CATRINA

"What?"

I can't believe the words falling out of Connor's mouth. Is he serious?

"No, Connor. It's purely biological that I lost our babies. Touch is important but just because there was no physical touch between us doesn't mean that you are responsible for it." I am shaking my head even as I speak it.

"No, baby. Werewolves have different biology. Mates are very rare. In fact, it is only now that people have started finding their mates. There was a common enemy who had mixed up poisons in the soil of our werewolf land. That was why there weren't any new births but now after the death of that enemy, we are breathing a little freely."

All this information is so overwhelming, I start fidgeting in my seat in front of Connor who is still clutching on to my hands.

"This is all so very overwhelming, Connor. I don't know. There's no logic in this thinking."

"No, it is logical, Solnysko. Werewolves, grey wolves have only one mate for their whole life. Our entire life goes by searching for our soul-mate. Only a few are lucky to meet their mates so early in their life. You are my soul mate. I need you constantly in my personal space to feel calm. Male wolves are very territorial about their mates..."

"You didn't need me before we met that day," I say accusingly.

"I know, I am so sorry for all the pain I have caused you but it's true that I need you more than you'll ever need me. Because of me, you lost our pups and because of my absent-mindedness, you went through a lot of heart-break," he whispers and leans down to rest his forehead against mine.

I close my eyes and let the tears fall as the meaning of his words set in. Whatever he is saying feels right and rings very true. His acceptance that he was partly responsible for the loss of the babies crushes my heart. The image of two babies running around us reflects so clear in my mind, making my heart thunder at the possibilities.

"I need some time, Connor. I met my real family today and all of a sudden, I come to know that you are some paranormal being. This is too much to digest," I say and it again confuses me about his and my brother's relationship. In fact, if I think of it deeper, his mother and mine appeared to be friends. In fact, the other man, Fenris, he paid close attention to my mother as if she is his own.

What does this mean?

"It is okay. You can take your time to think about it but I just want you to know that I'm yours, Solnysko. If you reject to be mine, I won't force you because I've caused you a lot of heartbreak but don't think that I'll let someone else comfort you," he promises, distracting me from my thoughts and I feel a shiver of excitement run down my spine.

The awareness that's flooding through my body at his words makes me want to either curl up in a ball and sob or pounce on him and let him fuck me. The first option I don't want to choose and the second option feels like a gateway to heartbreak with many small pieces, so small that I won't be able to put them back.

I tear away from Connor's hold and stand up, in the hopes of getting some fresh air and clear up my mind a bit.

"Please don't walk out on me. You can wait, catch up a little with your brother and mother if you want or you can go home, freshen up and then come back here again. Not for me but for your mother," he says when I try to walk out of the room.

His alertness to his surroundings is explainable now because I know that he is a werewolf, which I still can't wrap my head around. It is just so surreal. Me finding my family and coming to know that I love my werewolf-soul-mate who didn't even know that himself.

A question strikes my mind at his claim.

"Connor, if you are a werewolf then how am I your soul-mate. How is it possible?"

I turn around to look at him. He looks as if he's thinking hard about something. As if he doesn't quite know how to explain to me.

"My wolf claims you and I already have accepted that you are my mate. I love you, baby. Isn't it enough? I don't actually know how the wolf within chooses a mate, so I can't tell you."

I narrow my eyes at him, suspecting that he's hiding something but before I question his further, we are interrupted with a knock on the door.

"Hey, it's Sierra. Are you both decent?" she asks from the other side which makes me blush in embarrassment. What does she think we are doing? Connor lets out a sigh and then rolls his eyes as if he's used to this type of a question. The thought makes my skin crawl.

How many women has he brought in this bed?

"Sierra, stop embarrassing me in front of my mate. I've told her about me being a werewolf so you can stop thinking of being subtle," he says and opens the door to the glowing pregnant woman on the other side.

She quickly walks into the room and plants herself on the chair, before looking up at me and smiling widely.

"Hey, Catrina. I am Sierra Vlček, Fenris's mate. Your mother is Fenris..."

"Sierra. She's already overwhelmed with the information of my being a werewolf and that she's my mate. Give her some time, please," he says and then silently looks at her. Sierra then nods her head and looks at me that's when I realise that they are hiding something from me. But whatever it is I think that it can't shock me any more than this news of Connor being a werewolf, so I let it go.

"So, Catrina. What do you do?" she asks motioning me to take a seat in front of her on the bed. My legs automatically move and in two seconds, I am sitting in front of her babbling out my life story to her.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry to hear this. You lost your babies but it was destined. Connor will definitely help you in moving on from that incident. Mates always share the burden of each other's pain," she says grabbing my hands in hers and gives them a reassuring squeeze. Her words reassure me and I feel a little settled.

"I assure, Connor will always put your needs before his and he'll heal you both physically as well as emotionally. You see, when the male claims his female, he gives her a mating bite which binds them together. The ingredients in the poison of the werewolf bite are actually very nutritive to the mate's body and therefore, act as a detoxifying agent in the female's body. What I mean to say is, when Connor bites you during sex, chances of your womb healing and becoming capable of carrying babies are very high. So... you should think about it. Trust me, I would love to have a little niece with green eyes and red hair, to play with my daughter," she says, caressing her huge baby bump making me giggle.

The sound surprises me because I have never felt so calm with a stranger before and Sierra is comparatively a stranger. She is different. She has a different aura around her. She didn't judge me for my last night's clothes neither did she look at me weird because of my red hair and brown eyes.

She is quite petite compared to me. I am a lot curvier that too without a baby bump. She is slim everywhere except for her baby bump but that doesn't make me feel self-conscious. In fact, she is not even flaunting her beauty which makes me want to trust her.

"Thank you so much for making me feel better. I didn't know about the mating bite and the poison but that is for some other time. At this moment, I just want to go home. I'll come back later..."

"Yes, you can come back later but first you will have a meal with us then Connor will take you to your old house to pack up your things. I am sure he won't let you live there alone and unprotected now that he has found you," she says, looking at me expectantly and causing Connor to chuckle behind me. He rests his hands on my shoulder and then bends down over me to land kiss on my head. The act feels so intimate and Sierra smiles softly looking at both of us and then excuses herself.

"She's a good manipulator, isn't she?" I ask, realising that she actually quite subtly took Connor's side and cleared a few of my doubts at the same time.

Connor laughs at my comment and then pushes my hair on the other side and nuzzling my neck.

"She's the leader's mate, Solnysko. She deals with physically abused women on a daily basis," he says and I detect a sense of pride.

Before I ask him the reason, he turns me to lay a kiss on my forehead and says, "Fenris and Sierra didn't have a smooth start in their relationship and me being the best friend of Fenris, I had warned Sierra to not lead him on. She didn't take it as an insult but from then, I have seen her grow and she's not even our age."

"She appears to be 18-19."

"She's almost 22, younger than a year by Tatiana and Fenris is an orphan. He has suffered a lot throughout his life. His real happiness came when Sierra accepted him completely. She doesn't let him out of her sight for more than a few minutes because there was a common enemy who almost killed him in front of her. She's young but more mature, now that they rule over this country."

"Thank you for sharing all this with me," I say, not quite able to think of anything else. Connor shakes his head and continues to caress my neck with his fingers and mouth.

"You are my mate. If you accept me, you'll be the Luna for my pack. You deserve to know about your future life," he says and it sends an altogether different thrill through my body. Sierra's words about the bite run through my mind and I think of it as a possibility. What if I can become pregnant again? Will I be able to carry the baby to full-term? Will it be healthy?

So many questions and so many risks.

"Hush, baby. I can hear your heart beating wildly. We can go one step at a time, yes?" he asks and I can only nod.

Pulling me towards the kitchen, I let him lead me, feeling safe after a long time. I don't know any more. Should I take this risk? Should we get back?

~~~~

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