“Excuse me?”
“Dude, just sit down.” I press my hand to his shoulder and gently push him in the direction of the chair. Cage seems shocked, or maybe just surprised, but he moves just the same, and he sits down in the chair.
For just a moment, I tower over him. For this one moment, I’m the one in power, but it doesn’t feel as good as I thought it would. Instead, I mostly feel sad, and a little bit anxious. This is it. This is the moment.
“After you left, my life changed,” I finally tell him gently.
“Alicia, I can explain.”
I hold a finger up, silencing him. I’m sure he’ll tell me where he went, and why he didn’t say goodbye, and I’m sure he’ll answer all of the burning questions I’ve had for so long, but right now, I just need to spit this out, and I can’t do it if he keeps talking.
“You’ll get a turn,” I tell him quietly.
I look at him, long and hard. He’s different than I remember. I thought he’d be harder, sadder, but he’s not. If anything, it looks like life has been kind to him. He’s got a nice haircut and his skin looks soft. He’s been taking care of himself. For just a moment, I wonder if he’s married, or if he has someone special in his life, but I push those thoughts away.
I don’t need to know.
That’s not my business.
“My life changed,” I continue, “because I found out that I was pregnant.”
He’s silent, but stares at me. Instantly, I can feel the tension radiating off of him. I’m not a shifter, but I am a human, and I’m smart enough to know when someone is having a hard time. This information? It’s not exactly hitting him easily.
“What are you saying?” He whispers.
“I was a virgin, Cage.”
I’ve never told him this.
I never would have, either.
“What?”
“I was a virgin. You were the only person I ever slept with, and after you left, I found out that I was pregnant with your baby.”
“With my...”
He pales. He doesn’t look scared, angry, or sad. He just looks shocked, and I realize that this was the last thing he expected to hear from me.
“I went to your mom because I thought she had a right to know, and I’m glad that I did because I had no idea you were a shifter, Cage. You never told me.”
I try my best to keep the accusation out of my voice, but oh, it’s hard.
He should have told me.
He definitely should have trusted me.
&nb
sp; As soon as the word “shifter” is out of my mouth, reality seems to hit him.
Hard.
Cage stands up, walks to my front door, and leaves. He doesn’t close the door behind him. He doesn’t take off his clothes. He doesn’t say a word at all. I move swiftly to look outside, to call him back, but I’m too late. I watch helplessly from the front door as he walks out into the snow wearing his damn socks, and Cage shifts into his bear.
He changes, tearing his clothes, and before I can even take a moment to admire his true beauty, he’s gone.
Again.