Laurie’s Wolves(75)
“I supposed not.”
A car pulled into the driveway, and Melinda jumped out and rushed onto the porch. “She left?”
“How did she keep this from you?” Corbin asked.
“She can block me same as anyone.” She dropped her purse next to the front door and sat on the porch swing next to Mimi, taking the woman’s hand. “And she didn’t reach out to you either?”
“No.”
“We assumed she was here with one or both of you.”
Melinda took a deep breath, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes. Corbin knew she was trying to reach her sister.
She righted herself. “Wow. She really won’t make contact.”
Mimi smiled, which annoyed Corbin.
“What do we do?” Zach asked.
“Nothing,” Mimi stated.
“Shouldn’t we go try to talk to her?”
“I’m betting she told you not to,” Mimi said.
Corbin nodded.
“Then I’d say no. Let her figure this out on her own.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Zach asked.
Mimi chuckled. “Son, Laurie’s very sensitive. I can’t believe she’s lasted this long. There’s no way she’ll survive many days without you. It will tear her apart.” She pointed at Corbin’s bouncing leg. “It’s tearing you apart. Mates can’t be separated. It’s that simple.”
“I asked my parents about it this morning,” Zach began, “and they said they’ve known only a few people to pull it off and only in extreme circumstances of incompatibility.”
Mimi nodded. “Abuse. Neglect. Not stubbornness.”
Corbin swallowed. “She thinks she caused all the problems in this area.”
“I know she does, son. And she’s wrong. But the only way to convince her of that is to let her prove it. Or disprove it.”
“So, what we need is another giant freeze or snowstorm.” Corbin lifted his face to the sky and glanced around. “I don’t see imminent evidence of either.”
“It will come,” Mimi said calmly. “In the meantime, I would suggest you both go about your lives. Sitting around waiting will only make things worse. Occupy your minds. Go to work.”
Melinda gave a small push off the ground, setting the swing in action. “If I wasn’t mated myself, I wouldn’t understand, but I did mate, and it was only six months ago. So, it’s fresh enough in my mind for me to remember how I felt one week into the process. No way in hell could I have walked away from my men. Lord, we were even fighting and arguing daily, and still I would never have been able to go without them for even one day.
“I don’t know how she has managed, but she can’t hold out long. Not with two men who adore her tugging on her heartstrings. I’ll call Mom in a while and get the scoop, but I wouldn’t worry. She’ll be back.”
Corbin wanted to believe Melinda. In fact, he willed himself to believe her. But he wasn’t sure. Laurie was stubborn. If anyone could break the bonds of a claiming, it would be her.
»»•««
Laurie rolled onto her back when her bedroom door opened. She squinted into the daylight a moment later when her mother more fully opened the blinds. “Mom, stop it.”
“It’s the middle of the day. You need to get up.”
Laurie groaned and rolled back into her pillow. Her entire body ached. And she didn’t even want to consider what it meant that her breasts were tender and her nipples hurt when they brushed against the T-shirt.
She gripped her legs together tightly, willing herself not to reach between them and take away the need for orgasm growing with every passing minute. It was insane.
“I’m sick, Mom. Leave me alone.”
“Heartsick. And it’s your own doing.”
She refused to believe that. It had to be a wives’ tale. Surely shifters didn’t really suffer from some sort of withdrawal when they separated from their mates.
Her body would argue otherwise, but she still had the frame of mind to deny that fact.
“Melinda called.”
“I’m sure she did,” Laurie muttered, closing her eyes and fighting the need to think about Zach and Corbin. If she focused on her mother’s words, maybe she could keep her need for her mates at bay. “What did she say?”
“That you can’t do this. Mimi too.”
“Can’t? Or shouldn’t?”
“Both. Does it matter? It’s awfully vain of you to think you can control the weather. Don’t you think?”
Laurie stiffened. “You know it isn’t like that.”
“Really? What’s it like then?” Her mom pulled the chair out from the desk, flipped it around, and sat. At least she didn’t sit on the edge of the bed and attempt to stroke Laurie’s hair or arm this time. The contact would have made her cringe.