“Let’s not talk about this right now. She’s just my friend, okay?”
He shook his head, but he clearly agreed this wasn’t the best place for this conversation and turned his head forward as the priest walked on stage to begin the service.
After the service, the two of us walked home together. Luke turned to me again, “Blake, please be honest with me. Do you like Jasmine?”
“I like her as a friend,” I replied, trying to put emphasis on the wordfriend.
“I don’t know. It just seems like you might like her as more than that.”
I sighed, knowing I’d have to be more convincing. “Look, Luke, you’re practically a brother to me. I’m not going to go after your mate. Jasmine’s incredible and you’re really lucky to have her. I just care about her well-being, that’s all. Just be good to her, okay?”
He nodded, and his eyes glossed over. I could see he was lost in thought. I found myself once again wondering what he was thinking. Once we got back to the packhouse, he split from me and continued walking toward the clinic.
I walked inside, only to hear the doorbell ring minutes later. I answered it and came face-to-face with Lucy.
“Is Luke in?” she asked.
“No,” I replied, looking her up and down. She was very beautiful and had this confidence about her in the way she held herself, as if she were too big for this place. I could understand the attraction Luke had for her. He wasn’t always so sure of himself, and I could see how he’d be mesmerized by someone so poised and assertive.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
“What are you doing here?”
“I haven’t been feeling well, and I need to see Luke. I can wait for him.”
“Shouldn’t you be seeing a doctor in that case?”
“It’s nothing serious. I just need the support from the father of my baby.”
I stepped aside and she walked in, shoving past me. I watched as she went to climb the stairs to his room.
“Where are you going?” I shouted at her.
“Where do you think?” she replied.
I followed her up the stairs, annoyed. “Is Luke okay with you just going into his bedroom when he’s not home?”
“Why wouldn’t he be? I’ve been in there hundreds of times. I mean, we had to make this baby somehow.”
I couldn’t believe her audacity. “Luke has a mate.”
She suddenly narrowed her eyes at me, a sour expression on her face. “I had him first. The mate thing’s just a bump in the road between us. Believe me, Luke wants to be with me. He’s just too much of a coward to think for himself. He feels obligated to Jasmine because of this whole mate bond thing, but they’re not going to last long. She’s not right for him. Anyway, I’m carrying his baby.”
“Isn’t Jasmine your friend?”
“Shewasmy friend, past tense. Until she went behind my back and stole my boyfriend from me.”
“Are you serious? Jasmine and Luke are mated to each other.”
“I’m sick of hearing mate, mate, mate. What about what Luke and I want? Why does some invisible person get to decide our fate for us? Why does it mean that she’s better for him than I am?”
“Because that’s how it works, Lucy. If you take Luke away from Jasmine, she won’t have anyone. Why don’t you see that?”
“Is that really the end of the world? I mean, she could find someone else. Not too long ago, you were all over her yourself.”
I stared at her openmouthed, shocked at her selfishness.
After gathering my thoughts, I said, “But Jasmine doesn’t want someone else. She wants to be with the person she’s supposed to be with. It may not make sense to you, but she’s been raised very religiously, and her family has certain expectations of her. In fact, even leaving religion out of it, most people want to be with their mates. I have yet to meet someone that doesn’t. I’ve experienced the mate bond myself and I’m still in pain from losing it.”