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“I considered it, but…that’s not how things are done, Mom. You know that. Everyone knows that. Bailey is being stubborn…and selfish.” He borrowed the word she used, justifying it because she admitted it herself.
“Selfish, huh? And what exactly was your plan for her life with you here in Tuisa?”
“The same as everyone. We would build a house, have children…she could work as a trainer if she wanted, and I can fulfill my duties in my new position. We would be happy together.”
“No. You would be happy. She would settle because she loves you. Sounds selfish.”
His head snapped to her angrily. He had things to say about that, but would never disrespect his mother, so he stayed silent.
“Sounds like you want everything your way. You give up nothing, and she gives up everything.”
“That’s shifter law. Even Alpha Axel said that.”
“Yes, and look how that worked out. I heard he gave you an Alpha Command to mark her against her will, and you didn’t fully resist.”
“It’s an Alpha Command. What am I supposed to do?”
Her voice dropped to a sad whisper, but he didn’t need her words. He knew what Axel had wanted was wrong. He knew it would have destroyed Bailey, but he had been…selfish. In that moment, he had thought about how, if it was done, she couldn’t leave him. That she would be forced to stay here and work it out. And because they were mates, it was inevitable and better for her. But sitting here, listening to his mother gently tear down that argument with only a few words, he was ashamed of himself.
“What does she want, Nassau? You know what you want, but what does she want? Don’t tell me she doesn’t want you. I sat next to that girl and talked her ear off multiple times in the last few weeks. She wouldn’t have risked Axel’s wrath to come back if she didn’t love you.”
“She’d risk the wrath of the devil for her own amusement.” But when his mother cocked her eyebrow at him, he sighed. “She never denied wanting me. She said that if she got to do everything she ever wanted, and I followed her around, that would be unfair to me.”
“So, what does she want, Nassau? Not the obvious answer. You have always been so good at puzzles, at feeling people’s emotions and understanding others. What does your mate want from you?”
He shook his head, thinking back through everything they talked about, dissecting all their conversations, but the one from Thursday night rolled through his thoughts.
“She wants us to both be happy. She wants me to prioritize myself because until I do that, neither of us can be happy.”
“And what did she mean by that?”
He sat back on the couch, dropping his head back and closing his eyes. “I have no clue. It doesn’t make sense. Being with her makes me happy.”
“You could be completely unselfish and follow her around, supporting her and her choice in career?”
“I told her I would do that. I told her we didn’t have to stay in Tuisa.”
“You told her that last night?”
“No, I told her that before knowing we were mates.”
“It didn’t apply anymore after you found out she was your mate?”
“No. Yes. Maybe. When it was a choice…I wanted to show her that I could be a good choice, that I would make it work, so she would choose me.”
“Then why aren’t you with her? Why aren’t you going on the road and taking care of her while she works?”
“Because that’s not the way things are done with fated mates. If fate told us we were meant to be she should…”
“She should what?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”
“Let me say this. She is doing what so many women want to do. She’s choosing herself. So, I ask again. What are you going to do?”
“Even if Axel would let me leave, let me join her, which he would never…she doesn’t want that either. She made that clear.”
“Dig deeper, why?”
