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“Curiosity killed the cat, I guess.” She shrugged in defeat. “Deal.”
He nodded and reached for her hands, gripping them as if to stop her from running away should she respond to this news the same way Giselle had.
But Sophia isn’t Giselle, and that’s why it’s her for me,Antonio reminded himself, assuring himself he was making the right decision by telling her this.
“Giselle might have been my mate all those years ago, yet by some miracle, life gave me a second chance. Abetterchance. A better mate.” He paid careful attention to the way she was reacting to what he was saying, looking for anything that may indicate her desire to run off. So far he nothing in her expression rose any alarms in his head. “Remember - we have a deal. You do something I ask of you after I tell you this.”
“I’m not gonna run off. Now spit it out.” She spoke both quickly andeagerly,which gave him all the encouragement he needed to continue.
“Sophia, you’re my mate.”
And there it was, out in the open. The ball was in her court now. He awaited her response with bated breath, his grip on her hands tightening as if he was holding onto a lifeline.
Her eyes widened. “I’m you’re… wait, what?”
Sure, she looked surprised, but she wasn’t running.
Not yet.
When he felt her hands beginning to shake he assured her, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I knowthat.It’s just… I have, uh, questions.”
“I’ll answer any questions you have while you uphold your side of the bargain.”
“My side?” She brought a hand to her head as if to prevent it from falling off her head. He supposed this news would be a lot for anyone to take in. Thankfully, she wasn’t responding with disgust, which was how Giselle had responded to this news.
Sophia and Giselle weren’t the same person. Not even in the slightest way. They may both be fey, but that was where their similarities came to an end.
Sophia was better in every way.
“Sorry, I need a minute.” She tightened her hold on his hand as if he was nowherlifeline. And he was, because he vowed to himself that he’d support her in every way. He supposed he made that vow the moment he met her. Hell, he chose to protect her in battle before he even recognized she was his mate.
Because she was perfect for him, mate or not.
“Take your time.” He’d give her all the time she needed so long as she remained by his side.
“About my side of the bargain. What is it you want me to do?”
Now that his fears of losing her were subsiding, the confidence he briefly lost was returning. “You’re going to let me give you a bath.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sophia Brenning
Sophia had difficulty remaining calm as an onslaught of emotions ambushed her.
Did Antonio really just say she was his mate? She almost believed she was in a dream and was going to wake up at any moment.
It couldn’t actually be true, could it? He already had a mate. But what reason did he have to lie? Unless he was that desperate to get with her. Hedidjust request he give her a bath later, didn’t he?
“How do I know you’re not just claiming that because you want to hook up with me?”
His brow raised in amusement. “I may have fucked up quite a few times, but I don’t believe I did anything terrible enough to make you believe I’d lie about something like this. You don’t think that lowly of me, do you?”
“No.” She slowly shook her head. She didn’t. Still, learning one was a werewolf’s mate was a lot for anyone to take in, especially someone who wasn’t a werewolf. “How can you be sure? I never heard of an unnatural being getting a second mate. Maybe you got confused.”
A part of her wanted what he said to be true. She couldn’t deny how attracted to him she was, nor could she deny how well the two of them got along.
