Chapter 10

Denise’s POV

“I was born of an adulterous union,” I started. Ingrid and I were settled in the living room of my apartment, both of us sipping on some coffee.

“My dad had me with a human when he was already mated, and she died while giving birth to me. After that, a lot of people shunned him, and I was caught in the crossfire. I was an oddity, so nobody wanted anything to do with me. I was bullied by most of the kids, and my dad’s mate treated me like crap until she died. The bullying got worse when my dad died a few weeks after my 14th birthday. At that moment, all I wanted was my mate. I had the foolish hope that he was going to come and save me from everybody else, or at least that the memories made with him were going to wipe out my horrible past.”

“It was not a foolish hope. Don’t be too hard on yourself. A mate is supposed to protect their other half,” Ingrid scolded, interrupting me. I simply smiled. She had no idea just how foolish that thought was.

“T