Page 106 of Bound By the Sleeper’s Harp

She made shushing sounds and rocked me back and forth, letting me cry, offering low, comforting words.

Meowwwww.

Teddy made his presence known. Vivi crawled away and let him out of his carrier, before coming back and pulling me into her arms again. He darted off to scope out his new territory.

I loved Vivi. It was hard to imagine what my life would be like without her friendship. She’d seen me at my worst over the past few years, knew me better than anyone. We were sisters in everything but blood.

Ever so slowly, my crying slowed. When I could speak, I managed to tell her the whole story. She’d known some of it from our phone calls, but I gave her greater details, especially where Bastian was concerned.

“Damn,” she whispered. “Mates? Really?”

I nodded.

“And you’re sure it’s like that possessive alpha-hole mates shit, that super hot kind? Like, bend you over the table and claim you kind?”

My stomach lurched because that’s exactly what he’d done. “Yes,” I managed. “He didn’t say it explicitly, but looking back, I’d be stupid to believe otherwise.”

“And that asshole didn’t say a word?!”

“Not a peep,” I groused.

“Well, fuck him!”

“Exactly,” I said, a weak smile pulling at my lips. “Fuck him.”

She sighed. “What are you going to do? Kick him to the curb? You know I’ve got your back no matter what you decide.”

“I don’t knowww,” I whined, covering my face with my hands, squeezing my eyes tight. “He lied to me, Vivi. I mean, he kept this from me, but that’s practically the same as lying. But I… Fuck. I’m so conflicted. He’s nothing like Luke. He’s never physically or mentally hurt me. He’s never made me question my worth. He’s never played mind games. It’s the opposite, actually. He makes me feel so fucking beautiful, stares at me all the time. I mean, he cooks me freaking pancakes and plies me with thousand-dollar bottles of wine.”

“Okay, if you don’t want him, I’ll take your leftovers,” she teased.

I groaned and bumped her with my shoulder. “Too soon. Not funny.”

“I know, I know. Sorry. It sounds like you need to think about what you really want. I can’t tell you what to do. Not with this.”

“I know,” I whispered. She was right.

What did I want? I’d known him just under two weeks and I was already falling for him. Falling hard. Was that because we were mates?

“What if this is one of those mate things where I’m not allowed to be with anyone else, like…ever? Like, what if I won’t be able to love anyone else? What if I’m forced to be with him,” I managed. “When I was with Luke, I was trapped. I… I’m afraid, Vivi. I don’t want to feel trapped like that again. Maybe that’s why I ran tonight. Why I wouldn’t let him explain.”

“Girl, Luke Portman fucked you over. That kind of shit doesn’t just go away immediately. You gotta work for it. There’s nothing wrong with being afraid of things that happened in your past.”

I sighed. “I think I just need time to think about all this.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” she said. “And I’m always here to bounce ideas around.” She hesitated, then said, “You know what you need?”

“Hmm?”

“A girls night. We’re canceling work, life, everything. We’re getting our girls together, no excuses.”

I managed a watery chuckle. “Maybe that’s exactly what I need.”

“But for now,” she amended, “you need your bed, and a good Teddy cuddle. I was going to steal him tonight, but you need him more than I do.”

I smiled, my first genuine smile since the start of this entire discussion. “Have I told you how much I love you, Vivs?”

“Yep. But you’re always welcome to say it again.” Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “And for the record, I love you too.”