AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Eventually, the whimpering of his wolf urged him to shift back, and he gave in. Stalking along the edges of the water, his wolf howled mournfully at the divide between them, and when he approached NahleCheile, he kept going. The invisible wards of Aisling bounced him away from their boundaries, but his wolf didn’t care, only skulking along the border until the mindlink hummed in his head. With a block up, the only person who could get through would be his Alpha. His wolf stopped for him, heeding its Alpha’s commands.
“Nas. Border patrol is reporting your movements, and now with Aisling running their own patrol, their Beta is calling me to ask what wolf is trying to gain access to their lands.”
“I will leave.”
He picked his way along the fence line for a few more seconds, looking longingly over the border before turning back and heading to nowhere in particular.
“You need to go home. Get some food and proper sleep. It would be good for you.”
He didn’t answer that, only moving away from the border and heading southwest towards the most remote areas. He wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to see anyone.
“It’s not a request, Nassau. Go see your mom.”
Frustration and anger filled him, but he turned, heading back into their section of the community. When he stepped onto the porch, his wolf shifted readily, eager to get food. But in human form, he stood on the porch, naked and staring at his own door. He didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to discuss it. Telling someone meant that it was final and real. He wanted to pretend it was all a dream.
But none of that mattered when his front door swung open, and his mom grabbed his wrist, pulling him inside and handing him his bathrobe. She searched his face intently, worry in her eyes, and the second the robe was around him, she wrapped him in a hug. He stiffened at first, not used to feeling so vulnerable, so uncontrolled, but she didn’t let go, only tightening her grip until he finally relaxed.The hurt and the pain unraveled, and with each breath he took, it all became more real, more tangible.
“Come sit down. Nubia sent over some stew. You need to eat, to drink, and unwind a little.”
“I’m fine.”
But the second the words left his mouth, he knew he wasn’t, and she knew that too.
“Tsk, tsk. Eat.”
She had picked up the still warm bowl, setting it on the end table, then sat next to him, and leg to leg, she laid her head on his shoulder and held his hand.
“Don’t make me feed you.”
He sighed heavily. “I can’t eat with one hand.”
She chuckled, releasing his hand but not giving him an inch more of space. Mechanically, he ate the stew, not tasting it, and the second he set the bowl down, she began asking questions.
“So, what are your plans?”
He frowned at that. “Plans? For what?”
“Don’t be coy. For getting your mate back.”
“She wasn’t kidnapped. She rejected me, and that’s it. It’s…over.”
“Don’t be dramatic. It’s not like you to give up. You need to figure out why she rejected you and fix it.”
He rolled his eyes, then leaned forward, rubbing his forehead in frustration.“I already know all that. She explained why she didn’t want a mate long before I knew it was me.”
“And why is that?”
“Because her life was more important than me. Because she has things she wants to do, and I don’t fit into that plan.”
“Is that how she said it?”
He growled in frustration with all the questions, all the moments and conversations his mother was making him relive. “No. She…she thinks we want different things and that any type of compromise will cause one of us to be unhappy. She doesn’t want to regret her life twenty years down the road.”
“And what do you want her to do?”
“I want her to do what mates are supposed to do. Support and love, and just fucking be a mate. She won’t consider staying in Tuisa with me. Not even a little.”
“Have you thought about going with her?”
