Chapter 23

I looked at my mom. Can I trust her with my secret? I do not want the entire pack to know because I want to take this at Kataleya’s pace, but at the same time, it is my mom and it would be nice to have someone close to me to talk to. “Mom, I found out she was my mate today. The Alpha wanted me in training to spar with Kat, even Jacob joined in. She ended up kicking Jacob’s ass and we went at each other in wolf form. I did not mean to hurt her this badly. I feel like fucking shit for hurting my mate…she is not ready to accept our bond and she has told me that she needs time. I am willing to give it to her, but that does not change how I feel. It hurts that she is wanting time when all I want is her, but I understand her need for time does not make it hurt any less.”

My mom gave me a look of pity, “I am sorry son. I know it is hard when your fated mate struggles with accepting the bond. It does not mean that you did anything wrong and it does not mean she will reject you. Your father and I had a rocky start too. I did not want to accept the bond either. I struggled with the idea of being with your father for three months. There was nothing wrong with your father, but I had some internal struggles that I needed to deal with too. Kataleya may have the same issues. Give her the time that she asked for and, during that time, show her that you will be there to support her and love her, even when she pushes you away. Son, she will push you away. Most women will, it is just in our nature, especially ones that are as head strong as Kataleya.”

I contemplated what my mom had said. “Mom, what made you decide to give dad a chance?”

She thought for a second. “Honestly, his persistence. He just would not stop. He was also there for me whenever I needed him to be. I knew without a doubt that I could trust him. Plus, it was getting to the point of cruelty of making him wait later than he had. Your father was a rather patient man for a warrior, but even his patience has its limits and I have definitely tested them.”

I looked over at Kataleya. I will give her all the time that she feels she needs to be happy and ready to accept our bond. My mom stands up, kisses my forehead, and tells me that she has some errands to run, but my secret was safe with her, not even my father would find out from her.

I continued to watch Kataleya for the next several hours. Every so often, she would twitch or move, which allowed me to see that she was indeed alive. I relaxed into the chair and closed my eyes, deciding I would take a short nap.

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**Kataleya’s POV**

My head was pounding and there was a dull throbbing in my leg. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was in the pack hospital, but why? I thought for a second before I remembered all of the events from earlier. That was when I noticed the tingles shooting up my arm. I looked down to see my hands joined with Justin’s. He was fast asleep. I slowly got up and made my way to the bathroom. Goddess, how long was I asleep for?

I went to the bathroom and then decided to take a quick shower. I can still feel some dirt and grime on my body. Once I am done in the shower, I wrap a towel around my head, dry my body, and put a fresh gown on from under the counter before walking into the room. Once I entered the room, I noticed that Justin had finally woken up. He looked up when I entered the room and a sign of relief escaped him.

“I am so glad that you are up, Kat. I was worried about you. Your family is on the way, so I would understand if you would like me to leave,” he quietly told me.

“Thank you. I appreciate it. I appreciate you taking the time to stay with me. Do you think there are any extra clothes somewhere that I can wear?”

He looked hesitant for a second. “Michael had brought me some extra clothes shortly after you were admitted from my room. All I ended up doing was putting on a clean shirt. There is still a clean shirt and a pair of athletic shorts if you want them.”

I could tell why he was hesitant now. He was offering me his clothes to wear. I am sure that is, also, a possessive thing too. Most men, especially men of rank and warriors, were usually ultra-protective of their mates until they bore their mark, which explains why he gave me his shirt once I shifted back after training. He did not want anyone to see me naked. I nodded my head at him, indicating that I would take his shirt and shorts. It was better than this hospital gown.

He handed them to me before grabbing his stuff and leaving. I quickly dressed and I barely sat back down on the bed, before my parents and brothers walked through the door.

“Hey, Kat! Glad to see you are awake.” Elijah greeted me as he walked into the room. “Only you would manage to end up needing surgery on your birthday.”

My father walked in and sat in the chair that Justin was occupying. “Chad said that we can take you home whenever you are ready to go home.” I nodded my head. I was ready to go home. I hate being in the pack hospital. Every time I am here, it takes me back to when I was here when I had been raped. Ironically, this was the same room I was in that dreadful day.

My dad goes to collect my discharge paperwork, while I gather up my stuff. My mind wanders to Justin and the fact that he sat with her pretty much all day with me. I did not expect him to do that. Maybe he does care.

As we leave the pack hospital, my father tells me about everything that I have missed today. When we make it back home, my mother begins the necessary prep for dinner and my birthday. Once the night was finished, I laid down on my bed and was out in seconds.