CHAPTER 32: The tough questions...

Randol
Standing under the water spilling from the shower head, I instantly feel better. I wash off the dirt, blood, and sweat. Feeling like a new man, I call out to my dad. "Hey, can you hand me a towel?"
"Here you go. Need help drying off?"
"Um, no. I got it."
"Oh, all of a sudden you're shy? You don't have anything I haven't seen before. Where do you think you inherited yours from?"
"I don't want to think about it. Now or ever." I can hear laughter from the other side of the shower curtain. "God, Dad. I maynever be able to get it up again now."
"I doubt that very seriously." Now there's laughter from my side of the shower curtain.
"With a mate like mine, you're probably right." I carefully step out of the tub, with the towel wrapped around my waist.
"Let me at least help you off this tile onto the carpet. If you fall and hurt yourself worse, Celeste might break my neck."
"She is feisty, isn't she?"
"Oh, son, you don't know the half of it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I forgot to tell you the part of the story yesterday where she threatened to kill the rest of the heirs that were at the truck site where you got hurt."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"She told them to get you out of there and to the infirmary immediately. Ajax and Ryu apparently refused to leave her there alone. She then proceeded to tell them they would be subject to the same unimaginable horrors that the shifter traitors were if they didn't get you out of there. They quickly decided it was best not to argue and brought you back to the house."
"Holy shit."
"Yeah. And you thought your mom was scary when you ruined your new pair of pants." I know that smile he's giving me. It's the smile of a man who also had a strong - willed woman as a mate. It's a knowing smile. "You know, Randol, if you do officially take Celeste as your mate, she will be the most powerful mate ever brought into our pack. I don't know what will happen, or if you can even handle that much power feeding you. She is more powerful than a lot of the current council members in many ways."
"I've thought about that, actually. I can't help it, though. I would give my life for her already. I can't look back now. I'll endure whatever comes just to be with her."
"That's what I like to hear. You might deny it, but you have more of me in you than you think."
"Yes, Celeste has mentioned that." I finish getting dressed while I listen to my dad nearly break a rib laughing. "Are you done?"
"Hahah. I guess. That is quite amusing, though."
"I'm sure it is. Will you walk with me to Celeste's room? If I show up without an escort, she'll be pissed."
"Let's go." I'm actually walking fine, but I know Celeste is worried about me, so I let Mr. Chuckles walk with me. I knock on the door, and it doesn't take long for a beautiful smile to appear in the doorway.
"Randol, how do you feel?"
"Much better after a shower. Thanks for walking me, Dad. The doc can take over from here."
"Thanks, Mr. Woods." Celeste waves, and he winks at her as he walks off. Gross. Celeste steps aside to let me in. "So is walking around giving you any pain?"
"Surprisingly, no. I just feel bruised up."
"Let me see your stitches." I pull up my shirt, and she looks closely at the stitches she had to put on me less than twenty - four hours ago. "Wow, the wound is almost completely closed up."
"Shifter genes." I gloat as I put my shirt back down. "So?"
"So what?"
"So? Can I go out and get some fresh air now?"
"I will agree to the balcony, but the walk will have to come later."
"Fair enough."
"Let me get my coat." I grab her coat and hold it out for her to put on. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome." After she buttons it up, I hold my elbow out and she slinks her arm through it. "Ready?"
"Yep, but take it easy, okay? I don't want you overdoing it, shifter genes or not."
"Yes, ma'am." Opening the door, I lead her out of it and upstairs. It takes me a while, but I make it up without incident. As soon as I open the balcony door, I can hear Kai howl. The air hits my face and it feels amazing. Kai could not be happier. He is outside and he has his mate with him. "I needed this so much. Being a wolf shifter, outside is kind of my happy place."
"I can imagine. It doesn't hurt that it's beautiful out here."
"Yes, it is. That being said, this seems like the perfect backdrop for that talk we wanted to have."
"We can do that. You want some coffee. I can run down and get some real quick."
"Are you sure?"
"It's cold out. It will warm us up. You like yours black, right?"
"Right." Before I know it, she is out of sight. I sit there thinking about everything I want to say to her when she gets back. That isn't what makes the nervousness rise in my chest, though. The answers she may give me are what's causing that. I don't know what I'll do if she rejects me. I am already in love with this woman. She is my mate after all. It was inevitable, but it happened much quicker than it normally happens, even for shifters. It's because she is so amazing. She is everything I, or any other man on the planet for that matter could ever want in a mate. I'm sitting there driving myself crazy with these thoughts when I hear the door open.
"I'm back. You didn't freeze while I was gone, did you?"
"Not at all. Wolves are made for cold weather, you know." She hands me my cup with a smirk on her face.
"Of course, you are."
"Celeste, I have some things I need to talk to you about."
"Okay, I'm all ears."
"Some of it is fairly serious, so I suppose we should get to that part first." I can see the confusion come to her face. "Celeste, do you remember when we talked about Kai and I agreeing on a mate?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's not exactly how it happens."
"What do you mean?"
"Wolf shifters are born with a predestined mate. We don't know who it is, until we actually meet them. We can sense it then. It's the mating bond. If our mate ends up being a non - shifter, the mate doesn't get the same sense from us."
"So you only get one destined mate? What if you never find
each other?"
"Well, the mate bond pulls you together eventually, even from thousands of miles away. Sometimes if a mate passes, they will be reincarnated and find their destined mate again. It doesn't always happen, but if your mate is reincarnated, you can feel it when it happens."
"Why wouldn't you tell me about this from the beginning?"
"Celeste, the truth is, you are my mate. I didn't want you to choose to be with me because you thought you were supposed to, though. I want your happiness above anything else in this world. If you chose to be with me, I wanted it to be because that is truly what you wanted."
"Didn't you say that you have seen shifters that have died from a broken heart after being rejected by their mate?"
"Your happiness is worth my life, Celeste. So please, don't be mad that I didn't tell you."
"How could I be mad? That was a very noble gesture. It shows just how much you care about me."
"I'm glad you feel that way. So the next thing I need to talk to you about is kind of a long explanation, but just hear me out okay?"
"Of course."
Sigh. "Okay, well, as you know I'm in line to become alpha to my pack, and someday that honor will be passed down to one of my kids. I am very happy about this because my family means a lot to me and a pack is a family. I have been thinking about it, and I am more than happy to do this from afar. I can also sell the restaurants and use that money to open something in Chicago. Celeste, I know that your dad is the only family you have left. I would never ask you to leave him or the job that I know you love. Unfortunately, though, I can't physically be away from you for long periods of time, now that I have confirmation of your identity. The mate bond is something very strong. It could drive me crazy not to be near you. After the claiming, if you decide to go through with it, of course, you will have these feelings as well. We will both feel incomplete being too far away from each other. I know it sounds scary, but it isn't, I promise. Taking part in the claiming is the only way for an outsider to become a real member of the pack. I don't know if you even want to become a member of my pack, but I want you to have all the information. So are you completely freaked out now?"
"Well, it's definitely a lot to take in." She is looking down into her coffee cup. This can't be good. I can already feel my eyes start to burn as I wait for her to continue. Suddenly she sets her cup down on the table then grabs mine and does the same. She then puts her very small hands into mine, and I close them around hers like it will be the last time I get to hold them. "I have to be honest with you, Randol..." Oh shit, here it comes. "I have been thinking about some of the same things ever since I knew you were the one I wanted to be with. The thing is, I know what a big heart you have. I also know you would give up everything for your mate. Some of the other stuff comes as quite the surprise, but I have already made some decisions. I hope that you will support them."
"Of course, I will, Celeste. I want you to be happy even if I'm not."
"Randol? I want to move to New York. To be with you."
"What?"
"I've thought a lot about it."
"Oh my god, Celeste, are you sure?"
"Yes, there are emergency rooms in every city. I can work anywhere, but you have worked your ass off your whole life to build up what you have today. I could never be happy if you gave that up for me. My dad will be retiring in a couple of years, so I am certain we will see him more than we want to. He has plenty of money, loves to travel, and will have nothing but time on his hands. As for the pack, of course, I would want to be part of the pack if we were to get married. They are your family, and if we get married you and I would be family. That makes the pack just as important to me as my dad. I will protect them just as I protected everyone here, yesterday. I don't know if you noticed but I get a little hostile when my family is threatened."
The smile of all smiles has invaded my face, and a tear has broken free and is streaming down my cheek. Celeste wipes it away with her thumb. With her other hand, I pull her into my chest as I stand. "Celeste, I cannot express how happy I am right now. You are way too good for me."