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Harper’s eyes tightened with pain as she said, “It’s disturbing to hear that anyone we meet in the future who is a mate to a Number will watch their family grow old and die. How do we explain that?” She looked him dead in the eye as she asked.
“Will I reminisce about an ever-expanding list of people I once had memories of but who have now faded to fragments?” he asked.
She winced, visibly shivering. “It will be the same for me.”
It was a nightmare he had no idea how to deal with. “There’s no way to compartmentalise, not with news like this.” He had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that his life would never be the same again. “I need a minute.”
“I get it.” She seemed to struggle for a moment before blurting out, “I’m happy that I don’t have to watch you die. It might affect you in ways that won’t affect me…I’m sorry I didn’t know what the consequences would be.”
“It’s not your fault,” he reassured her, recognising the genuine concern and empathy in her voice.
His heart ached when he saw her downtrodden expression laced with doubt. Immediately, he felt guilty for Harper, thinking he was doubting his feelings for her. “I am pleased with this,” he gestured between them. “I am delighted to have found you.”
“But?”
“Like you said, it is a complex issue,” he replied.
“What should we do?” Harper asked nervously.
“I don’t intend to stop seeing you.” He snorted. “You’re now my mate. Even before this, I wanted everything I could get from you…” He grinned at her. “And I didn’t just want it for a short time.”
“Okay,” she breathed.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her tightly into his arms as he sighed. It wasn’t the end of the world; in fact, quite the opposite, but he needed her by his side.
He had never felt peace like that with anyone else, and it wasn’t just a feeling of peace. His feelings for her were deeper than he expected. His reaction wasn’t surprising, but he grinned when he thought about all the time he had to spend with her.
“Are you planning to meet Greg?”
The moment she rubbed her hand over his lower back, his body relaxed. “I…er…”
She groaned, “Don’t lie to me,” with a grimace on her face.
“It wasn’t my intention to lie; I just wanted to keep you away.” He rolled his eyes, his arms tightening. “I don’t suppose there is any chance of me making that happen.”
“No. None at all,” she laughed.
Grumbling and rolling his eyes, he looked away.
Of course not. It was silly of him to think she would wish to be protected. “I suppose we might as well leave now,” he tugged at a strand of hair, and she glanced at him.
“Are you sure you don’t want to return to the Alphas?” He silently begged her to say yes.
“I think I’ve heard all I need to hear today. If there are any further surprises, we can wait until tomorrow because, at this rate, a heart attack will kill me off, and we won’t have to worry about my longevity.”
Her eyes grew bright with the flicker of her beast as it rose to the surface, and she hissed, “Please don’t say that!”
“Sorry, bad joke,” he said. His comment had provoked a deep, hidden emotional fury within her, and it was clear that she was struggling to contain it. Sighing, he asked with a grimace, “Are you coming?”
A grin spread across her face as she headed for the door and said, “Yes, you couldn’t stop me.”
Nick shook his head in disbelief and wondered how she had hidden the spitfire living under her skin all these years. Shaking his head again, he followed her.
It wasn’t a particularly unpleasant view. He tilted his head, and with appreciation, he observed her ample arse cheeks bunching up and her hips swaying hypnotically from side to side.
She stopped. He looked up to find her glancing at him with amusement. Her cheeks were pink, but her eyes had a delighted gleam. “Really!”
“I am a male,” he explained, then stepped beside her without a second thought. He didn’t care who could see him on his floor; they would soon realise she was his, and he wasn’t ashamed of her.
