A Mate for Lu - Amy Bellows Page 0,42

alone. Axe will be here.

“I just have to take a mate. Fast. That’s the only requirement.”

Now that he’s rekindled his relationship with Cy, that shouldn’t be a problem. He spends the rest of the trip talking about his options anyway. After all this time, Axe is still worried that Cy won’t accept him as a mate.

“Are you seeing someone now?” he asks me.

I shake my head. “There was this one alpha that I, well, it doesn’t matter now.” At some point he’ll figure out I’m pregnant, and I’ll have to tell him about Sam. But today is not the day.

“That you what?” His voice has an edge to it that scares me a little bit.

When I tell him, I’ll have to be careful.

“It’s over now. It never even started, honestly. I just got too attached, like I always do.”

He looks at me with such pity, I wish I could hide away. “I’m sorry, Lu.”

I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. You’re back. That’s the main thing.” I pull into the parking lot of the jewelry shop. “Will you do me a favor, Axe?”

“Yeah. What is it?”

“Will you tell Cy about all of this before you go searching for a mate? I know he didn’t want to bond to you in the past, but it’s been three years. People change.”

He looks up at Cy’s apartment. “I’m going to talk to him right now, actually. I think he’d want to know.”

Axe helps Mary out of her car seat for me and disappears up the staircase to Cy’s place. Mary and I watch the door shut.

“Akie go bye bye,” Mary says.

“He has to talk to his friend. But he’ll be back.”

I should feel happy. My brother is free and Cy will finally get to be with the man he loves. It’s just… I want to be with the man I love too.

The dizziness that’s haunted me all week returns. “Let’s go inside.” I lead her inside and to the bathroom where I sit in front of the toilet and wait to throw up again.

All week I’ve tried to keep my chin up. I’ve painted my wishes and put on a smile. But I’m so damn tired of pretending I’m okay. For the first time since all of this started, I let myself cry.

I shouldn’t cry like this in front of Mary. She sits next to me with her board books. She’s collected them in the bathroom after spending so much time in here during the last week. I want to tell her that everything’s going to be okay, but I can’t. I don’t have the energy.

Off in the distance, I hear knocking. Whoever it is, they’ll have to come back later. Even if I could stop crying, I’m too dizzy to walk.

A familiar voice calls out: “Hello? Lu!” It’s Axe.

“In the bathroom!” My voice cracks. I hope I was loud enough for him to hear.

The sound of a door opening, and footsteps echo through the house. Axe appears in the doorway of the bathroom.

What am I going to say to him? How am I going to explain? I burst into tears again.

“Do you have the stomach flu? Did you eat something bad?”

I shake my head, my body convulsing with sobs.

“Akie read?” Mary asks, holding out her book to him.

“In just a minute, sweetheart,” he says, kneeling next to me. “Are you…”

I know what he’s asking. Axel was the one who took care of me last time I was pregnant. He remembers what it was like.

“The alpha doesn’t know, okay? You don’t have to beat him up. He doesn’t know.”

Axe’s shoulders soften. “Okay. Can I ask why you haven’t told him?”

I drag the back of my hand across my cheeks, wiping away the tears. “He… doesn’t want me. Not like that.” At least not enough to be open about our relationship.

“You don’t know—”

“I know, okay? I do. You have no idea how much I wish he did want me. He’s… perfect. In every way.”

He places his hand on my shoulder. “He’s not perfect if he doesn’t see how wonderful you are. He’s an idiot.”

I glance over at Mary. She doesn’t need to hear this. “Axe, we can’t.”

He looks back at her too. She’s listening so intently to a conversation that’s far too adult for her toddler ears.

“Well, I’m back from the Slope. I’ll take care of you. Everything’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this. You aren’t alone.”

I do my best to smile. He’s right. Even if I can’t have Sam, I have Axe.

“I met