Carol's Mate Read Online Free PDF Page A

time her parents had seen it. It was set on a half acre of land with lots of trees for privacy.
    “This is beautiful. You two have done well for yourselves. I still wish you would have let Tom and I help you,” Mona said as they reentered the kitchen.
    “You‟ve done so much for me already. This was something Mark and I needed to do for ourselves,” Carol explained.
    Mona shook her head, causing her hair to swing into her face. “So stubborn, just like your brother, Alex.”
    Carol winced. “Never say those words.”
    “Which words?”
    “That Alex and I are alike.”
    Mona laughed. “Of course you are. Why do you think you two fought so much when you were younger?”
    “Jealousy on my part because he still had his parents and I didn‟t, and resentment on his because he was no longer the only child?” Mona turned serious. “Maybe in the beginning, there was a little of that while you two adjusted to each other. Later I believe it was because you‟re such a fiercely independent little thing and Alex is extremely protective of those he cares about. He wanted to wrap you in cotton, and you wouldn‟t let him. Wouldn‟t let any of us. It used to bother me the way you held yourself apart from the family. I understood, but it was hard not to push for you to let us in. I thought maybe if we adopted you by human standards, it would give you a sense of security.” Carol turned to the smaller woman. “One thing I never doubted was your love for me. I could see it, sense it, smell it. If I feared being turned away, I wouldn‟t have acted out nearly as bad. You and To—I‟m mean Dad—were patient but firm with me, treating me the same as you did Alex. Looking back, I can see I was angry 24
    Zena Wynn
    my home had been torn from me and my family lost, instead of being grateful that there was someone as wonderful as you waiting in the wings to pick up the pieces.” Mona shook her head. “You hurt in a way that you didn‟t know how to deal with. Grief counseling would have helped. Unfortunately as shifters, we couldn‟t take the risk. There wasn‟t anyone trained that we trusted enough with your safety.”
    Carol pondered Mona‟s words as she took the party platters out of the fridge and handed them to Mona to set up. She was right. She‟d been hurt and angry, but so had her wolf. Any counselor she‟d seen would have had to be capable of handling both.
    Losing her parents had been bad enough, but it was the manner in which she lost them that had caused her the most heartache. By pack standards, Carol was just as much the alphas‟ child as Alex, but until she‟d become pregnant, it was something she had never wanted to acknowledge. Being the kindhearted people that the Wolfes were, they‟d never pushed the issue, though it had to have hurt.
    They worked together in silence, having done this many, many times when Mona and Tom were still in their position as alphas of the Raven pack before turning control over to Alex and her. When finished, they settled at the breakfast table with cups of hot chocolate.
    “How‟s the pregnancy coming?”
    Carol smiled. “So far so good. A bit of nausea from time to time, but that‟s to be expected. Otherwise I feel great.”
    “That takes care of the physical. What about mentally? Any concerns?”
    “No, it‟s all been great,” she cheerfully replied.
    Mona pinned Carol with a look she remembered vividly from childhood. As the silence grew, Carol fought not to squirm. In the end, she did what she‟d always done: cracked under the pressure. “Okay, I‟m a little nervous. As a medical professional, I know what happened to Momma was a fluke, but the woman in me…”
    True Mates: Carol’s Mate
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    Mona wiped her hands on a paper towel and then cupped Carol‟s face. “Things are different now. When your mom started having complications, there was only the pack‟s midwife and Tom to handle things. Unfortunately Tom had the knowledge but not the equipment to handle