mouth.
Finally, she found her words. “My mother used to say something to me.”
“Tell me.” He kissed her again, so gently.
“She liked to read.” Ali’s chest tightened again at the thought of her mother, and her soft voice and hands. She’d died almost ten years ago. “She was always reading, every chance she got. Old books, sometimes. So she would tell me about my name.”
“Alethia.” His voice caressed it, like it was something precious.
And it was. Ali had just thought it was broken, like everything else.
“It’s Greek. And she would tell me at night, before I went to sleep, Alethia means truth. And she would mean different things. If I was in trouble for something, she’d use it to remind me that I always needed to tell the truth. Sometimes,” Ali blinked a few times, “she’d just say, Alethia, you are my truth .”
“That’s a beautiful thing to say to your daughter.” Grey was watching her with a look in his eyes. Was that love? Was that what love looked like on someone’s face?
Ali brought herself back into the story. “So the truth has always been important to me. And I used to think that I was so good at finding it, that because I was named after it, I could always tell.
“So when my boyfriend lied to me, and I fell for it so hard— When I had built up this whole future for us in my head, and I thought we were going to be together forever, but it was all based on a lie …” Her voice broke.
She looked up at Grey, and met his eyes. They were a soft silver that seemed to go on forever.
“I sort of lost myself for a while. I started going by Ali , not Alethia , because I didn’t think I was worthy of calling myself the truth , after that. And I dated a lot.” She bit her lip. “A lot. I figured it didn’t matter, since it was all a lie anyway.”
Grey shook his head. “Alethia, I don't think there’s anything wrong with dating around. For men or for women. But I do believe that it should be something you do because it’s fun and exciting for you, not because you don’t care. Or don’t like yourself.”
Ali nodded. “I know. I figured that out after a while, but I already had a reputation. The last couple of years, I haven’t dated nearly as much, and I haven’t gone home with any guys in a long, long time. But all anyone remembers around here is how I used to be, and that’s all they’ll ever remember.”
“And then I came along, and made you think I was something different,” Grey finished. “But when I told you we were mates…”
“…I thought it was the same thing happening all over again.” Ali closed her eyes, remembering the surge of fury and hurt when Grey had said those words. “I’m so sorry I yelled at you like that.”
“I understand why you did it. You had no reason to think it might be real.”
“ Is it real?” she whispered. “Is it really real?”
Grey took her hand, kissed it, and then pressed it to his heart, clasping his own hand over the top of it. “Can you feel that?”
“Your heartbeat?” Ali frowned. She could feel the throbbing beat under her palm.
He shook his head. “No. Further in.”
Further in… Ali closed her eyes. Grey’s heartbeat pulsed against her hand, but beyond that, there was something else.
A spark.
A spark inside of Grey that met an answering spark inside of her.
She’d felt it, she realized, when they’d been making love. She recognized that sensation of joining, of their souls meeting at the same time as their bodies did. She’d been feeling her mate.
She blinked her eyes open and stared at Grey in disbelief. “It’s there. It’s real.”
“It is real,” he confirmed, and bent down to kiss her fiercely. “You’re my mate, Alethia,” he said when he pulled back. “And we are going to be together forever. And that is the truth.”
***
Grey was so angry it was hard for him to keep the growl in his chest from making itself known.
He wanted to hunt this boyfriend down and
Finally, she found her words. “My mother used to say something to me.”
“Tell me.” He kissed her again, so gently.
“She liked to read.” Ali’s chest tightened again at the thought of her mother, and her soft voice and hands. She’d died almost ten years ago. “She was always reading, every chance she got. Old books, sometimes. So she would tell me about my name.”
“Alethia.” His voice caressed it, like it was something precious.
And it was. Ali had just thought it was broken, like everything else.
“It’s Greek. And she would tell me at night, before I went to sleep, Alethia means truth. And she would mean different things. If I was in trouble for something, she’d use it to remind me that I always needed to tell the truth. Sometimes,” Ali blinked a few times, “she’d just say, Alethia, you are my truth .”
“That’s a beautiful thing to say to your daughter.” Grey was watching her with a look in his eyes. Was that love? Was that what love looked like on someone’s face?
Ali brought herself back into the story. “So the truth has always been important to me. And I used to think that I was so good at finding it, that because I was named after it, I could always tell.
“So when my boyfriend lied to me, and I fell for it so hard— When I had built up this whole future for us in my head, and I thought we were going to be together forever, but it was all based on a lie …” Her voice broke.
She looked up at Grey, and met his eyes. They were a soft silver that seemed to go on forever.
“I sort of lost myself for a while. I started going by Ali , not Alethia , because I didn’t think I was worthy of calling myself the truth , after that. And I dated a lot.” She bit her lip. “A lot. I figured it didn’t matter, since it was all a lie anyway.”
Grey shook his head. “Alethia, I don't think there’s anything wrong with dating around. For men or for women. But I do believe that it should be something you do because it’s fun and exciting for you, not because you don’t care. Or don’t like yourself.”
Ali nodded. “I know. I figured that out after a while, but I already had a reputation. The last couple of years, I haven’t dated nearly as much, and I haven’t gone home with any guys in a long, long time. But all anyone remembers around here is how I used to be, and that’s all they’ll ever remember.”
“And then I came along, and made you think I was something different,” Grey finished. “But when I told you we were mates…”
“…I thought it was the same thing happening all over again.” Ali closed her eyes, remembering the surge of fury and hurt when Grey had said those words. “I’m so sorry I yelled at you like that.”
“I understand why you did it. You had no reason to think it might be real.”
“ Is it real?” she whispered. “Is it really real?”
Grey took her hand, kissed it, and then pressed it to his heart, clasping his own hand over the top of it. “Can you feel that?”
“Your heartbeat?” Ali frowned. She could feel the throbbing beat under her palm.
He shook his head. “No. Further in.”
Further in… Ali closed her eyes. Grey’s heartbeat pulsed against her hand, but beyond that, there was something else.
A spark.
A spark inside of Grey that met an answering spark inside of her.
She’d felt it, she realized, when they’d been making love. She recognized that sensation of joining, of their souls meeting at the same time as their bodies did. She’d been feeling her mate.
She blinked her eyes open and stared at Grey in disbelief. “It’s there. It’s real.”
“It is real,” he confirmed, and bent down to kiss her fiercely. “You’re my mate, Alethia,” he said when he pulled back. “And we are going to be together forever. And that is the truth.”
***
Grey was so angry it was hard for him to keep the growl in his chest from making itself known.
He wanted to hunt this boyfriend down and
Similar Books
