BK 4 - Chapter 53 - Morgan
Morgan stared at the two women, looking at him in shock. After all these years, he'd finally found his mate. He stepped forward and saw the wariness in his mate's eyes, which caused him concern until he looked at her condition. She looked like she'd been through a lot, and his happiness deflated. Did someone hurt her? He'd kill them.
"Did you say I'm your mate?" Adelma asked softly. How could this be true? The man nodded, and she saw him looking her over from head to toe. Adelma wanted to run and hide. She felt hideous compared to him.
"My name is Morgan. What's yours?" He asked gently. Adelma wanted to cry. If she had a mate, why did he have to show up now? She didn't know what to do or say.
"Her name is Adelma," Valerie answered when she saw the despair on Adelma's face. Morgan saw it, too, and took a step forward.
"I'm not going to hurt you. Can we talk?" He asked. He wanted to touch her. However, based on her reaction, there was no way he would even attempt to take her hand. Adelma refused to meet his eyes, but she nodded.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Valerie asked. She looked at Morgan and silently warned him. He understood if he hurt her, he was dead. She didn't have anything to worry about from him.
"No," Adelma answered in a whisper. She was nervous, but she figured if he told her he didn't want her, she would rather do it in private than be humiliated in front of an audience.
Morgan led her over to the garden and sat on a bench. Adelma hesitated but sat beside him, careful not to get too close. She knew enough from what Derrick had told her about the sparks when mates touch, and she didn't want to experience it if Morgan was going to reject her.
"Are you scared of me?" Morgan asked. The last thing he wanted was for his mate to be scared of him; he wasn't going to hurt her. He wanted to protect her and kill whoever caused her the pain he could see in her eyes.
"I don't know what to think. I've lived the last twenty years in a facility because people thought I was crazy. I just found my daughter Lisa, who was cut from my body before I was left for dead. Now I'm being told that I'm your mate. This has been an eventful day." Adelma answered honestly. Morgan looked at her in disbelief.
"Lisa, is your daughter? I came here to draw her blood because she wanted to see if she has any siblings." Morgan couldn't believe the little lioness was his mate's daughter.
"I just saw her for the first time today. I'm sure she wants to know if her birth father got any other women pregnant over the years. So are you going to reject me now? I don't know a lot about shifters, but I understand rejections." Adelma said, taking a chance to look at him. He wasn't looking at her in disgust like she had expected.
"Why would I reject you?" Morgan asked. He was aching to touch her, even just to hold her hand, but it had to be her choice. He refused to cause any more pain than she'd already experienced.
"Look at me and look at you? I look like an elderly woman, even though I'm only in my early forties. You don't want to mate with someone like me. I'm not someone anyone would want." Adelma felt her tears fall, even as she tried to stop them.
Morgan couldn't stand it anymore. He reached over and gently put his hand on top of hers. She didn't pull away as he'd expected. When he felt the sparks run through his body, his tiger Ty ran around with excitement. Morgan knew from that moment on Adelma was the only woman for him.
"I won't reject you. I'm fifty-three, and I've been looking for you for a long time. Now that I've found you, I'm never going to want to let you go." He said truthfully. Adelma looked up at him in shock.
He wanted her? This gorgeous man wanted someone like her? How is that possible? Adelma shivered from the sparks that flowed through her body. They were better than she'd ever imagined when Derrick talked about them.
"What are you?" Adelma asked hesitantly, still looking into his beautiful blue eyes.
"I'm a weretiger. My tiger's name is Ty." Morgan answered. Ty started purring, and Adelma smiled. That gentle sound was so comforting.
"That's incredible. I never thought I would hear that sound again. Are you sure you're not going to change your mind later on? I would rather you leave me now than do it later." She asked, biting her lip nervously. Morgan raised his hand and gently rubbed her cheek.
"I promise I'm not going to change my mind later." He answered. Before Adelma could reply, they heard footsteps coming in their direction.
"What's going on?" Lisa asked suspiciously as she and Jayce walked over. She had seen them from the balcony and was worried Morgan was trying to make a move on Adelma.
"Morgan is my mate," Adelma answered, looking from Morgan to Lisa.
"What? Are you sure? You're not playing games with her or trying to take advantage of her, are you? I will kill you, and they will never find your body if you hurt her." Lisa warned. However, when she saw how they looked at each other, Lisa knew it was true.
"She really is my mate. I've waited for her for a long time; I won't ever hurt her." Morgan said, taking Adelma's hand again. Lisa still glared at him.
*"I told you we need background music. Drama is unfolding right before our eyes. I need popcorn, a soda, and a comfy beanbag chair stat. This is the best movie ever.* Jayce rolled his eyes. Was there a mute button for Ace?
"Are you sure you're okay with this? What's your plan? Are you marking her right away?" Lisa threw questions at both Morgan and Adelma. They both felt like they were teenagers being questioned by their parents.
"I'm okay. It's nice to know that I have a mate. Someone who's supposed to be mine." Adelma answered shyly. Lisa felt herself crumbling at the look on her face. This was actually probably the best thing that could have happened to Adelma. A mate would certainly help her get past a lot of her trauma, and after she was marked, she would be healthier, too.
"We haven't made a plan yet or talked about marking. We just found each other a few minutes ago." Morgan answered. He thought it was funny that, in a way, Lisa would be his stepdaughter. Even though they had just met, he was already proud of how she stood up for Adelma.
"Okay, as long as you two are sure about this, you have my support. Honestly, I think you should mark her as soon as possible. It may help her overall health." Lisa said as she crossed her arms, looking at them. Morgan was the one nervously looking away now. He couldn't wait to mark her, but it had to be Adelma's choice. He wouldn't rush her to do anything she wasn't ready for.
"It's up to you. I can mark you whenever you want, but don't think that if I don't do it right away, I will change my mind because I won't." He said, looking into her eyes. Adelma wasn't sure, and Lisa saw her hesitation, so she had an idea.
"Morgan, why don't you take my lab work wherever you need to go while we talk." She said. Adelma looked up at her gratefully. Morgan didn't want to leave, but he understood she may need a little space.
"Okay. The lab's not far from here, so I'll be back within an hour and have the results sent to my phone once they're ready." Morgan said before standing. He kissed Adelma's hand and headed toward the car. Lisa took his spot on the bench.
"I know this is all a surprise, but what do you think about being his mate? Is that something you want?" She asked gently. The last thing Lisa wanted was for Adelma to accept being his mate because she thought there would never be anyone else for her. She shouldn't make a decision like that if there was any doubt.
"I really do. I can't explain it, but it feels right. I'm just scared that I won't be enough for him. I'm damaged." Adelma said with a frown. Lisa shook her head.
"I can tell none of that matters to Morgan. He wants you, and I honestly think you should let him mark you if you want him. Your body has been through a lot, and you'll heal much faster once you're marked." Lisa said gently. She didn't want to force her, but if Adelma wanted to accept Morgan, Lisa thought it would be good for her to be marked as soon as possible.
"I do want him. I can't believe everything that has happened today. My daughter found me, I'm out of that nasty facility, and now I have a mate. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, and all my wishes are coming true." Adelma chuckled lightly. It almost scared her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed. Lisa hugged her with tears in her eyes.
"I'm happy for you. Do you want to come inside?" Lisa asked, pulling away. It was starting to get dark out.
"No, I'll wait out here until Morgan comes back. It's nice to be outside." Adelma answered. Lisa nodded and stood up.
"We're inside if you need us." When she and Jayce were far enough away that Adelma couldn't hear them, she stopped him. "The next thing we're going to do is get that facility shut down. What they're doing to the people there is abuse."
*"Yes, let's shut them down. I can hear the Mission Impossible music playing already."*
