Chapter 141 Some Conversations Aren’t Easy
Chapter 141 Some Conversations Aren’t Easy
AVERY
The switch in Cooper was startling. Avery wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, though she currently had no complaints. His sudden interest and need to be close was assuaging her biggest fear but it did make her wonder if it would last once he was sober.
His home was a cute bungalow with a manicured lawn and a couple flower beds — unsurprising, given his profession. It also didn’t fit the picture she had of the grumpy wolf.
Avery had barely put the car in park before Cooper was already out and opening her door. She shook her head again as he grabbed her hand and led the way into his home.
The inside was definitely not what Avery had been expecting. Actually, it exceeded her expectations in the most unusual way. From a glance she was sure everything had been thrifted — secondhand — but lovingly maintained. Nothing matched and yet it somehow all worked, giving the place a cozy feel that was more ‘family’ than ‘single male wolf’. Avery glanced at Cooper, who had removed his shoes and was already halfway to what had to be the kitchen.
The moment they’d stepped inside he no longer seemed desperate to keep a hold on his mate, which made sense in a way. This was his territory — his domain — and that meant within these walls he could relax. Did she miss his insistence on touch? A little. But they needed to talk and being glued together would be too distracting to make it a productive discussion.
Following her mate through the small living room, Avery found herself in the kitchen where the wolf had poured himself a glass of water, downing it without hesitation. After a moment, he tensed, glancing back at the she-wolf. “…are you thirsty?”
His tone made it sound like having a guest over was an anomaly — that he’d either forgotten how to welcome one into his home or wasn’t very good at it. The awkwardness brought a smile to Avery’s face. “Some water would be nice.”
Cooper nodded and took out a second glass, filling it — and his own — before handing it over. “So… you… we should talk, huh,” he said, averting his gaze as if embarrassed.
“We should, yeah. Where should we sit?” Avery glanced over at the small kitchen table and its two mismatched chairs. “Here or… the couch?”
“Couch,” he replied without any need to think it over. As he walked by, Cooper hooked his arm with Avery’s and led her back to the living room, where he proceeded to steer her to the couch. It was only once her butt was firmly seated that the wolf took his own.
There was half a meter of space between them once he was settled; close enough they could reach out and touch but not so close that they’d be distracted by other things.
Should Avery start the conversation? Or should she wait for Cooper to get there on his own? Probably the latter, since letting him dictate things had — surprisingly — worked out decently thus far. Why fix what wasn’t broken?
“What do you wanna know?,” her mate asked after a few minutes of silence.
That was a loaded question, if she was being honest. What she wanted to know was everything. Something told Avery she would need to be far more specific than that for this conversation.
“What exactly changed?,” she found herself asking. “From earlier today to now, I mean. I got the impression you would’ve preferred not having me around but now it’s the complete opposite.”
His hand twitched, as if he were about to reach for her only to hold himself back. Letting out a sigh, Cooper stared at his glass of water. “I’m… selfish and… didn’t realize that my actions might have caused you to… that I might be hurting you.”
Well that made as much sense as… literally nothing. There was no sense in what he’d said. “…you do know how the mate bond works between fated mates, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” he scowled, eyes still on his water. “It’s just…”
Avery waited for him to say more but after a minute it was obvious he wouldn’t be elaborating. “I need you to tell me why you’re scared of being hurt. And why you think I’ll hurt you.” It was mainly that second part she wanted him to answer, as she couldn’t think of a time when she’d have ever made him think that was ever her intention.
Cooper fidgeted a little before letting out a sigh. “What, exactly, do you know about me?”
“Just what’s on the lone wolf registry,” she replied with frown. Everyone knew what that entailed. “Your name, date of birth, blood type, address, wolf markings… the basics.”
He gave a slow nod. “Right… right. I knew that…”
Avery watched him for a moment before daring to ask, “Why did you leave in the first place?”
It took Cooper nearly a full minute to answer, and it wasn’t what she’d been expecting. “You’re… technically my second chance,” he explained in a low voice. “My first… my first fated mate rejected me and I didn’t take it very well.”
Well that explained a lot. He’d been rejected before, making him wary of his second chance. Wait. “You were rejected?” Avery echoed with a frown. “Why?” There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, other than being grumpy — but that might have happened because of the rejection. What had he been like before everything happened, she wondered.
Cooper set his glass on the coffee table — he even used a coaster — before running a hand through his mop of hair. “I was… Sigh. Malone isn’t my actual last name. I registered as a lone wolf under my Ma’s maiden name.”
Avery blinked in surprise. Why would he have used his mother’s maiden name? To distance himself from his family? “So… what’s your real last name?”
A grimace came over his face at her question. “Silberberg.”
“Silberberg? Isn’t that…” Avery trailed off with a frown. There was a pack far to the south with that name.
“Yeah,” he nodded, taking a deep breath before slowly releasing it. “I was suppose to become the next Alpha but…”