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CHAPTER 109
~Valerie's POV~
Isla was quiet momentarily, the weight of my words settling between us. Then she tilted her head, thoughtfully expressing her thoughts.
"Truthfully, at first," she said slowly, "I used to think having more than one mate would be amazing. All the pampering, all the protection, all the swoony moments." She paused. "But now? All I see is confusion. Pressure. Longing. Jealousy."
"Exactly," I whispered.
"You've got this, though," she said, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "But Val, dating all of them? At once? That's not you."
I exhaled. "I never wanted that. I just wanted to graduate, maybe start a quiet pack library, be a doctor like one of my aunts, or run a business. Not become the center of a mating vortex."
Isla giggled, but there was softness in her eyes. "Still. If you had to pick… just saying…"