Chapter 57
LEAH Josh and I headed through the kitchen and looked around, but the only place to sit was the floor. Josh looked around while I kept myself busy taking in the place I had once called home. “It will always be home,” Tala muttered in my head, which made me look back at her. “I know,” I said with a heavy sigh. Being back here held more memories of my father and what our life used to be like. “It is okay to miss him,” she whispered, my eyes meeting hers again. She was laying down, but the warmth that came from her made me feel like I wasn’t alone anymore. “You’re not alone,” she said, which made me frown. “Can you stop listening in on my thoughts?” I muttered. “It’s getting weird.” I looked back to find Josh staring at me, which Tala sniggered. “It’s one perk of knowing my human,” she murmured. Ignoring her, I sighed. “Is it weird that they can hear your thoughts?” I asked Josh, who gave me a knowing look. “It is,” he muttered. “Even annoying.” That I could agree with. “I take it Tala is listening to what you think,” he asked, moving his head to the side. Huffing, I walked over to the windowsill and sat down. “I don’t think I will ever get used to it,” I muttered, not looking at him. “It was weird at the beginning when I heard her voice. I thought I was going crazy hearing a voice.” There was silence, but the kitchen door opened, and my uncle entered. He was carrying three pizza boxes. He looked between us but sighed. “I take it I walked in on something—” he said, but Josh spoke, which cut him off. “Leah was just mentioning how our wolves get annoying when we think, and they listen in,” he said, which made me give him a small smile. “Oh goddess,” my uncle muttered. “The number of times I had my wolf intercept my thoughts because he didn’t like what I thought or did, I would probably be a sitting duck or, even worse, killed.” I let out a slight laugh, which only made him smirk. I approached him when he placed the boxes on the kitchen counter. “It gets easier,” he said, looking at me and then at Josh. “Just have to remember that they are there. But it is nice sometimes, too.” My uncle placed the boxes down, handed one to Josh, and moved the middle box away. He moved toward the other side of the counter and left me with the bottom one. I opened it. There was a plain cheese pizza. Not knowing that I like a meat feast didn’t help, but I couldn’t hold that against him, could I? My stomach growled slightly, which made Josh and my uncle grin while Tala giggled in my head. I couldn’t help but cock my eyebrow up at him at what he said. I grabbed a slice but looked at him. “Why is it nice?” I asked. “I mean, I thought I was going crazy when I found out, but—” “Well, it is crazy to think of having a wolf when you didn’t know you were one,” my uncle sighed. He looked at me for a moment before he continued. “But that wasn’t your fault,” he said, glancing over at Josh and then back at me. “Your mum knew what the risks were that you would be one of us, and still—” A low growl rumbled through me, which cut him off. My uncle stared at me briefly, but I didn’t allow him to explain anymore. “Don’t you dare mention my father,” I gritted out. “He doesn’t belong coming out of your mouth.” “He meant nothing by it,” Josh said, making me look back at him. His eyes were on me, but he moved slightly, which made me tense. He must have seen me because of the sudden stop he made. “Lucian is a dick before he speaks,” he said, turning to glare at my uncle. 1 “Hey,” my uncle growled, which only made me snigger. My uncle looked at me and went to open his mouth, but he stared and closed it. “His wolf told him not to piss you off anymore and think before he speaks,” Tala murmured, coming closer. I could feel her there with me. “His wolf knows not to mess with you. He knows you have been through so much and that his actions are part of it.” I said nothing but looked toward Josh, who smiled at me. “Your mother didn’t exactly do everything by the book,” he murmured. “She was supposed to wait for her mate.” “Mate?” I asked, feeling slightly confused. “What the hell is a mate?” Josh and my uncle looked at each other and then back at me. “Tala hasn’t told you,” Josh asked, sounding quite surprised. I shook my head, but Tala said nothing but just kept quiet. Both men stared, but I looked toward Tala. “What the hell did you forget to tell me?” I asked. “What is a mate?” Tala stared and let out a slight breath. “Werewolves have mates,” she said, confusing me even more. “Mates to us are our soulmates, someone the moon goddess made for us to love and protect.” I stared at her. That couldn’t be. A mate? A soulmate? They were real. “They are,” Tala said with a slight sigh. “We wait a long time to find them; when we do, they are the ones we want in this world. We would do anything for them.” I tried to wrap my head around what she said and looked back at the men before me. “So,” I said, letting out a breath. “A mate is a soulmate for us.” Josh nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I’m your mum’s mate.” I stared at him, but then confusion set in. “So, if you are my mother’s mate,” I said, looking between them. “Then what was my father to her?” No one spoke, which was odd. Both men looked blankly at me, but Josh sighed. “I don’t know,” he whispered, stepping back. He sounded heartbroken, somehow. “His mate had another,” Tala murmured. “Something unheard of in our kind. Well, to some. Many wolves have others before they find their mates, but they let it slide when it comes time to find them.” I said nothing. This was all again too much to take in. Mates were made for us, but did that mean I had one out there? Tala said nothing, which made me stiffen. Usually, when I think about things like this, she would talk, but nothing. That wasn’t her style. I was about to ask her if we did when my uncle spoke. “What Josh is trying to say,” he said, looking over at him and then back at me with a small smile. “It is unusual for us to have a child with someone who isn’t our mate.” His words whirled around my head like a whirlwind. I wasn’t meant to be here, not by my father, but by— My heart broke, but Tala spoke. “You are meant to be here, Leah,” she said softly. “You are my human, and I love you. You were a product of love, something no wolf would experience without a mate.” My stomach churned over her words, but nothing sank in. There had been too much information as it is today. From finding out about werewolves to learning about Tala, I was overwhelmed, and now I am learning what they just mentioned about mates. I needed time to clear my mind and get away from them. Dropping my slice of pizza on the counter, I walked away and headed toward the kitchen door. “Leah,” Josh called out. “Where are you—” I spun around and stared at him while tears welled up in my eyes. I hated showing how I truly felt, but I was about to lose everything in front of them. I needed time to mull it over. “Please,” I whispered. “I need space.” Saying nothing, I turned back around and headed away from them. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I made my way to the stairs and up till I got to the room I was in before—my father’s. This place held more to me, and now I was so confused. “Leah,” Tala spoke, but I shook my head and looked back at her. “Please, let me get used to everything. When I am ready to talk, we will, but I can’t, not right now.” Tala’s eyes glistened, but she gave me a slight nod. Looking back into the room, I walked over to the window where I last sat. I sat down and leaned against the wall, letting my tears flow. I didn’t even know why I was crying, but part of me was thinking maybe I should have never been born, and then all this would have never happened. My father was a good man who deserved the world and more. He looked after me and was my provider, but when you hear things like mates and everything that Tala mentioned, could it happen that my mother and father fell in love? The way we all do would make me a product of love rather than from mates. My heart pounded, which didn’t exactly help. I closed my eyes. Tala wasn’t there to greet me, only odd darkness, but tiredness came, and I was sent to sleep. I felt my body slump against the wall, but I knew I needed to rest. Something told me this wasn’t going to be the last time an attack on me, which made me wonder who the hell was after me.