . Well, that’s for another time.”
“No, I want to hear what you have to say now.”
But he shook his head. “It’s not for now, Millie. I promise I will tell you more about that later.”
Bubbie came out right then with more food, and my stomach grumbled, even after eating a full bowl of noodle soup and sticky rice. This time she had douhua—tofu pudding—with sweet ginger sauce.
“You’re going to have to roll me out of here at this rate,” I said, accepting my bowl of douhua.
“I’m sure Jacob can carry you,” Bubbie said with a wink.
“I sure can.”
I felt my neck heating up as Bubbie left, and I focused on my bowl. A soft rumble of satisfaction came from across the table, and I saw Jacob pouring the remainder of his bowl into his mouth. I followed suit and drained my bowl as well.
“That was the most satisfying meal I’ve had in a long time,” I said, putting my bowl down and wiping my mouth.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Jacob said.
A comfortable silence settled between the two of us, and I smiled as Jacob scooted his chair around so that he was sitting beside me. Turning my chair so that I was facing him, our knees touched as he took my hands into his.
“Millie, can I ask you something?”