Leif walked straight to Miles. He placed the infant in his arms. “Say hello to your grandson. We’re calling him Cole.”
Miles looked down at the newborn’s face. Cole had his eyes open and looked up at him. Miles’s heart melted. He pulled the blanket aside and touched the tiny hand with the tip of his finger. The baby gripped it. Miles instantly fell in love. He now had a third person he’d do anything to protect.
“She wants to see you,” Leif said.
“How do you feel about that?”
“I’m not happy about it, but I would never try to keep you two apart. Even though I don’t trust you, you’re still my mate’s father.”
Miles kissed the baby’s forehead before he passed Cole to Leif. “Tell Jaden I can’t right now. I need some time to come to terms with what she did.”
“You really are a cold-hearted bastard,” Leif snarled in a quiet tone. “So she lied to you about her being the foretold one. She wouldn’t have if you hadn’t taken me captive, beaten the shit out of me, and threatened to kill me if we didn’t hand the foretold one over to you. It was Jaden’s idea to take on that role. Once Saskia realized what Jaden was to you, Jaden volunteered. Not once did she think she would be playing that part for months to come. None of us expected you to try to redeem yourself. And if it weren’t for Jaden, you would be kept on the outside even today. She wanted you in her life.”
Miles brushed past Leif and headed for the entrance to the living room. He was fighting an internal battle as the good and bad inside him vied for dominance. It would be so much easier to let the bad win and walk away, slip back into his old ways. Being good took a lot more work.
“Where are you going?” Saskia called.
He slowed his steps. “Outside to the backyard. I need to be alone for a while.”
“Don’t go too far. Remember you’re mated now.”
Miles walked out of the room. He hadn’t forgotten about Kareena. It was best that he put as much space as the mating bond would allow between them for now.
After Miles left the room, Jager asked, “Should I go watch him?”
Saskia shook her head. “Leave him be for now. Miles isn’t going anywhere as long as Kareena is here.”
“I’m going back up to Jaden,” Leif said. “I’m not going to relish telling her that her father doesn’t want to see her.” He left, cuddling his newborn son close.
Kareena still was a little lost as to what was going on. All she knew was that Jaden had pretended to be this foretold one to stop Miles from killing Leif. Miles had told her he’d done some pretty bad things in his past, but she hadn’t realized he’d been capable of murdering someone to get something he wanted. The idea sent a chill through her and sent home that she really didn’t know him. If he ever went back to being that type of person, she couldn’t stay mated to him. Somehow she’d have to find a way out.
She lifted her head and found everyone in the room watching her. She looked at each couple—Saskia and Eli, Jager and Daylen, Roan and Ansley. Kareena could see pity in their eyes.
After swallowing, Kareena said, “All right. Give it to me straight. Don’t hold anything back. Tell me what is going on between all of you and Miles. I might as well have this all out on the table today. A few hours ago, I found out werewolves exist and that I’m a mate to one. Now this.”
Saskia sighed. “You have no idea how I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but you do need to understand since you’re Miles’s mate. My grandmother had the sight and foresaw that a werewolf would be born who would have more magic than the rest of us.
This werewolf would rule over all the packs, and a special mark on his or her left wrist would proclaim him or her as the foretold one. My grandmother saw that this special werewolf would need protection so she formed the Protectors. Originally it was me, Roan, Jager, Skylar, Leif, Kye, Dirk, and Miles. Hundreds of years ago, Miles decided he’d rather find the foretold one himself, keep this werewolf under his control, and rule the packs through him or her. I’m not going to sugarcoat it; he turned bad. And I’m not going to list all the things he did, but killing was acceptable to him.”
“Then he found out about Jaden,” Kareena added.
“Yes, then he found out he had a daughter. We had no idea who she was, and neither did she since she’d never met her father. When she was turned into a werewolf, her scent changed, and that was enough for me to realize who she was.”
Kareena interrupted. “Wait a minute. Miles told me a mortal can’t be turned, that to be a werewolf you have to be born one.”
“Well, before we found the true foretold one, that was true. Roxie, the foretold one, learned of a spell that turned her. Now it only works if she’s the one using it. She turned Eli, Daylen, and Ansley.”
“What about me?”
“We planned to tell Miles that Roxie had the spell and nothing else. We’d hoped he’d accept she just had a little something extra when it came to magic. Our grandmother did since she had the sight, as do I.”
“So I don’t have to worry about growing old and dying and leaving him behind?”
Saskia smiled. “No. Roxie already said she’d turn you, if that’s what you want.” She looked Kareena right in the eyes. “I can’t tell you to do it, but I strongly urge you to.
Miles loves you. Having a mate can be life changing. I think you’re the only one who’ll be able to keep him from going to the dark side again. Do you love my brother?”
Kareena didn’t even think about it. “Yes, but if he goes back to being bad, I can’t be with him.” A sudden feeling that something had happened to Miles swept through her.
She ignored it as Saskia spoke once more.
“I’m hoping the mating bond will stop that from ever happening. It’s instinct for a male werewolf to protect his mate. If he goes to the dark side, he’ll be putting you in jeopardy.”
“Then I’ll become a werewolf.” Kareena’s brows drew together. Talking about Miles made her feel as if she hadn’t seen him in a very long time. She felt as if she should get up and go look for him. She needed to be with him. The sensation was so strong she shifted on the couch.
Saskia eyed her. “Is something wrong, Kareena?”
“I don’t know. All of a sudden, I have this need to be with Miles. I feel as if something bad has happened to him. I miss him.”
“Shit, he wouldn’t have,” Jager said.
“He must have,” Saskia replied. “Roan, go see if Miles is still out back.”
Roan left the room in a run. All the people in the room turned their gazes to Kareena.
The stares of pity they’d given her earlier were now replaced with concern.
“What’s the matter?” Kareena asked.
“Did Miles tell you what happens when mates are separated for long periods of time?
About the separation anxiety that happens with it?”
“Yes. He told me we won’t be able to stand to be apart.”
“Well, what you’re feeling is the separation anxiety. It looks as if my idiot brother is no longer in the backyard. Roan has just gone to confirm that, but from what you’re feeling, I know he isn’t there.”
The thought of Miles leaving her behind had Kareena feeling a tad on the desperate side. He wouldn’t have dumped her, would he? They were mated. He’d told her he loved her. Would this be her ex-fiancé all over again? Only this time it would be much, much worse.
Roan came back into the room. “He’s not out back, but his car is still parked at the front of the house. So he didn’t leave the property.”
“He’s probably gone to the very back of it,” Eli said. “It’s far enough to have both of them feeling it.”