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Clara moved across to the nurse’s desk and checked something on the computer. “She’s in room 103. Dr. Kemp is with her. She’s unconscious, but all her vitals are stable.” Claralooked up from the monitor. “Why don’t you both take a seat in the waiting room? If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Clara, we’ll do that,” Ridge said.
With both Kyle and Audrey being checked over, there was nothing for us to do but sit in the empty waiting room. Ridge wrapped his muscular arm around me as we tried to wind down from the fear and adrenaline of the ambush. His presence was a soothing balm to my soul, exactly what I needed after such a scare. As we sat in the peaceful waiting room, an older couple—shifters—came in and sat across from us.
The man greeted Ridge with a deferential nod and a quiet “Alpha.” Ridge acknowledged the greeting but didn’t start up a conversation, leaving the room in silence, for which I was grateful. The couple looked to be in their late seventies, and I watched as the man helped his wife sit, then sat next to her in much the same way Ridge was sitting with me: his arm around her, murmuring into her ear, quiet words for her only, nuzzling her hair and placing sweet kisses on the side of her forehead. I watched them through lowered eyelashes so as not to be caught staring. I couldn’t help but wonder at the way he seemed so attuned to her every move, and the tender looks he gave her.
It was exactly how Ridge looked at me when he thought I wasn’t looking. Were they fated mates, too? Or was I just seeing what I wanted to see? My mind had become fixated after Ridge had called us fated mates. I remembered everything Margo had told me about the concept: two halves of the same soul, made for each other, the instant connection, and much more. Now that I knew all this, the “fake” relationship between Ridge and me had taken on a new light.
A frightening light. I’d tried so hard to accept that I was falling for someone I’d have to leave eventually because I believed it to be true. I wouldn’t be able to stay in Blackwood Creek forever, and though I’d struggled with knowing I wouldeventually be leaving Ridge behind, this was somehow worse. Has some magical force compelled us together? Was our love not even our own choice?
As if on autopilot, my mind raced with memories of beautiful, special moments I’d shared with Ridge—running together as wolves for the first time, intimate nights in bed, his laughter and concern for me. His consistently protective nature turned me on. I wanted to believe our love was natural and organic, but was it? Exhausted and anxious, I began to doubt everything that had happened between us.
I tried to reassure myself that my feelings for Ridge had developed organically, but the doubt ate away at me. My head throbbed, and I didn’t realize my inner wolf was trying to get out until Ridge noticed my discomfort and checked to see if I was okay. Despite acknowledging his genuine concern, I was plagued with doubts about whether it was because of his own feelings for me or the “fated mate” connection compelling him to care for me. Was there a cosmic force strong enough to uphold such a compulsion?
“Are you feeling the feral effects again?” he asked softly, trying to calm my inner turmoil as he gently stroked my arm. Usually, that would make me putty in his hands, but it no longer brought me peace.
Unable to take it any longer, I slowly moved away from his touch and said hesitantly, “Actually, I think I need some space to absorb everything.”
Ridge’s head flew back slightly as if I’d slapped him. “Did I do something wrong?”
Shaking my head, I tried to come up with the words to avoid facing this, but my mind constantly played my doubts on a loop at the back of my mind. I thought I’d go crazy.
“Ridge,” I said carefully. “Earlier, you called me your fated mate. How long have you known, and when exactly were you planning on telling me?”
The question hung in the air between us like a storm cloud, and I braced myself for the answer I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear.
Chapter 2
Ridge
My stomach dropped. When those words had slipped out of my mouth, I knew I’d made a mistake. God, I should have been more careful. That was not the way I’d wanted to tell her. I’d wanted to sit her down, explain it to her, make sure she understood what it meant. Tori was still at risk of becoming feral. I’d wanted to wait until she’d gained control and felt comfortable being a shifter.
My stomach clenched as I watched the shock and hurt flicker across Tori’s face like a storm rolling through. Tension built between us, and it was unbearable. Did she truly believe I’d intentionally withheld our fated mated bond from her?
“Look, Tori,” I began quickly, trying to find the right words, “I wasn’t trying to keep this from you. I...I didn’t know how to bring it up. You were so close to going feral and at odds with your wolf. I was searching for the right moment to broach the subject.”
I paused as my mind flashed back to the sheer terror I’d experienced when she was stabbed. The thought of losing Tori was unbearable. In quiet moments, I couldn’t escape the memory of the blood pooling on the floor, her panicked screams, and the burning need to be at her side. It all played on anunrelenting loop like some twisted movie. Her almost being killed had been branded in my memories, affecting me in a way nothing had before.
“Our situation differs from most fated mate connections I’ve heard about,” I continued. “To begin with, they’re so rare, and they usually happen instantaneously, but I didn’t figure it out until you almost died. Before that, I had strong feelings for you and wanted to be around you constantly, but after? It was like everything clicked into place. Tori, I’ve never felt a connection like it, and I don’t know how I’d continue existing without you.”
I took a deep to ease the tightness in my chest. Why was it so difficult to find the right words to convey my thoughts? I didn’t want her to believe our delayed connection was her fault, because none of it was. My mate was a fighter and a survivor. I was in awe of her and her strength, and I did not want her feeling guilty about how our bond could’ve been messed with.
“Perhaps because you hadn’t connected with your wolf yet and were on the brink of being feral, that hindered or delayed the instant connection most fated mates feel,” I finished.
Tori averted her gaze, but before she did, I caught the confusion and doubt in her eyes. “Ridge.” Her voice was soft, unsure. “Just because your feelings for me are so much stronger than what you felt for the women in your past doesn’t mean we’re fated. Is it possible your feelings for me are normal? Natural?”
Frowning, I firmly shook my head. “No, Tori, it’s more than that. I don’t know how to explain it, only that it’s intense and something I’ve never once felt before. The pull between us, the depth and magnitude of what we feel for each other…it’s far from normal.” I hesitated, struggling to put into words the bond that tied us together, the passionate fire that burned whenever we were near each other. “Our inner wolves yearn to be together.We’re perfect mates for one another. We’re destined to love each other in a way that’s impossible for us to love anyone else.”
Hoping she would understand, I attempted to describe how the fated mate bond enabled claimed mates to feel each other’s emotions and pain without a doubt, allowing them to help each other carry their burdens. However, it was impossible to define. It was a need, a desire, and it had to be embraced and accepted to fully understand. I’d grown up in a pack, knowing all about fated mates, and still didn’t fully grasp the concept. How could I expect Tori, who had feared herself for so long and never even heard of the term “fated mate,” to come around quickly and embrace such a concept?
“Fated mates who fulfill the mating bond can communicate telepathically,” I added, my voice dropping to a whisper. “And the connection between them is so intimate, so powerful. It creates a beautiful relationship and completes them. Fated mates are two halves of the same soul.” I gazed into her eyes, holding none of my emotions back. I wanted her to recognize my need for her—my hope forus. “When two shifters mate, a mating bond forms, and it’s strong…but nothing like that between fated mates.”
Tori bit her lip, her expression still troubled as she grappled with the idea. I had a driving urgency to ease all of her burdens. My wolf bristled at my inaction. The raw vulnerability in her eyes made my chest ache, and I wanted nothing more than to pull her close and reassure her that everything would be all right. Knowing her as I did, though, she needed time to process this discovery, to come to terms with what it meant for both of us. Despite the pain it caused me, I had to keep in mind that she wasn’t used to shifter life. Not yet.
“Ridge, I...” She hesitated, speaking barely above a whisper. “I need some time to think about all of this.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded. When I was younger and thought about the possibility of finding my fated mate, I’d never once considered that my fated mate wouldn’t want me as badly as I did her. The fated mate connection was always said to be a rush, a lifetime of being swept off your feet. I gazed at my gorgeous mate. Even though her reluctance pained me, I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world. Tori was it for me. The only woman I wanted in my life.
