Ariana POV
Mate?
She was his mate? As in his soulmate ... and maybe his wife?
"How did you not know this before?"
He grimaced, licking his fangs. "Too busy trying to save your life, get your family to safety, and keep you hidden and out of danger, perhaps?"
Hot color spread across her face. "You do have a point there. But you must have ..."
"I haven't had a mate in longer than I care to remember. I forgot what it was like."
A jolt went through her at the information contained in those casual words.
He once had a mate? Before his parents tried to match him up with Irina?
An unsettling sensation formed, like a knot in her stomach. How little she knew about this mysterious man she'd pledged her love to.
"You ... you had a mate?"
"More than one," he growled, gazing up at her.
A mate. He'd had a mate. And multiple mates.
"Not at the same time," he added hastily.
