Automatically, Elise returned the hug. “Uh...thanks, but why?”
Stepping back, Helen beamed at her. “The blood-bond, you silly goose.”
Feeling herself flush, Elise clamped a hand over the mark on her neck. Darn, she should have worn something with a higher neck.
“So you and Kane finally took the big leap. Was it like I described it?”
“Er... Yeah, it was...amazing.” Elise answered slowly, not sure what to say. Yes, it had been the best, most mind-blowing experience she could imagine, but afterwards, well...things had definitely gone downhill.
“Now don’t be shy. I still remember what it was like with my Zack.” A dreamy look washed over her eyes for a moment before focusing. “So, where’s Kane? I’m surprised he didn’t keep you locked up in the bedroom all day.”
“Kane is... Well... I don’t really know. He left right afterwards and I haven’t seen him since.” She shoved her hands in her pockets and stared at the floor.
Helen looked a bit shocked by the news, but quickly composed herself. “Well, just use your connection. Think about him and you should get some sense of where he is or what he’s doing.”
Elise shifted uncomfortably. “I...I can’t. He seems to be blocking me out.”
“What? Blocking you out when you’ve just bonded! Now, that’s rather strange. I mean, it’s possible to learn to keep the other person out sometimes—handy for planning surprises and such—but I’ve never heard of anyone doing it the first day.”
“Well, our Alpha is a private sort of guy, I guess.” She darted a glance up at Helen, feeling the need to tell someone about what had really happened. “We didn’t part on the best of terms anyway.”
Helen’s face reflected her disappointment. “You had a fight after blood-bonding! Whatever was it about?”
In the face of Helen’s concern, all of the feelings from yesterday came rushing back and her pep talk about being strong fell to pieces. Blinking rapidly, Elise tried to keep her tears at bay and just shook her head, pressing her trembling lips together.
Gently, Helen laid her hand on Elise’s arm. “You’re crying! Please, tell me what’s wrong. I was mated for quite a few years. Maybe I can help.”
The soft words proved to be Elise’s undoing and she started to sob loudly. Helen gathered her close, soothing and clucking while the whole story was related. When she was done, Elise wiped her face with a tissue that Helen handed her.
“So you see, he loathes me. He thinks I was cheating on him and he wishes we’d never blood-bonded. The very idea disgusts him and that’s why he’s blocking me out.”
“Now, Elise, maybe you have it all wrong. When a couple first start to sense each other, it’s usually just vague emotions and it can be hard to interpret exactly what they mean or what caused them. It takes practice and time for the connection to fully develop.”
She shook her head sadly. “No, I felt those emotions and they weren’t coming from me. They were Kane’s. And if he wasn’t loathing me, then why was that feeling there?”
Pursing her lips, Helen shook her head. “I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s an alternative explanation. That man loves you. Why, he even had a birthday present delivered for you! It came around noon yesterday, but he’d already left, so I set it on your bed. Did you find it?”
Elise nodded. “It was lovely, but I think he’s changed his mind about me now.”
“People don’t change their mind about who they do and don’t love that quickly. I’m not saying he wasn’t a bit upset with you earlier, but it wouldn’t cause him to fall out of love. It was a misunderstanding and once he thinks about it, he’ll see that.”
“No he won’t. He believes Marla can do no wrong.”
Helen sighed heavily. “True. She’s his blind spot, but Kane’s bound to realize the truth through what he’s sensing from you. Has he been reading you at all? Any tingling in your mind, like someone else is there?”
Elise shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Humph! Stupid man. How is he ever supposed to understand you, if he doesn’t make some effort?”
“I really don’t think—” The door opened behind her, and Elise stopped mid-sentence.
John walked in grinning from ear to ear. Immediately, he grabbed Elise by the waist and spun her around before planting a kiss on her face. “Hey, Elise! Did you hear the news? I’m a daddy!”
His happiness was infectious and Elise couldn’t help but smile and hug him back. “So I heard. Congratulations, John. I saw Carrie and the baby yesterday.”