He Said Mine So I Took Him Instead

CHAPTER 12

"A mate is basically short for soulmate," Logan started, his voice steadier now like he was used to explaining this stuff. "In our world, a soulmate isn't just some romantic idea. It's real. Every werewolf is born with someone out there meant specifically for them. No matter where they are, no matter how long it takes, they'll eventually cross paths. It's not random. It's like... written in from the beginning."

He paused for a second, like choosing his words carefully, then continued.

"The Moon Goddess is the one who pairs them. She decides who belongs with who. And when mates finally meet, there's this connection that pulls them together. They bring out the strongest parts of each other... but also the weakest. It's intense. Sometimes it makes them better, sometimes it pushes them apart."

His eyes flicked to mine briefly before looking away again.

"But either way, they're meant to protect each other. Take care of each other. It's permanent. Lifelong. Once that bond is there, it doesn't just disappear. Humans don't really experience anything like it."

I could feel his eyes on me the whole time, like he was trying to read whatever reaction I was trying so hard to hide. I'd ended up looking away halfway through his explanation about mates because... yeah, I couldn't handle it. Logan had been staring the entire time, his brown eyes practically drilling into me like he expected something from me. And honestly, it messed with my head a little. Especially because he'd already said it twice—his mate.

But that made zero sense.

I wasn't his other half. He literally said humans don't even experience that kind of bond, and last time I checked, I was very much human. So there had to be a mistake somewhere. Some kind of misunderstanding. I couldn't be what he thought I was. I wasn't written into anyone's destiny, and I definitely wasn't his. That was just... not possible. Any second now, his real mate would show up, everything would click into place, and then maybe me and my mom could finally just leave all this behind.

At least, that's what I told myself.

My hand moved before I even fully decided what I was asking, pen scratching across the page again.

"How do you find your mate?"

I wasn't even sure why I wrote it. I kept telling myself I wasn't his mate anyway, so why did I care how this whole thing even worked? But the question was out there now, sitting between us.

And weirdly... it felt like something tight twisted in my chest as I waited for an answer. My heart monitor gave a small spike like it caught on too, but no one seemed to notice. Or maybe they did and just didn't say anything. Either way, I was kind of relieved.

"Everything about your mate just hits different," Logan continued, like he was explaining something super normal and not completely blowing my mind. "Their scent isn't like anything you've ever come across before. It's addictive... like it pulls you in without you even realizing it. Most of the time, that's the first thing you notice. It kind of drags your wolf straight toward them and makes it go a little insane. And when you actually see them... it's like your brain just locks in. You can't look away. And when you touch them, there's this—tingle thing. Like a spark under your skin, almost like an electric shock." He glanced at me for a second, then added, almost too casually, "That's how I know we're mates."

The way he said it so easily made my chest feel weirdly tight, like my brain was trying to catch up but my body already hated the information. He had just said it out loud. Not hinted. Not guessed. Straight up said it—like I was his mate. His forever person. And he was acting like that was just... a fact.

I slowly turned my head toward my mom, half expecting her to look just as freaked out as I felt.

But she wasn't.

She was smiling.

Like, actually smiling.

Not the nervous kind either. It was soft... almost fond, like she was looking at someone she trusted. At Logan. Which was even more confusing, because my mom did not do "open smiling at strangers" unless she really meant it.

So while I was sitting there internally glitching, she looked like she'd already accepted whatever reality I was just now trying to process. And that made everything feel ten times more real—and ten times more overwhelming.