Chapter 53
“Why are you asking?” Gavin countered, narrowing his eyes at her.
Irene pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling gently as she considered how to answer.
Truthfully, she wasn’t sure why she wanted to know. Maybe she just needed proof that the mate bond didn’t control everything. She and Ethan weren’t fated mates, but if either of them ever found their destined partners, would they still want to be together? Or would they be forced to choose their mates instead?
The thought terrified her. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t afraid of Ethan finding his mate one day and leaving her.
She wanted to know if the mate bond could be fought. If someone as strong and powerful as Gavin Landry couldn’t resist it, what hope did the rest of them have?
“I guess I’m just trying to understand how the mate bond works,” she murmured, tugging at her fingers nervously.
Gavin exhaled, leaning back against the couch.
“The bond is strong,” he admitted. “Probably the strangest thing you’ll ever experience. You think you’re in control, but you’re not. Your wolves take over. They make it impossible to stay away. But there’s also a part of you—the human part—that doesn’t want to stay away either. You start craving them so intensely it’s almost painful. Fighting it would only make you and your wolf miserable.”
“Did you try to fight it?” she asked.
“I was young,” he murmured. “I didn’t understand the feeling or the bond. It was all very confusing. I think, at first, I did try to fight it. But your mother had a way of bringing me out of my shell. Then she gave me the greatest gift I could have ever received.”
“What’s that?”
Gavin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a rare embrace.
“You,” he answered.
A smile tugged at her lips as she peered up at him.
“So, you did love her,” she said softly. It wasn’t a question this time, but Gavin still answered anyway.
He nodded, a quiet smile on his lips.
“Yes,” he said. “When she died, it was… difficult.”
“Is that why you don’t date?”
Gavin raised a brow at her.
“I date.”
“You don’t date seriously,” she countered. “It’s always one-night stands. Never anything real.”
He sighed.
“I don’t have time to date,” he told her. “I have a pack to run, responsibilities to fulfill, and children to care for.”
“I’m not a child anymore, Dad,” she reminded him, nudging his arm playfully. “And Matt doesn’t need you around all the time. We both want you to be happy—even if it means dating someone younger.”
She bit her lip, hinting. And Gavin caught it.
His eyes flickered with curiosity.
“Someone younger?”
She shrugged.
“We just want you to be happy… with whoever you choose,” she said. “We don’t want you to be lonely.”
Gavin studied her for a moment.
“You’ve thought a lot about this, huh?”
Irene bit back a smile but didn’t deny it.
“I’m going to bed,” she said, pushing to her feet. “I’m guessing Ethan won’t call tonight.”
He could hear the quiet ache in her voice.
“Good night, Dad. Thanks for the talk.”
Gavin didn’t respond—just gave her a small nod and watched as she left the room.
His thoughts drifted back to Judy.
He knew how powerful the mate bond was—how difficult it was to break. And Judy had to live with the fact that her fated mate was marrying another woman. There was nothing she could do about it.
Was she strong enough to survive that kind of pain?
“Is there anything you need before I call it a night?” one of the maids asked, stepping into the room.
Gavin sighed, standing to his feet.
“No, you’re dismissed,” he said, already walking past her.
“I quite liked Miss Montague,” the maid added before he could leave. “She’s a good fit for the house, don’t you think?”
Gavin hesitated.
He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he chose not to.
Without another word, he walked out of the living room, not sparing her another glance.
