Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
GRANT
A s she falls back asleep, Connor and I head upstairs. We knock on Kimberly and Charlie’s bedroom door. Their muffled voices tell the kids to stay there. The door opens a few seconds later.
“Well?” Kimberly eagerly asks as Charlie closes the door behind them. “How did it go?”
“Not well,” Connor sighs.
My heart tightens at the sadness in his voice. I pat his back in support.
“She’s having a hard time with it, but she’s resting again. Hopefully by the time she wakes up, she’ll be calmer.”
Kimberly smiles weakly. “I’m sure this isn’t easy for her. She’s lived a normal life with no idea about shifters. It’ll take time for her to get used to the idea that we exist.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Connor asks.
“She will,” Charlie offers. “You just have to be patient.”
Connor’s shoulders slump. “I’ve waited centuries for a mate. I’m not sure what I’ll do if she rejects us.”
“That won’t happen,” I try to assure him. “We can’t expect her to suddenly believe in everything she’s been taught is not real. Our mate will come around in time. You’ll see.”
He nods, but doesn’t seem convinced. To be honest, I’m worried too. Just because she’ll feel the pull of the mate bond doesn’t mean she’ll stay.
Her heat cycle will start soon, and without her knowing how to properly break the connection between us, she’ll be in physical pain. I can’t let that happen. We’ll have to do whatever we can to persuade her to not leave.
Charlie straightens and his tone changes to that of the oldest: commanding and authoritative. “Keep a close eye on her. If she runs, she’ll freeze to death.” He gestures toward the front yard and slaps Connor on the shoulder. “And whatever you do, don’t give up.”
“I’ll finish packing.” Kimberly heads back into the bedroom.
Furrowing my eyebrows, I ask, “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah,” Charlie says. “We think you three need some time alone. We can’t go far because of the kids and the blizzard, but we’ll camp out in the shack hunters use as a shelter about half a mile from here. We’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t screw this up. You get one chance.”
“No shit.” I grumble.
We help Charlie and Kimberly get the kids ready before saying goodbye at the back door.
Kimberly hugs me. “Don’t be too hard on her.” Then she hugs Connor. “Be patient and understanding. All will work out as it should.”
“We’ll do our best,” Connor tells her.
“We’ll see you soon. Good luck.” Charlie hugs us both once Kimberly has moved aside.
With a quick pat on the back, he releases us and takes his daughter’s hand. The two children link up, and Kimberly holds onto her son’s hand. They walk into the heavy snowfall and disappear from sight. While we’re not completely resilient to cold temperatures, it would take much longer to affect us than it will take for our brother and his family to reach their destination.
And the kids love it. I can still hear their giggles in the distance. A smile curves my lips. I can’t wait to have a family of my own. Watching Charlie and Kimberly with their little ones is a beautiful sight. One I’ve dreamed of being a part of with my mate for decades.
Connor walks off into the house; I call out to him.
“Where are you headed?”
“I don’t know.” His voice has a hint of sadness to it. “Maybe sit with her until she wakes up. Commit her image to memory just in case.”
I release a heavy sigh. He needs a distraction before he worries himself to death.
Mind linking with him, I suggest, Why don’t you cook something? She’ll probably be hungry when she wakes up.