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It’s so clear on her face.
My heart sinks. We’re fated mates, but I don’t think that actually matters.
That’s like… a magic thing.
She doesn’t have to love me.
Let alone like me.
I think.
“I’m sorry. Iris, please…”
“You were convinced that I was sleeping with someone else. You thought I lied to you. And you were so…” she blinks.
“I was horrible,” I say back.
She nods.
“I know. I’m so sorry. There’s no excuse. I just… you have to understand, Iris. I didn’t lie to you when I said that we wouldn’t be able to have kids. Shifters can’t reproduce with humans. Ever. It’s something that we just biologically can’t do.”
She frowns, looking down at her belly. “Okay well. Here we are again…”
“I know. I know. I don’t know how all this is possible. We aren’t supposed to be fated mates either. They’re not supposed to be real. That’s something else that’s just… look I don’t know how all of this could happen if you’re human.”
“I am. I’m definitely human,” she says sadly. “And this baby is definitely yours.”
“Iris. That’s not possible. Was the father someone in town? Did he… was it without your consent?”
“No. Thorne, I really don’t want to get into this again. There is no other father. It’s just you. I haven’t slept with anyone else. Haven’t been with anyone else. It’s only you.”
I can’t deny that the words make my cock twitch. The possessive part of me loves her saying that.
“Iris,” I say gently. “It can’t be possible. I know you have your reasons for not telling me but…”
“There’s no one else. But of course, this is how everything turns out for me.”
I lean in. There’s more than just a little bit of sadness in her tone. “Iris?”
She laughs, and the sound is bitter. Her little ermine friend nuzzles at her hand, and she strokes him again.
“It’s just… of course I don’t fit in with you either.”
My heart crumples. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’ve never fit in anywhere. My whole life. When I lived in Denver, people always thought I was weird for wanting to spend more than just a fun ski trip in the mountains. I would go on backpacking trips as a teenager instead of going to parties or sleepovers. In college, I never wanted to go out drinking or partying, because I wanted to spend time in the lab. Even in my own family, my parents think that I’m weird.”
“Iris…”
“So of course, the first person who I really care about, the person who I l…” she stops.
Was she about to say love?
“Of course, I don’t fit in with you either.”
I’m not sure if she wants to be hugged. I have no idea.
But I pull her against my chest.
