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The breath rushed out of her as soon as Ivo said it, and at that moment, he thought she’d get up and tell him to leave. It was such an abstract concept to accept, that two people were actually destined to be together forever, but he had already spilled the biggest secret of all. There was no point in holding back anymore.
She seemed to be in shock. Sitting there, her lips slightly parted, he had never seen her look more adorable. His inner bear longed to yank her to him and never let her go, but Ivo showed a little more restraint—barely. He cupped her face, thumb stroking the flushed skin of her cheek.
“I know it’s crazy,” he said again, “but that’s why I’ve been so… into you. I always, always thought it was bullshit, and then seeing you for the first time at my door, it was like getting hit by a bus. All my senses went crazy. It…” His words caught in his throat, but he pushed them out. “It was love at first sight, and I finally knew what everyone was talking about. It isn’t bullshit. You’re a part of me, Alani.”
She was silent for a few more moments—moments that felt like years, honestly—but she let him stroke her cheek, her hair, and pull her closer. Finally, in a very small voice, she asked, “Would I feel that pull too… as a human?”
“Yes,” he said a little too quickly, his heart uplifting at the thought. “I mean, I assume so. I don’t know how strong the pull would feel. Shifters feel it all the way in our bones because we instinctively want to protect and care for our mate. I don’t know how it would feel for a human.”
“I couldn’t understand why I’d fallen for you so fast,” Alani admitted. She spoke slowly as if choosing her words with care. Ivo could appreciate that. “I thought I was losing it. I’ve never… But if what you’re saying is true, I finally understand.”
Suddenly he was kissing her—he couldn’t help himself. Even if she sounded unsure, even if there was still a lot to discuss, knowing that she felt something for him—anything—made his heart soar. When he pulled away, knowing that if he didn’t, he just wouldn’t stop, both of them were smiling.
“So, I have something to tell you now,” Alani said, letting him lift her body completely into his lap. Her soft curves melded perfectly to the hard planes of his body, and even though he was still sore as hell, he couldn’t stop touching her.
“Lay it on me,” he replied. Nothing that she could say would equal what he had told her, anyway—
“I have children,” she blurted, and suddenly his hands stopped wandering. In fact, they fell straight on the couch as he reeled back like she had slapped him. His inner black bear snarled with jealousy, unable to fathom the thought that another male had produced cubs with his fated mate.
“Oh,” was the best he could do, given the circumstances. Alani swallowed noticeably, and he swore he could feel her trembling. She was nervous to tell him—that much was obvious. Ivo straightened up with a sigh and held her tightly again. He could do this for her. He could hear her out.
She was his other half, after all.
“Two girls,” she said, her words barely above a whisper. “Leila and Kai. They’re twins. Five years old. I would never say they were an accident, but getting pregnant hadn’t been on purpose. Their father wants nothing to do with us, though he’s been supporting us since they were born. He… He doesn’t want to see them, ever.”
The pain in her voice threatened to leave him raw and broken all over again. How could a father abandon his cubs, accident or not? The man had a responsibility to protect and care for them, and their mother. He shook his head, a low growl catching in his throat.
“It doesn’t bother me that you have cubs, kids,” he said hastily, correcting himself. It would be a lot to handle when the time came down to it, but those little girls were one-half Alani. That made them pieces of Ivo too, heart and soul.
Tears in her eyes, Alani threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Ivo rubbed her back, wanting to be her rock in this storm.
“We can take things slow,” he told her, whispering in her ear. “I bet it’s scary, all of this, and worse when you have two little girls depending on you back home. I won’t pressure you. I have no expectations.”
But Alani was his fated mate. Suddenly he had a family, a real family, waiting for him with her, and even if he had to take things so slow it nearly killed him, Ivo would do it if it meant she was his for the rest of their lives.
“Oh, Ivo…” She grasped his face with her dainty hands, small yet strong, and pulled him into a kiss so fiery that it actually stole his breath away.
