Some of my friends felt the same way. I remember them pointing him out and laughing at him one day.“Pathetic, anywerewolf who trusts a bike more than their own four legs must be totally useless.”
Once I figured out that the bike guy was my mate, I didn’t think he was pathetic at all. I was actually impressed. There’s only one reasonable explanation for why a werewolf rides around on a bike in a supernatural city: because hewants to.My potential mate liked biking and didn’t care when other wolves thought he was strange. Strong and stubborn, just like me.
My mom and dad aren’t true mates, but they’re proud to lead a pack together. Wynn’s parents were destined for each other and they, they’re happy. My parents are serious, focused… and cold. It suits them. But it’s also the reason I can see the benefit of love.
“Bane.” My father’s voice draws me out of my thoughts. “Talk to me.”
“Don’t wanna talk. Will you just leave me alone?”
“Fine. Then I’ll talk. There’s one more thing you should know.” Elias’s voice is uncharacteristically soft, lacking the commanding tone I’m used to. When I glance up, he’s there in front of me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he looks unsure. “It’s possible I… made mistakes. Perhaps there were different ways to handle the situation.”
I stare at him in shock. “You don’t mean that.”
“I don’t say what I don’t mean.”
“You’d do the same thing again.”
“In a heartbeat,” he agrees instantly. “If I thought it was best for you or the pack. But I’m not just Alpha. I am your father, and I hurt you. That matters to me, even if it doesn’t always seem like it. I… I do have regrets.”
“Are you… are you apologizing?” I ask. “You never apologize.”
“The Alpha is never wrong,” he fires back automatically. Then, he winces as he continues. “This… this is an exception.Maybe in this situation, I should have been thinking less like an Alpha and more like a father.” He shakes his head, seemingly musing to himself. “If I had, who knows what could have changed? Now it’s too late, things are in motion…”
“What are you talking about?”
“What—what else? The fight. You’re almost twenty-three,” he says, shaking himself out of whatever fog he fell into. “You’ll fight soon and there isn’t much time left.”
I nod stiffly to show I heard him and stare down at my own hands between my knees.
Love was bullshit. That’s what I’d decided back when I thought Josh rejected me. If I couldn’t have love, then fuck it. I was gonna get power and be the Alpha. Nobody would ever know I’d been the loser who got rejected by his mate as a pup. Maybe I could forget too.
It seems so stupid now. I told myself I wouldn’t grovel or let Josh see the pain he caused me. If I’d just swallowed my pride and didn’t give up until we’d had a proper conversation, we could have figured this whole thing out.
Instead, I hated him from afar. Hated him when he hadn’t done anything wrong. I’m an idiot, a jackass, and a terrible mate.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” I wonder when I realize my father is still here.
“Thought I’d stay for a bit.” Elias sits on the leg press across from me. He doesn’t make demands or try to get me to understand. He just sits with me. Making sure I’m not alone.
Obviously, it doesn’t fix anything. And there’s still a long way to go until I can get past this.
However, I appreciate not being alone.
17.Courting, The Second Time Around
Josh
Tonight has to be perfect.
I rush around the kitchen, double-checking the ingredients required for this spaghetti and meatballs recipe. Bane arrives in thirty minutes. He may think he’s a lost cause, but I refuse to accept that. Tonight will prove him wrong.
Is it time to cook the noodles yet? I turn to the pot on the stove.
“Come on, come on, boil already!” I glare at the stubborn water, willing it to heat up faster. Once the pasta cooks, I can focus on the rest.
Glancing at the clock, crap! I’m running out of time. Is it too late to order pizza?No, this is fine. I can do this.The garlic bread must be ready to come out of the oven, right?
“Right on time,” I say as the timer dings.
