Chapter 41: XVIII. Lycan-2

But Shea smiled at me reassuringly. "Calm that heart of yours, Sara." I hadn't realised it had picked up again. I did my best to control my breathing to calm myself. It was still completely embarrassing that he could hear my heartbeat. "When I was a kid, my dad used to read to me from "The Iliad". Have you heard of it?" he asked me. Weird way to change the topic of conversation, but okay. I nodded. I had learned about it during eighth grade when we had studied ancient history. "I still remember asking my dad these questions when I was a kid. I couldn't understand our ways by watching movies and getting ideas about the world from them. We were so different. Even the way we loved was different. We would see the fickleness of human love on TV and in books and on the magazine shelves when we would go grocery shopping. "But seeing the people, the relationships around me, it was hard to grasp. As a kid, I couldn't imagine growing up and falling in love. I saw what my mom and dad had, and it grossed me out, but I still wanted to understand it, and my dad referenced "The Iliad" of all things." Shea laughed as he remembered. "He told me about Helen of Troy, and how she was said to have a face so beautiful, that it launched a thousand ships. A thousand. When Helen was taken by Paris, her husband, Menelaus, launched a thousand ships and started to the Trojan War to bring her home to him. My father described the love that you felt for your mate could only be mirrored in mythology, and not in the human reality. One day, he told me, I would love someone so much that I would launch a thousand ships for her." His words were beautiful, impassioned, and freaking confusing all at the same time. Was he talking about me? I still wasn't sure if it was even possible for someone like him to love someone like me. How would that work? "I didn't understand it, the lightning bolt moment, until I saw you. My parents, Cece, all described it as being hit by lightning. You're paralysed as your world is quickly consumed by the person designed specifically for you. "It isn't the same for humans, I don't think. Humans have been mated with lycans before now, and have lived completely happily, but their feelings can change. Not always, but it happens. Humans are not a naturally monogamous species. They try to be, but they can fall out of love as quickly as they can fall into it. Humans can leave. Human have the power to brutally destroy a lycan. But it doesn't change for us. We only get one." Oh my God, he wastalking about me. As I looked at Shea, for the first time I saw him in total transparency. He was being completely honest with me, bearing his soul, and sharing his heart. I stood up from my bed and went over to my window as I process what he had just said to me. I was it for him. I was his person. I was his mate. Shea loved me. Shea was biologically programmed to love me for the rest of his life. God, that was overwhelming. Was it weird to find it overwhelming? Wouldn't most girls love to find out that someone loved them? How often did it happen? "Tell me what you're thinking," Shea urged quietly. "Your pulse can only tell me so much." "You've got to give me a minute, Shea," I whispered. I didn't want to dwell on this. I didn't want to get distracted by this. I mean, we had loads of time to figure this side of things out, didn't we? There was still so much I didn't know. So much I wanted to know. I honestly hoped my mom wouldn't walk in right now, because I would not know how to explain this. "Hey, Mom, my sort-of boyfriend is a real-life teen wolf. Do you care if he stays in my room?" Holy shit, Mom! It was a theory I had. My mom knew. Mom thought Shea was dangerous. Mom hated Shea from the second she knew who he was. I spun around. "Does my mom know about you?" I demanded to know. Shea nodded immediately, still being honest. "Yes, she does." My heart, stomach, and pretty much all my other organs dropped. Mom knew. How the hell could my mom know this? This wasn't something you just know. How long had she known about this for? For how long had she been keeping this a secret from me? "How?" I demanded to know. Shea shook his head. "That's a conversation that you need to have with her. I can't tell you everything." He was still keeping things from me. "Yes, you can," I snapped. "She helped you the other night, didn't she? She lied to me about that and said that you were never here. She lied right through her teeth. How many times has she done that?" "Your mom has her reasons, and like I said, you need to take that up with her. That side of things is her responsibility. Yes, she helped me the other night. I was injured during an altercation with Lex. Usually we heal pretty quick, but he got me pretty bad. Our usual doctor, his daughter is pregnant and lives out of state, so he was visiting her. But I needed help, and I knew that your mom knew about us, so I went to her for help." I was momentarily stunned at the image of two giant wolves fighting. I remembered seeing the slashes on Shea's back, and I now realised that they were from claws. The thought of such violence, and such mortal danger, was terrifying. What were they fighting over? What kind of disagreement would warrant such violence? I mean, it was freakin' grievous bodily harm, wasn't it? Was there some sort of supernatural police that you could contact? The Winchester brothers? Magic 911? But I made myself focus. Mom knew. Mom knew, and she didn't tell me. Mom was keeping secrets from me. Mom had lied to me repeatedly. ---- I made it to 3:40am watching Nadal and Federer but I fell asleep. It's 11:48am now so I was pretty close to my estimation of noon hahaha. But I checked the scores this morning and Nadal lost in four!! Noooooo. I love Federer but I have always been a Nadal fan