BOUND TO MY MATE

CHAPTER 34

"Perfect is not a word that belongs in the English vocabulary. Not one single soul can truly say they have all the desired elements and qualities that would make it so. I would never want someone to tell me how perfect I am, but I would desire them to tell me how imperfect I could be." (Drena Payne)

I couldn't help but stare open-mouthed at Cal. Why did he have to say things like that to me? What was the purpose? Did I need to make that crystal clear to him? He knew I wouldn't give Elijah up for anything in this world. But then again, I continued to entertain his affections for me. Deep down, I wanted him to continue to tell me how much he wanted me. I would never admit it, though.

"I wish you would stop saying things like that." I sighed while my shoulders caved inwards. The guilt washed over me, crashing into my soul like water from a broken dam.

He brushed a strand of hair behind my hair. "Do my words make you uncomfortable? Is it that you want me as bad as I want you?" I nodded my head slightly. "I'm glad you're uncomfortable, sweetheart. It means that those walls you willingly put up will soon come crumbling down, and in the end, there will be no wanting me or me wanting you, as you will be mine."

He could be right, I thought. The more he expressed how much he wanted me, my resolve broke. But I wouldn't do that to Elijah. He deserved better than that. He earned for me to give him every ounce of loyalty I had. I just needed to be resilient. Temptation is a motherfucker, and Cal tempted me like the devil seducing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.

"Aren't you worried you're setting yourself up for failure?" I wondered.

"Failure? No, of course not." He laughed, "I would only consider failure an option if you didn't want me. Have you forgotten I am a wolf? I can smell your arousal and not to mention the way your heart flutters when I get close to you." He leaned back on the bench.

Again, he wasn't wrong.

"Just because my body may want you doesn't mean I will act on it." My lips puckered into a pout. "You told me I only wanted Elijah because of the mate bond. Did it ever occur to you that you feel so strongly about me because I'm the only one, other than you, that a God has kissed?" I turned to face him, "If we didn't share that common thread, would you still want to be with me?"

His eyes looked more considerate as he evaluated me before responding. He crossed his legs before grabbing my hand, holding it as if it would break from the slightest pressure.

" Helena, I would want you even if you were the idiot missing from the village." He smiled at his joke. "The fact that you and I are connected in that way is a fraction of why I am attracted to you." He stroked my hand, "I remember when you were about eight years old, and you and your mother were in a store. One of those mom-and-pop corner stores with no security camera." He chuckled. " And you accidentally walked out with a candy bar, but you didn't realize it until you both were on the road. You practically begged your mom to turn around so you could give it back. You were so afraid that you would go to Hell. So afraid that you did something wrong and couldn't fix it. You had a strong sense of right and wrong even as a child."

My dumbfounded expression made him laugh harder. I remembered that day clearly as a bell. I cried until my mom finally turned the car around, allowing me to return and return what I had taken.

He continued with a melancholy voice. "I also remember when you were in third grade, and it was Valentine's Day. One kid didn't get any treats or cards in the box that he made. You saw how sad he was, so you made him a card that said, 'You're the sweetest candy in the box and taped a carton of Sweet Tarts. Your tenderness and warmth at that moment made me desire your heart. I thought, 'How nice would it be if she cared for me like that?'." He said as he turned his head away from me.