His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (the reading list TXT) 📗

jobs. But this was so not normal for me, and I knew that I would never find that “normal” again. Everything had changed now, and the future was so uncertain.

We made our way back into the living room after saying goodbye again to Brady. He was going to go home and pack and would be back later with Emily. Zeke and I sat down on the couch once again. His hand reached for mine, and I studied our laced fingers.

“Zeke, I want to know more,” I told him, but I could not bring myself to look up at him. He leaned back against the couch and slipped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me against him.

“This isn’t going to be easy, Chelsea,” he said softly. I snuggled into his chest. Whatever he was going to tell me, I needed to hear it. Besides, it couldn’t be any worse than telling me I had a wolf inside me.

“I know, Zeke. But I need to know. Tell me whatever you know,” I told him softly. He took a deep breath.

“Your biological mother was murdered just after your adoption,” he said softly, and I quickly turned my head and looked up at him. His face held concern, and I knew it was for me.

“I had only uncovered that she had died. I never thought to look into how she died,” I told him. That changed everything.

“What if the same people who killed her are the ones after me?” I asked him anxiously.

“That is what Brady and I are assuming. He has more to tell when he gets back. He was working on a lead, but I don’t know what he found out yet. I was more concerned with how to tell you about…well, I knew it was all going to be upsetting. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I needed for you to know the truth,” he said gently. I nodded in agreement.

“I needed to know. I still don’t know what to think, but like you said, I think I just need some time to process everything. I’m still finding it all difficult to believe. I mean, are you sure that I have a wolf inside me? It’s just so unbelievable,” I told him.

I heard his sigh, and his arm tightened around me. Maybe I just needed time. Just then, I heard the chime of the doorbell, and Zeke tensed beside me.

“Go into the bedroom and lock the door. Don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe,” he told me, lifting me quickly to my feet. I didn’t question him but headed through the kitchen and into the bedroom. I locked the door behind me as he had told me to.

Looking around the room, I wondered where the best place would be to hide if necessary. I looked over at the bathroom door and knew that I would go there if something happened. Hopefully, I could find something in there to use as a weapon.

My body was trembling, and my adrenaline was rushing through me. I did not have time to be scared. I waited for what seemed like an eternity before I heard a knock at the bedroom door. My body froze, and I looked towards the door.

“Chelsea, it’s okay. You can come out now,” Zeke called through the closed door. I quickly made my way across the room and threw the door open. Then I threw myself into his arms. His arms came around me and held me tightly against his chest.

“I’m sorry I scared you. I just don’t think we can be too careful right now,” he said gently. Then I heard a woman’s voice.

“Are you going to introduce me to this hunk of a man you found?” the familiar voice said. Jessica?

I pushed away from Zeke until I could see the woman standing behind him. Jessica was here in Tucson. Confusion filled me, but I ran towards her and threw my arms around her. When I stepped back, I looked over at Zeke.

“Jessica, meet Ezekiel. Zeke, this is my best friend, Jessica,” I explained. “Jessica, what in the world are you doing here?” I asked her, looking back at my best friend.

She sighed deeply, and I wondered what that meant. She definitely did not seem happy to be here. How did she even know where to find me and why?

“I have a lot to explain. Is there somewhere that we can get comfortable?” she asked Zeke. He led us back into the living room. Once we were all seated, Zeke and I looked at Jessica expectantly.

“Chelsea, you and I have known each other for forever. But there is a reason for that. When your biological mother left Phoenix, she traveled to Kansas City. My parents traveled with her. She was about four months pregnant with you at the time. My parents were there to protect her and you,” she began.

My jaw dropped open in surprise. This was getting crazier and crazier. Obviously, my mother knew that her life was in danger.

“Chelsea, your mother was human, but your father was a shifter. He was on the wolf council. Twenty-eight years ago, it was a punishable offense for a council member to mate with a human. If the council had found out about you back then, they would have killed both your mother and you.”

“Your father loved your mother very much, and when she got pregnant, he sent her away for her protection. Right after your mother gave birth to you, my parents realized that someone had found your mother. She gave you up to protect you. She put her maiden name on your birth certificate, hoping that if anyone searched for a child, they wouldn’t find you,” she continued.

“Wait. Stop right there,” I said suddenly. “You said ‘maiden name’. Are you saying that my parents were married?” I asked her in astonishment, and she nodded. My hand flew to my mouth.

“Yes, the council had a fit when they found out they had married. Your father was forced off