Catching Kate (Book 2.5 She-Wolf Series)

Kate

I heard my parents talking in the kitchen as I stepped inside, but they abruptly stopped when I closed the door.

I took a deep breath before making my way to them. Both looked at me expectantly when I stepped up to the kitchen island where they were pouring three glasses of wine.

For a moment, none of us spoke. My mom’s eyes scanned over me and I saw her take stock of each of my injuries. Dad stood still, clearly fighting a war with his emotions.

I planned to lay out the facts clinically. I didn’t want them to see me as overly emotional or upset about what I’d been through. Standing before them now, I didn’t know what to say or even how to begin.

“I’m so sorry,” I finally broke the silence.

Whatever force seemed to be holding them, fell away. My mom wrapped me in a tight hug with a sob and my dad held the two of us. I fought the lump in my throat as their love surrounded me.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for,” my dad said. His voice was soft but I sensed the pain in his tone.

“I didn’t know how to tell you guys,” I admitted. “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

My mom pulled back and held my face in her hands.

“Katie Bug, we are always proud of you,” she promised. “I’m so glad you found your way home.”

I nodded and blinked back tears.

“I’m sure you want an explanation,” I said.

My dad shook his head. “Only if you want to give one, Kate. It doesn’t matter. What matters now is getting through this next phase and keeping you safe. We are here in whatever way you need.”

I collapsed into my parents and cried. They had always been so supportive and loving. Thomas told me they would be ashamed of me and our affair. In their embrace, I couldn’t believe I let him convince me that was true.

After collecting myself, I gave my parents one last squeeze before turning to the glasses on the counter.

“Please tell me one of those is for me,” I said.

“You bet,” my mom smiled. “I thought we could sit out by the fire pit on the deck.”

“That sounds great,” I agreed.

We grabbed blankets and spent the evening reminiscing. It had been a long time since I’d had the chance to spend so much one on one with them. Since moving to Chicago, I only visited for brief trips and usually Luke and Kate joined us. Even now that I moved to pack territory, my time was mostly dedicated to establishing a new career and wrangling Luke.

As the sun set, my father announced he would be heading to bed and wished us a good night. My mom teased him for his early bedtime, but he just smiled and kissed her lovingly.

With most people, my dad was pretty reserved. Not with Mom, though. It was clear as day how he felt about her.

I sighed, thinking about my own fated mate. I wondered what he was doing and found myself missing his comfort.

“Being loved by a werewolf is a different sort of beast,” my mom said thoughtfully as she watched my dad push open the door to their guest house.

“What do you mean?” I asked, sipping my wine.

She smirked and looked at me from the corner of her eye.

“You know what I mean, Kate,” she said, wryly. “They are a little more… intense.”

“I’ll be honest, Mom,” I told her. “After what I’ve been through the last few years, things with Emerick don’t seem all that intense.”

My mom’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Kate. I didn’t mean -“

“No it’s okay,” I assured her. “I just meant what I was putting myself through before was extremely stressful and felt so extreme because of constantly being on guard. Things with Emerick are different. I agree that werewolves love more passionately than most people.”

“They do,” she said and stared out at the woods. “I’m not sure if it’s because they know choosing a mate is for life or if it’s a natural instinct. Being a human among wolves is definitely a humbling experience.”

I snorted. “You can say that again. Are they all so…. I don’t know… fierce?”

Mom laughed. “When they have to be. There’s definitely a more than human quality about most of the ones I’ve met. A part of them is driven by an animal instinct we don’t have.”

“That’s a good way to put it,” I agreed. We sat quietly for a moment before I finally asked the question I had been pondering for weeks. “Hey, Mom? What’s it like to be mated?”

She gave me a small smile. “You’re dad and I aren’t fated mates, but for me it was like finding the other part of my heart. The moment our bond was sealed, I felt like I found a piece of myself I didn’t know was missing. It’s a very profound and tangible connection.”

“Do ever feel overwhelmed?” I asked. “I know you love Dad, but do you ever want space or privacy?”

“No, I don’t,” she shrugged. “When mates are apart, they feel drawn to each other. It’s very difficult to stay away without missing them deeply.”

I nodded and stared up at the stars, lost in thought.

“Kate, I’m not going to tell you I think you should mate him,” she continued. “The timing certainly could be better as I’m sure there’s a lot you’re working through. That being said, I have no doubt that Emerick would be an exceptional husband to you.”

“He would be,” I agreed without hesitation. “I don’t deserve him.”

“What makes you say that?” She asked, genuinely surprised.

I lowered my gaze and watched the reflection of the flames in my glass.

“I carried on a relationship with a married man, Mom. I knew he had a wife and children at home, and I did whatever I thought I could to convince him to choose me over them for years. There’s no way I deserve to spend the rest of my life with a man like Emerick.”

My mom frowned. “Katie Bug, you’re dad and I meant it when we told you that you shouldn’t feel like you have to tell us everything, but you should know there is nothing that you could say about your relationship with that piece of shit that would make me think any of it is your fault. He was a grown, married man who took advantage of a young woman who relied on him to earn a living. He manipulated you into believing you didn’t deserve any better. You deserve the world.”

I stayed quiet and considered my mom’s words. I had read the books. I knew an abuser sought to isolate and control their victim. What Thomas did was textbook, but that didn’t mean I felt any less worthless. Hearing from my mom that she accepted my choices without conditions, lifted some of the guilt in a way I didn’t expect.

“Katie, do you really think you deserve a life sentence for your mistake?” she asked, staring at me with a furrowed brow.

The truth was, I did. I felt completely unworthy of my own happy ending because of my actions. Hearing my mom voice the question gave me pause. It sounded almost ridiculous.

”I guess I don’t know,” I managed.

My mom nodded slowly. “You are going to have to find a way to live with your past. With that being said, I think it’s going to take you a long time to recover from this.”

“I know,” I told her. “I’m still trying to find my way back to normal.”

Mom chuckled. “If you want to call being a part of a werewolf pack ‘normal’.”

“That’s true,” I laughed with her. “Maybe I just like living on the edge.”

“Hmm,” my mom murmured and looked at my thoughtfully. “Do you know how you want to move forward? What does the rest of your life look like?”

“Yikes, that’s heavy,” I sighed. “I guess I hadn’t really thought past closing the door on Chicago and starting back up here. I’m still trying to find my footing with the pack’s legal team and being there for Luke, obviously.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “And in a couple years when Luke no longer needs as much guidance and you’re established among the pack?”

I stared into the dark night. With my human senses, I could barely make out the shadows of the trees in the distance.

“I still need to figure out how to get Thomas to leave me alone for good,” I said, quietly.

“Okay,” she nodded. “So we wrap that up and you just get the chance to be free and happy. What does that look like for you?”

Normally, I would give her a snippy response about buying a yacht and hiring a hot pool boy, but the question was one I knew I needed to genuinely reflect on for myself. I was in survival mode for so long that I wasn’t sure I knew what I actually wanted.

“I don’t know,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“Well, I look forward to walking alongside you to figure it out,” she said and reached out to squeeze my hand.

“I love you, Mom,” I told her.

“I love you too, Katie Bug.”