He Said Mine So I Took Him Instead

CHAPTER 13

So I pushed the thought down and grabbed a fresh page again, focusing on something else instead.

How do you know all of this? I wrote quickly, holding it out to her.

She pressed her lips together for a second, like she was debating something in her head, then finally said, “I’ll explain everything once you’ve asked all your questions. I promise.”

I just looked at her.

Waiting.

Because I wanted answers now, not later. But something in her face told me this wasn’t something she was ready to say out loud yet. And honestly, I didn’t like that feeling at all. There was something behind it—something tied to my dad, I could almost feel it—but I still didn’t know what.

So instead of pushing it, I moved on.

New page. New question.

What’s a pack link?

Doctor Luke had mentioned it earlier, and it had stuck in my head ever since. I wasn’t totally clueless anymore, but this was still all new territory, and I was trying to piece everything together one question at a time.

“It’s basically how the pack talks to each other,” Logan explained, like he was trying to simplify something way too complicated for a human brain. “We can communicate mentally with each other, but only when we’re inside our territory. I can’t really explain how it works… just like I can’t explain why we exist like this in the first place. It just is. Honestly though, it’s useful. Sometimes even kinda cool… other times it’s just annoying as hell.” He gave a small half-smile at the end, like he was trying not to overthink it.

And for some reason, that tiny shift in him—like the smallest laugh barely there—changed everything. It was weird how quickly his whole face softened when he did it. Even I could feel it. My chest did this stupid jump thing, like my body didn’t get the memo to stay neutral. My stomach flipped in this light, annoying way, and I hated that I suddenly felt like I wanted to smile back without even meaning to.

I forced myself to focus and wrote down my next sentence.

You need to explain everything to me, Mom.

I was done waiting around for answers like they were optional. I needed the full picture, not half-truths and pauses and “we’ll tell you later.” Because every time I learned something new, it just created ten more questions. And honestly? I was tired of feeling like I was missing pieces of my own life. If I knew everything she was hiding, maybe it would finally make sense. Maybe I’d understand why none of this ever felt normal. Whether it made things better or worse… I didn’t know. But at least I’d know what I was dealing with.

“You need to tell her,” Logan said suddenly.

His voice came out sharper than I expected, more intense than before. I glanced at him quickly, surprised by the edge in his tone, but then I turned back to my mom. She wasn’t looking at him. Her bottom lip was tucked between her teeth like she was holding something back.

“I want you to understand something,” she started quietly, squeezing my hand tighter like she needed the contact to get through this, “I never planned for you to find out like this. And I love you. So much.”

I softened a little at that, giving her hand a small squeeze back.

I wasn’t angry at her. Not really. She always protected me in her own way. Even when I didn’t understand it. I trusted that whatever she did, it came from trying to keep me safe. So I just nodded at her, telling her without words that I was ready. That she could continue.

“I met your father when I was in college,” she began, her voice drifting a little like she was stepping back into a memory. “I was young… I didn’t really know what love was supposed to feel like. But he… he seemed perfect at first. Charming, outgoing. The kind of guy parents actually approve of.” She gave a small, humorless breath. “He even asked my father for permission to take me out. It felt… old-fashioned in a good way. Like something out of a movie. And I fell for it. Hard.”