Duskfire Glacier Who does your honor sleep with at night

<3

His question cut through the storm, two storms actually: both the one raging around the pair and the one churning under Lane's skin. She had not thought to consider that her fling might be anything more than a terrible mistake. She had not considered any outcome of being pregnant that might not be awful. And so the man's question surprised her, just enough to jar her out of her angry and self-pitying rumination. 

"I'm not a mother," she found herself blurting immediately, and the admission was almost as surprising as the original question. "I'm barely even.." ..Even what? Grown? Barely even grown, barely able to take care of herself. This had been her first heat, for fuck's sake. And she'd really blown it. 

Her pride wouldn't allow her to finish her first thought, so she barreled on to the next. 

"..And I'm just visiting. I don't belong here.." Before he could ask, she added, "I don't belong anywhere." 

Lane could another round of self-pity rising from her chest, clawing hotly at her throat and making her eyes burn. She swallowed, stuffing it down, breathing. 

Before he could argue with that conclusion, she continued. 

"There's no place for me here. This pack is busting with medics already. And there will be no place for my--" She swallowed heavily again, "--For my kids, once Wintersbane takes his real mate. They'll just be the bastard mistakes." Wintersbane had told her that he had no desire to take a mate, but shit changes. Shit changes so fast sometimes. Lane wouldn't be surprised at all if one of these gorgeous Duskfire women wore down his resolve within the next few moons, as more went into heat and this season worked itself up to a feverpitch. 

Lane knew that she was toeing the line between logical and panicky by introducing "what-ifs" into her argument. So she fell silent, waiting for the man's response. His judgement.