44

TEDDY

The door rattled in its frame as Cassy stormed out, leaving me standing there, feeling like the floor had dropped out from under me. I couldn't calm down.

How could I? This was Cassy. My Alpha, my mate, and she was the one standing in the way of something that felt as essential as breathing.

I paced the room, my mind spinning with the same thought repeatedly.

How could she not want this? She was supposed to be the one leading us forward, pushing for the future. Instead, all she seemed interested in was the physical part of being together, not the life that was supposed to come from it.

I felt like my chest was being squeezed, tighter and tighter, until I could barely draw a breath. The need for a child, for our child, clawed at me so strongly that I could barely think straight.

Why wasn't she feeling it?

What was wrong with us?

The walls of the house felt like they were closing in on me. I had to get out. I had to move. I opened the door and stepped outside, letting