Diane nodded, unsure of what to say. Really, there was nothing she could say. Zane’s mate was one more thing to add to her list of things she didn’t know.
“A fully integrated male shifter is taught to protect, to accept the animal instinct that has him placing himself in front of others in times of immediate danger,” Orsai said.
She flashed back to Reno shifting into a tiger and the way Zane had stepped in front of her. Had it just been instinct? Was she no more to him than anyone else was? Is that what Orsai was trying to tell her? She glanced at Orsai, who was watching her with that piercing gaze, making her feel as if he knew so much more than he spoke of. Could he tell how much she craved to be Zane’s mate? The thought had her cheeks flushing from embarrassment.
“Do you understand exactly what it means to claim a mate?” Orsai questioned softly.
“What do you mean?”
“Have you really talked to Abby, Amia or Clara about the emotional aspect, the physical ties that exist and bind mates?”
“I…” She shook her head. “I can see the bond they share. We all can.”
“Ahh, but until you have felt such a bond, you can’t truly know. A male such as Zane understands that to claim you is to bind you to his side forever, in this life and any other. Your very thoughts become his, as his do yours. You will feel him inside, here.” He touched his heart. “Even when he is not beside you. You will crave him like nothing you’ve ever known, and once he tastes you, once his teeth mark the pale skin of your shoulder, there will be no going back for either of you. He knows exactly what it will cost you to become his mate. That is why he would choose to protect that woman further by protecting her from himself.” His eyes, so eerily similar to Zane’s, met hers. “Until he absolutely couldn’t.”
Diane slowly let out the breath she hadn’t realize she’d been holding. “Do you think I’m Zane’s mate?”
“I can only pray you are,” Orsai informed her. “Because without a mate to call him back, I’m afraid we’ll lose him forever to the animal inside.”
“What does that mean?” she demanded.
“It means Zane will be gone. Forever.” With those cryptic words, Orsai left Diane alone.
She’d already realized Zane could be lost to them. It was all she could think about. Did that mean Orsai believed she was or just wished that she was but knew she wasn’t? Diane was ready to scream with frustration.
“Zane.” She moaned his name out loud. “Where are you? Please be okay.” She blinked back tears then whispered softly the question that plagued her most. “Am I your mate?”
* * * *
The panther hissed then let out a loud growl. It was aggravated and getting angrier by the day. Fire burned in its veins—an unquenchable fire calling for him to explore farther away, to stalk and kill. But the man inside him was still fighting, using all his strength to keep his beast from straying farther. The man was focused on the image of a blonde woman, and the beast knew what his other half was trying to convey. But if the woman was truly their mate, then she should be there with them. He prowled the edge again, peering into the night, watching and waiting. Waiting for the arrival of the woman or the weakening of the man.
Chapter Two
Zane…gone forever…
She absently sorted the empty vials on the counter. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate on other things, Orsai’s departing words echoed in her mind and stabbed at her heart. She had no idea if she was Zane’s mate, but she did know she didn’t want to imagine a world where he no longer existed. She hadn’t realized just how often she’d searched for him around the cabin until he was no longer there. And it hurt. The loss of him was like a physical pain, and it scared her.
“Diane!”
The Professor yelled, startling her. She jumped and knocked several vials over, barely catching them before they hit the floor.
“What the hell is wrong with you? What’s going on inside that head of yours because you’re sure as hell not paying attention?” he continued.
“Fuck!” she exploded, fisting her shaking hands at her sides as she turned and faced the Professor’s wide eyes. “Why the hell would you sneak up on me?”
He shook his head and met her gaze with an expression that looked weary and tired. “I didn’t sneak. I practically stomped, I’m so angry. And I began chastising you as soon as I hit the door and saw you over here. You’re so wrapped up in whatever is going on in your head, you didn’t hear me.”
“What were you chastising me about?” she demanded.