The Mates of Monsters

I hang up and set my phone down. My finger taps the mouse pad of my sleeping laptop, and the screen lights, distracting me. The selected tab is my email. I refresh the page to see if anything new pops up, and to my surprise, an email responding to my own lines the top of the feed. An email from Jeremy. My body jolts into position as I quickly open the email, and my brows tense together in absolute concentration. The first thing I notice is that his response isn't too long, but then again, neither was my initial message. I begin reading as my chest thrums. Brigette,

There is so much I should have told you, yet I cowered out of fear that you would change my mind as you changed your own. If I scared you by my disappearance, then I apologize profusely. While you went to Germany to campaign, I feel as though I went for other reasons. I went because my mate is a part of the Dreier Pack, and before coming to Amin, I gave in to my own tendency to run off. Because you are who you are, I know there's no need to explain why I made that decision a year ago, but there is something I must tell you. No distance or distraction fills the constant emptiness I feel. We could run to the ends of the world, but nothing will save us from the mate bond. My own bond terrifies me, and for so long I have let that fear control every aspect of my life, but you stayed, and you seem to be happy, so I believed I could have that same happiness.

I came close, Brigette, but I ran again. Maybe one day I will be strong enough to trust and stay. Do not worry about me. I am safe and well as I hope you are also.

Your trusted advisor,

Jeremy

Before I can comprehend it all, I begin typing my response. My fingers move rapidly to keep up with my busy thoughts; the words come to me at once.

All I write is: Give him a chance. He may very well make you as happy as David has made me, but he can't do so unless you try. Open and be vulnerable, and if you don't find your happiness, at least you know you tried. You will always have a friend in me, Jeremy. I hope to hear from you soon.

Your lifelong friend,

Brigette

"Is everything alright?"

I look from the computer screen to the archway on my right where David monitors. "It's Jeremy. He sent me an email."

"Is he alright?"

My eyes revert to the screen. "Physically, he's okay. He's safe. But I don't know how he's really doing. He said his mate is at Dreier, and that he's been staying away, but I don't know where he is now or what he's going to do, so I told him to give him a chance." David asks, "To give his mate a chance?"

"A part of me still knows it's Alpha Dreier, but yes, his mate. I told him to try."

David nods and nears. He rests his hand on the back of my chair. "At least we know he's safe."

"I just want him to be happy."

"He'll get there, don't worry. Who knows, maybe he'll take your advice and return to Germany."

"I said that I hope to hear from him soon," I explain, tilting my chin and lifting my gaze. "Hopefully he stays in contact."

"He replied to your first email, right? I think that's a pretty good sign he will, but you might have to be patient."

I glide the mouse over the send

button and hit it. The email is then whisked off to wherever Jeremy is hiding out, and I shut my laptop. T can wait. I mean, I'm already waiting on Maybe Baby, so what's one more thing?"

"Maybe Baby," David repeats. "I think you've made that name a habit."

"I know, I know. It's just so catchy that it implanted into my head, but Baby definitely isn't a maybe anymore. If we knew the gender, then we could pick a name and I could call it that instead." "But you want it to be a surprise."

I sigh. "I don't know what I want anymore. What if the green looks like throw up or-or pond water?"

David steps back as I stand. "Then we'll paint over it."novelbin

"We can't keep painting the walls because I don't like the color. Eventually the room will shrink right up because of all the layered paint and the baby won't have enough room to crawl, or play, or sleep."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Come on, let's go upstairs Have another look, and if you pick a few colors, we can paint tester strips to make sure the walls don't ook like pond water." en

"Okay," I say, "I can do that, but you'll look at the colors too? I want to know which ones you like."

"I'll pick some colors," David assures me as we leave the dining room.

"The color scheme also has to work on a blanket, so keep that in mind." Trailing behind me, he says, "How could I forget?"