Page 47 of Healing Fate

I laughed. “Is that all? They’re going to love you… both of you.”

“Micah, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

My heart dropped as I let go and stepped back to see her face.

“You don’t want me as a mate?”

“That’s not what I said.”

“This is my family, Lucy. What am I supposed to think?”

“I don’t do well with strangers.”

“They aren’t strangers, they’re my mom and dad.”

She sighed in frustration. “You don’t understand.”

“Then help me.”

“My own mother took one look at my daughter and said get this abomination out of my house. We were left on our own out on the street. At that point in my life, I felt I was better off back in captivity with the Raglan than my own family. So forgive me if I’m not ready to just trust yours. She was my mother. She was supposed to protect me. Vada’s her grandchild and she turned her back on us. They all did. The whole freaking pack, Micah. The Alpha apologized to us, but what the hell good was that?”

“Lucy, I am so sorry that happened to you, but my parents aren’t like that.”

“You can’t know that for sure.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t fathom any circumstance that my parents would turn their back on me like that. Not ever. And not on me, my mate, or my child and my wolf and I had already claimed Vada as ours. I couldn’t explain that to her though.

I gritted my teeth hating that she had gone through that. She had faced it all alone with an innocent baby. It wasn’t right. I was here now, and I wasn’t going away. They were mine to protect or die trying.

“You are mine, Lucy. Vada, is mine. I’m ready to claim you both and dare anyone to ever say such malicious things to you again. I’ll rip their throat out.”

Her eyes widened.

“Did you hear me? I want to claim you, Lucy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and with Vada. I want us to be a family.”

She shook her head and it felt like a knife was slicing through my heart.

“You don’t mean that. You can’t mean that.”

“Do I look like I would joke about something like this?”

“I know you think you’re doing the right thing, but you don’t even know me, not really.”

That hurt as much as her denying my claim.

“Don’t know you? Okay. I get we haven’t known each other that long, Lucy, but I do know you. I know you’re an amazing mother. I know that despite you finding it humorous, you put up with my obsessive tendencies. I know every noise and whimper you make when I touch you. I know when you’re watching me even when you think I don’t. I know you were hurt, but I’m here to help you heal.”

I took a chance and stepped closer to her. I needed to feel her in my arms, but she retracted and took a step back.

“This is going too fast. I need some time. I need space to think. I can’t do that with you around. The bond makes me crazy with feeling things that cloud my judgement. I need to be away from you for a bit to think this all through and decide what’s best for me and for my daughter, because no matter what I want, her needs take priority.”

“That’s what makes you such a wonderful mother,” I whispered, even while feeling as though my heart was breaking.

“I don’t think we should see each other this weekend. I’ll see you at the office on Monday or I’ll let you know my decision before then.”

“I don’t know if I can stay away,” I confessed.

“Try,” she said coldly.