Chapter 71

Since he had been distracted with mind linking his wolf, Anastasia had chosen to ignore him and by the time he returned his attention to her, she had finished packing her case and was now trying to zip it up, though struggling as she hadn’t folded her clothes properly as she ought to have.

“You need to leave.” Anastasia stated once she noticed that he was back in reality, his eyes now returning back to their normal colour of hazel.

“I can’t leave.” He frowned softly, the desperate plea audible in his voice, not even trying to hide it. “We need to talk.”

“You need to fucking leave before I throw you out of here.” This time, she crossed her arms over his chest, scowling deeply at him.

If it was anyone else who had spoken to him in such a way, Marcellus would have taken it as a personal challenge for his position and pack but since it was his mate and his behaviour toward her warranted such a behaviour and so much more, he merely walked into the room and placed down her coffee on the bedside table while he moved over to take a seat on the desk chair. While he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and bury his face in the crook of her neck where her sweet honeysuckle scent would be the strongest, he refrained simply because he didn’t deserve it.

“Please, can we just talk?”

“What makes you think that I would want to talk to you?” She snapped at him but when he sent her another pathetic, pleading look, she sighed begrudgingly and moved over to take a seat on the side of the bed, directly in front of him.

When she reached over for the cup of coffee and took a small sip, he held his breath as his heart soared with hope, but followed her lead and started on his coffee too before it got cold.

“We’re going to do this on my terms.” Anastasia cocked a dominant brow, daring him to deny or challenge her, the determination evident on her face and stance.

Marcellus nodded his head frantically. “Whatever you want.”

Anastasia scowled at him one more time before she took another sip from her coffee, took in a deep breath and exhaled deeply, prepping herself for the uncomfortable and frankly painful conversation that was about to ensue.

“Well, I’m going to start off by stating the obvious.”

“And what is that?” Marcellus asked after a few moments of silence where she just blinked at him, almost as if waiting for him to admit it.

“You’re really going to act like you don’t know, right now?”

Marcellus gulped and sighed before bowing his head in shame, unable to look her in the eyes.

“We’re mates.”

“Well, no shit.” Anastasia snorted and laughed at his admission, though the sound was far from humorous. On the contrary, it was rather sinister.

“How long have you known?” He dared to ask in a quiet voice, still too ashamed to look her in the eyes now that the truth had finally been revealed.

“Since yesterday morning, when I was in labour.”

“And that’s why you asked me to leave?” He asked even though by this point, he already knew the answer.

She didn’t bother answering the stupid question and instead, pushed forward on to the more pressing matters that were at hand.

“How long have you been lying to me?” Anastasia asked even though she already knew the answer to the question, but wanting to hear it from his own mouth.

“From the first day he met.” Marcellus forced the words out of his mouth as he lifted his head to lock eyes with his mate, this being the very least of what she deserved.

It was just too bad that she was stuck with him.

“And let me guess, you didn’t tell me that we were mates because you didn’t want a human for a mate?”

“No!” Marcellus denied quickly with wide eyes, not wanting her to feel that way when she couldn’t be further from the truth. “The fact that you’re human doesn’t change anything. In fact, it just makes you all that more special.”

“So, I would be less special if I was a wolf?” She cocked a defiant brow, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared back at him, determined to get the entire truth out of him today, even if it was the last thing that she did.

“No! That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Marcellus shook his head, denying the thought frantically however, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle. “You’re absolutely perfect just the way you are!”

“Well, if I’m so perfect, then why didn’t you tell me the truth in the first place? Why didn’t you tell me that we’re mates?” She asked him, her lips curling down into a deep frown, the hurt evident in her eyes despite how hard she tried to mask it with anger and her incessant questioning.

It was bad enough that he had lied to his mate for so long but now, he had made her feel inadequate and that was a grave wrongdoing on his part. When he had said that she was perfect, he absolutely meant it, especially since after having gotten to know her better, Marcellus had no doubt in his mind that she was far too good for him but now that they were fated together, he was desperate not to lose her.

“Or is it because I was pregnant?”