Heart : Animal Senses Series Book 1

Chapter 56

Devin stood there watching, procrastinating before explaining what Rayne needed to know. When the cabin door opened, he waited one heartbeat before turning to face her. Her face carried a hurt expression, and to know he was the reason it was there would be something he would never forget.

"Rayne..."

She shook her head. "I'm marked? What does that mean?" There was a note of anger in her voice.

"I didn't intend to do it. It happened before I could..."

"What happened?"

Letting out a deep breath, he grasped at how to tell her this in the easiest way possible. There was no easy way. "Last night, when we—the mark on your neck, it won't ever leave."

Her eyes widened and flew to his neck before she looked back to his eyes.

"Neither will mine." He took a deep breath. "We're mates. A mated pair—now."

Devin wasn't sure if the look was a scowl or something else. Either way it wasn't a good look.

"And you knew this before last night?"

He tried for the words to explain, but only was able to nod.

"Were you going to tell me?"

"Yes. Yes, I was going to tell you. I just wanted to give you time to adjust to everything else..." He was losing ground and knew it when she crossed her arms over her chest. "I was trying to stay away from you so it wouldn't happen." Devin thought he'd won a few inches when her face relaxed a small bit. She looked in the direction Calum had gone in.

"Who are you, Devin?" She motioned towards the men that had left. "Who are you to them? Why did those idiots of Aiden's almost drop to their knees when you told them your name?"

For one brief moment, he'd hoped she hadn't caught any of that. This part wasn't going to go as well, instinct told him. "My father is the King of the Alliance—the head of all the clans... all shifters."

She pursed her lips and was silent for too long. "So, you're a Prince then?"

He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut and nodded as a reply again.

"I see." Her eyes moved slowly over him. "And I'm your mate? Is that like a wife or something?"

Devin shrugged in a way he never thought he'd ever done. "Sort of, we do have actual weddings though as well..."

"You've made me a Princess of all the clans—without my knowledge?'

His mind flew through answers trying to find anything that would make it seem okay, he failed. "Yes."

"Is this—leadership an election sort of position or a monarchy?"

He realized suddenly, that she was far too intelligent for his own good. Glancing at the sky fleetingly, he looked for a storm and prayed lightening would strike him before he had to answer. "My family is the monarchy."

"I would someday be the queen?" Her voice squeaked and he winced.

There was only one more thing to tell her now. "If I take the place of my father."

"If? Do you have an older sibling?"

He shook his head and stood perfectly still as she paced a few feet away from him and then spun around and glared at him.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

Where was that lightening? "I would be leader of the Alliance and the alpha of the wolf clan."

"Oh, is that all? A King of two countries—more or less." She huffed out a breath and turned away from him and looked at the trees. "I ran away from endless lies and deceit and you're not any different than what I fled from."

Devin's heart was stuck in his throat, making breathing harder with each breath. "Rayne—I didn't expect..."

She spun and if he'd been a young cub he might have dropped to the ground to hide from the look she was giving him. "You didn't expect me. I understand that part. But you knew who you were and I'm pretty sure you knew we were mates long before I did." She looked down at the ground. "That I had a right to know."

Calum stepped out of the trees. He had stopped somewhere along the way and dressed. "They're gone." He said solemnly to neither in particular as he looked from one to the other.

Rayne cleared her throat. "Thank you."

She turned from him and looked back at Devin, the pain in her expression almost undid him.

"Devin, I'd like some time alone please."

He could feel Calum's stare boring into him, but didn't meet it. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg forgiveness, but knew enough by the way she held herself she was done listening to him for the day. "I'll be at the house."

He glanced briefly at Calum and knew he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. Turning, Devin started back along the path. With each step his legs trembled as he prayed he hadn't just lost her for good.