Chapter 0484

Zachary

"You can't speak to me that way!" Jasmine shrieks at me, her voice grating on my nerves. I was completely fed up with her theatrics. She hadn't allowed me a single moment to explain myself. It was obvious she only cared about her own feelings.

"What exactly do you want from me?" I demand.

Her eyes widen in apparent shock at my direct question. "We're mates! You could try acting like it," she snaps back.

"I've already told you I need time to process everything. What part of that isn't clear?" My irritation bleeds into every word.

"I expected you to have enough respect to avoid other women!"

I let out a harsh laugh. "You're letting jealousy consume you. Look around—this pack has countless Wolves and Lycans. Will you cause a scene every time I speak to another female? What if I'm helping Evelyn or my closest friend? Will you call them bitches too?"

"Your best friend is a woman?" she scoffs.

"Absolutely." I hold her gaze without flinching. "And I'm curious how you'll react when you learn I have a child."

Her jaw drops, confusion replacing her anger. "From your first mate?"

"No." I consider explaining further, but her temper is already flaring. She'd gone from zero to furious just smelling Evelyn on me.

She frowns and takes a step back, raising her hands defensively. "I can't... I can't handle this."

"That's what happens when you jump to conclusions. You know nothing about me, yet you've already decided how I should behave."

"I..." Her golden eyes dart around nervously.

"Daddy!" Charlotte comes sprinting across the lawn toward me, her backpack bouncing with each step. Sebastian waves to confirm I've seen them.

Charlotte launches herself into my arms, wrapping herself around me tightly. She'd been staying with Athena and Sebastian for several days, and seeing her again filled me with relief.

"Jasmine, this is Charlotte."

"Your daughter?" she stammers.

"Yes."

Charlotte holds up two fingers proudly. "Two dads!" she announces. Though she spends significantly more time with me than Luc.

Jasmine attempts a smile at Charlotte, but my daughter doesn't return it. Instead, she stares intently at Jasmine, and I know she's reading her energy.

"Why is she staring at me like that?" Jasmine demands.

The skin between Charlotte's eyebrows wrinkles in concern. "I want to go inside," she murmurs.

"There's someone inside."

"Okay." Charlotte smiles slightly. "She won't hurt me! Promise."

I set her down, surprised she's more wary of the Wolf before us than the Lycan inside. She gives Jasmine one final look before slipping past me.

"What was that about?" Jasmine asks.

"She's an excellent judge of character."

"She doesn't like me, does she? She barely spoke to me! You're going to trust a child's judgment?"

"Don't like when the tables are turned?" I challenge.

"That's not what I meant."

"Isn't it? You've done the same to me. The difference is, my daughter can see your soul. There's no hiding from that—that's why she didn't need to speak to you."

I turn toward the house, done with this conversation.

"You're just walking away?" Jasmine asks.

I glance over my shoulder. "Yes. Or would you prefer I reject you right now? Because that's becoming increasingly likely."

"I thought you wanted time to think?"

"I did. But you're making it impossible to consider any positive aspects of being mated to you."

"..." She avoids my gaze, her eyes settling on the ground at my feet.

She walks away as I enter the house. An ache forms in my chest. She was supposed to be mine, yet I can't imagine building a life with someone like her.

Walking through the kitchen to the lounge, I find Charlotte already on her stomach, doodling on paper. Evelyn sits on the sofa wearing one of my black tees knotted at her hip and a pair of my shorts. The drawstring is pulled so tight it hangs past the shorts' hem.

"I'm sorry," Evelyn murmurs as I take a seat. "I didn't mean to cause trouble. I can find another place to stay."

"This was entirely her doing. You have nothing to apologize for." She studies me with her grey eyes and nods. "Charlotte, what did you see when you looked at Jasmine?"