It's been a week since we came back to Nate's territory. He fell into a coma after the surgery. The doctors don't know why he hasn't woken up. I spend every day with him in the hospital. I talk to him a lot because they said it'd help. They said if we completed the mating process before it happened, I would've been able to enter his mind and wake him. It's too bad the only thing Nate and I have done is kissed.

I hear someone entering the kitchen.

"Hello, dear?" Mom says.

"Hi, Mom."

"How's he doing?"

"He's the same."

"Don't worry, he'll wake up soon. Do you have time to spare before you go and see him?"

"Yes, is there something you want to talk about or need?"

"Yes, there is something I want to talk to you about."

"Alright, let me quickly wash this. You can wait for me in the living room. I'll join you once I'm done," I say, carrying my dirty plate to the sink to wash it.

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you," she says and walks out of the kitchen.

I walk to the living room once I'm done washing the dishes.

"What do you want to talk to me about, Mom?" I say once I'm seated in the living room.

"I want to tell you about your real parents," Mom says, shocking me. Mom never hid it from me that she wasn't my biological mother. I never asked a lot about my real parents so as to not hurt her feelings. I wonder what made her suddenly want to tell me about them. "Before I tell you about them, I need to tell you about your heritage. You come from a line of Originals and Lycans."

"What!" I say, shocked.

"I know it's shocking to hear, but you're not just a hybrid. You carry the key to make any human a supernatural."

"You know I'm a hybrid," I say, shocked. I shouldn't be shocked as she just told me I'm related to the two strongest supernaturals in the world.

"Yes, I do."

"Who are my parents, and how am I a hybrid."

"Your father was the hybrid among your parents. He was also related to an Original and Lycan."

"How is that possible?"

"Hundreds of years ago, an Original vampire was mated to a Lycan. They had a child who, of course, was born a hybrid. That child carried the ability to turn any human into a vampire or werewolf. His blood could also make both supernaturals stronger. Every child born from the hybrid's bloodline carried on the gift."

"Why does the vampire king want me?"

"He wants to revive his brother."

"Is that why he kidnapped you? So, he could get me?"

"Yes."

"Is it also why you wanted me to reject my mate?"

"Yes. I was worried whichever species your mate might come from, he might hate you or take advantage of you when he finds out your real identity."

"Do you think that might happen when I tell Nate?"

I've been thinking all week if I should tell Nate or not. I want to tell him because he's my mate, but Mom is right. I don't know how he'll react when I tell him I'm half of a species he hates more than any in the world. I know Nate won't take advantage of me, but he might hate me after telling him.

"No. The Alpha King is a good person. I'm sure when you tell him you're a hybrid, he won't take advantage of you or hate you."

"You really think so?"

"The way he risked his life to save me tells me he would never do anything to harm or upset you."

"I hope you're right because Nate means so much to me. It'd be so amazing if he accepts me for who I am."

"Yes, it would, and hopefully he will."

After Mom and I finish talking, I walk to the hospital to check up on Nate. I open Nate's room door and find him sound asleep. He looks so calm and peaceful while sleeping and not serious like he always is. I walk over to the bed and take my seat beside him. I hold his hand in mine once I'm comfortable in the chair.

"Hi Nate, how are you today?" I ask and get no response. I continue talking to him, though. I tell him about my day and how his brother and Dan are running the kingdom well while he's in his coma.

I get a little tired, so I hop into his bed to sleep. The doctor said sleeping close to him might help his wolf gain consciousness and wake him up. I make sure to not rest on his bandaged hands. The doctors were able to save his burnt skin, but they said it' would take a long time before they healed. I close my eyes and rest my head beside my mate's. Being close to him also helps me sleep well.

I wake up to feather-like kisses around my face. I open my eyes to see who dares to kiss the king's mate. I immediately calm down when I see it's the king himself.

"Hello, mate," Nate says, smiling at me.

"Nate, you're awake," I say, pulling him into a hug as tears of joy well up in my eyes.

"I understand you're happy to see me, but you're blocking my air," Nate says because of how tight I'm hugging him.

"Sorry," I say, releasing him.

"It's fine. Why are you crying? Is something wrong?" He asks, sounding concerned.

"They're tears of joy," I say, wiping them away so he won't be worried something is wrong. "How are you feeling? Do you feel pain anywhere?"

"No, I don't. I'm fine."

"Really, you don't need me to call the doctor?"

"No."

"Are you hungry or thirsty or—" I get cut off when Nate kisses me. I missed kissing him, and we've only kissed once.

"I said I'm fine," he says once he releases my lips from his. I think I was rambling too much, that's why he kissed me.

***

Two weeks have gone by since Nate woke up. He came home a week ago. Things between us are amazing. Nate asked me to move into his room, and things couldn't be better between us, except there was one problem. Nate still refuses to sleep with me so we can complete the mating process. Every time we're making out and I try to take things further, he always says no. I've never heard of a man refusing to have sex with his mate. He even lied once saying that he didn't want me to get pregnant because I'm still young. I know that's a lie because male werewolves love getting their mate pregnant.  

I'm in the kitchen, almost done making dinner for us. I smell his scent even before he wraps his arms around my waist.

"Hello, mate," Nate says, kissing the spot on my neck where he's supposed to mark me.

"Hi," I say, turning around to face him. "How was work today?"

"The same," he says, lifting me off the ground and placing me on the counter. He stands between my legs and rests his hand on my waist.

Nate has a lot of work to catch up on since we were gone for a while. His brother and Dan did their best, but there are some things only he can approve and handle.

"I'm sorry work has been stressful for you this week."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'll always drop everything and attend matters important to you," he says, making my heart flutter. Nate makes me fall for him more every day.

"Thank you," I say and pull him in for a kiss.

After dinner, Nate leaves for a run. I didn't feel like running, so I stay in the house. I plan to talk to him soon about why he's refused to mark me. I watch TV and scroll through Instagram to pass the time as I wait for him to get back so we can go to bed. I got a new phone a week ago, and this time Nate doesn't have a problem with it.

A few hours have passed, and he's still not back. I start to get worried and decide to look for him. He might have lost track of time while running.

I step outside and try to find him by his scent. I remain in human form while looking for him. I don't look for long before I find him taking a bath in a lake. The place is dark, and the only light is the moon. I know it's him because I can smell him.

I'm turning back to go to the house when an idea pops into my head. Nate has refused to have sex with me, so it won't hurt if I try something. I'm a little shy to do it, but I badly want to mate with him. It's not easy for me to sleep beside him every day and wake up without his mark on me.

I decide to strip naked and join him in the lake. This is the first time I'm going to be willingly naked in front of Nate. With all the other times I have been naked in front of him, you would think I'd be comfortable with him seeing my body, but I'm not. I take off my clothes and quietly walk into the water. The water is warm, surprisingly. Nate seems to be lost in his thoughts because he doesn't hear me.

I wrap my arms around him once I'm close. His body tenses as he feels my bare chest against his back. I expect him to relax once he smells my scent, but he doesn't.

"What are you doing, Elizabeth?" he asks, his body still facing forward. I thought he'd turn once he realized it was me.

"What do you think I'm doing?" I remove my hands from around him. I walk to his front, and as soon as I step in front of him, he turns away. This makes me feel shame, like I need to cover my body. I can't believe Nate doesn't want to look at me naked. Is my body that hideous? I quickly use my hands to cover myself and walk out of the water.

"Elizabeth, why are you crying?" Nate says, stopping me on my way out.

"No reason," I say, pushing back the tears that keep falling.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" he asks, and I turn around to look at him as if he's mad. Is he really asking me if he hurt my feelings? He turned away from my naked body.

Of course, you hurt my feelings, Nate.

"No, you didn't," I lie and turn back to continue walking out. I'm too embarrassed to admit to him how he hurt my feelings. It would make me feel worse. This is worse than when we weren't together. At least then, I could assume he didn't want me, but now I have no idea what could explain his behavior. 

"I'm sorry, I love your body. It's just—" he says, hugging me from behind.

"It's just what, Nate," I ask, frustrated with not being able to understand him.

"You will die if I touch you."

"What?"

"You will die if I mate with you."

"I don't understand."

"Let's go put on some clothes. I'll explain everything to you," Nate says, walking us out of the water.