The Wolf Prince's Fated Heart - Page 77
“I need to be the one to talk to Tim,” Cassie replies. “I want him to look me in the eye and tell me what he did.”
“I don’t like the idea of this,” I say, and run my hand through my hair.
“You don’t need to like it,” she replies. “I’m doing it either way.”
I sigh and nod.
“How do you feel? Are you in pain?” I ask, glancing at her body. She’s wearing one of my old shirts that falls to her knees.
“It’s still a bit sore,” she admits. “I’ll be better after a shower.”
“Do you need help getting to the bathroom?” I ask, already jumping up to carry her.
“I need you to stop hovering,” she says firmly. “You’re suffocating me.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I don’t mean to overwhelm you. I just…I feel guilty and responsible. For all of it.”
“If we are to move on from that, you’ll need to face it too,” she tells me.
She’s right, my wolf says weakly. We both feel bad about what happened.
“I’ll work on it,” I promise. “How about I grab the clothes Helia dropped off?”
“What clothes?”
“Your clothes,” I explain and then give her an apologetic smile. “I sort of told her where you live and asked if she could pack a bag for you.”
She gasps. “She broke into my place?”
“Not at all,” I reply with a casual wave. “I found a key in your purse.”
“You went through my purse?” Cassie asks through gritted teeth.
Stop talking, my wolf mutters, but it’s too late. I’ve already dug my hole.
“I wanted you to have your own stuff when you woke up,” I reply as calmly as I can. It’s getting harder and harder to keep my cool around her. “Would you prefer to waste time and stop by your place before going to talk to Tim?”
“No,” Cassie says, an edge to her tone. “I’ll take that shower now.”
“I’ll grab the clothes for you,” I offer. “Do you want something to eat?”
“I couldn’t,” she says. “Not before talking to Tim.”
“I’m making you a healthy snack anyway,” I inform her.
Her eyes narrow as she scrutinizes me, trying to figure out if I’m mocking her. When I keep a straight face, she sighs and relents.
“Sure,” she replies. “Maybe something with protein.”
“I can do that,” I say.
A weight has been lifted off my shoulders with her agreement.
Cassie is strong-willed, that much is clear, but I can see that it tires her.
She’s had to deal with so much in such a short amount of time. How much mental and emotional space has she taken up to fit me and the wolves and the notion of the fated-mate bond? My guilt will swallow me if she rejects me.
When I want to show her how caring and loving I can be, I end up smothering her. If I try to give her space, I seem distant and cold. What the fuck should I do?