I sat across from Elise in the quiet office. She hadn't said much, just sat there with her usual thoughtful look.
I rubbed my palms on my thighs and kept going because if I stopped now, I might not start again.
"If you were anyone else, I wouldn't be saying any of this," I told her. "But you're my mate. That means you get all of it. Not just the parts that sound good. The past, the pack's history, the truth about the curse, and what really happened with my half-brother Reid."
She nodded once, waiting.
"Reid was a year older, so he was the one meant to become Alpha, not me," I started and then took a long, deep breath. I hadn't spoken about this in years, but here I was. "Everything was already lined up for him. Then the curse hit. And, no, Reid wasn't cursed. I was the only one who carried the cursed wolf."
"The cursed wolf," she whispered, as if she were saying it back to herself.
