Chapter Twenty-Three

“What’s that?” Annie asked as she looked at Candy.


“Earlier,” she said softly, carefully considering her words. She didn’t want to hurt her mate, she had already been through so much. “Earlier, when I was at practice…”


“Candy, what’s wrong?”


“I kissed Stolas.” Candy blurted out. She hated herself as she watched Annie’s face fall. Her shoulders seemed to curl in. As if she were trying to shield herself from anything else that might hurt her.


Her whispered “Oh,” Was one that Candy felt stabbing into her gut. She could see the blank look returning as she closed in on herself.


“It was just a kiss and I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, I just couldn’t not tell you.”


“Okay.” Annie said, letting her arms fall from around Candy’s waist as she stepped back.


“Annie, he’s my mate.”


Candy realized she was messing this up, but she didn’t know what else to tell Annie. How she felt the same pull that she felt for her, but for him to.


“I understand, if you’ll take me to Abby-”


“I’m messing this up. Wait.”


Annie’s eyes stayed on the ground. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Candy.


Couldn’t bear to see the look in her eyes. It had been so nice to feel, to feel cherished if only for a short time. Until reality set in and Candy realized that there was no way she could have a weak mate like herself.


“It’s fine, I’d just like to go home.” Annie whispered as she wrapped her arms around her middle. She hoped that Abby didn’t mind her staying for a bit, that maybe her sister’s mate would let her keep the room at the pack house.


At least for a little while until she figured out something better. She couldn’t raise three babies in that small room.


“Annie-”


“No, it’s okay. I understand.” She said, already feeling the tears start to form in her eyes as she turned away. She didn’t want to do this, to be near Candy and realize that this was it for them.


That she wouldn’t be holding her close, treating her like she mattered. She couldn’t do like she had with Beau, couldn’t be the other woman. The dirty little secret.


“Annie, I’m not-” She said, her voice trailing off with the whine of her wolf. “Annie, please wait.”


Her heels clicked on the pavement as she chased after her mate. She could smell the salt of her tears, tears she knew that her mate was trying to hold in.


Candy grabbed Annie’s forearm, careful to be gentle with her mate. Knowing that the emotional scars of her previous lover were being torn open. “Annie, please.”


“What do you want me to say?” She asked as she pulled her arm away, hating the way that even now. She wanted to throw herself into Candy’s arms, to let her take the pain away. If only for a minute.


“I don’t know, that you understand. Maybe that you like him too.”


Annie paused, tilting her head to the side. She didn’t really know what she was supposed to say. A part of her did like the man that she had met before. She even felt drawn to him. It wasn’t as strong as her attraction was to Candy, but it was there none the less.


Just the small flicker, one that she didn’t know if it would get stronger with time.


“I didn’t mean to hurt you, I, I, I can reject him.” Candy stuttered out, feeling a sharp painful stab in her chest as she spoke the words. Her wolf didn’t like it the idea as she whined louder in her head.


“You would do that?” Annie asked, her voice low as she looked at Candy. “You’d reject him for me?”


“Yes.” Candy whispered. The painful feeling intensified and she knew that she would, even if that thought alone made it feel like the air was sucked from her lungs.


Pausing for a moment to study Candy, Annie couldn’t help but notice the tense line of her jaw. The way her glassy eyes met hers as she tried to hold in her tears. She had made her survival on studying other peoples moods. Annie knew that Candy was being honest with her.


She knew that she couldn’t ask her mate to reject Stolas. Couldn’t put her through the pain that would come with that rejection.


“How would that work?” Annie asked as she dropped her arms to her side. She watched as Candy took a shaking breath before looking up at her.


“I’m not sure, but if your willing. I’d be willing. I don’t want to do anything without you, but being with you has me so on edge. In a good way, I’m afraid that I’ll claim you. Because that’s all I want.”


Annie’s heart fluttered in her chest, Candy wanted her. Wanted to claim her, “Why would it hurt me?”


Eyes flickered down to her swollen stomach.


“Oh. Oh, you mean like hurt the babies.”


“Yeah, I’ve heard with humans it can take a lot out of them. And I wouldn’t want to risk the babies. But every time we’re together,” She said as she stepped closer, her fingers brushing Annie’s hair away from the tender spot where her shoulder and her neck met. The spot where Annie would wear her claiming bite mark. “It gets harder to keep from making you mine.”