I walk into the pack house, heading straight for Ma’am Nola’s room. Guilt tugs at me for leaving the way I did–but at the same time, I’m relieved to have gotten away. I needed that break from this suffocating atmosphere.
I pass a few people in the halls. Some stare. Others throw cold, judgmental glances my way. It doesn’t faze me. They’ve all been acting like this ever since mating season began.
I exhale, already exhausted by the treatment I know I’ll receive. “Yep, definitely back,” I mutter with a
roll of my eyes.
The staircase feels endless, but I finally reach the top. I push open the door without knocking–she never minds. If anything, she scolds me for nearly giving her a heart attack.
“Nolie! I’m home! Hope you missed me-” I stop mid–sentence.
The room is empty.
She’s not in there.
My sense of joy diminishes slightly as I realize I’ll have to wander through the pack like a desperate stray, drawing more disapproving stares from everyone.
I descend the staircase again, making a beeline for the kitchen. I’m moving quickly, too focused to watch where I’m going–until I collide with what feels like a solid wall.
“Where the hell have you been?” the ‘wall‘ demands, the voice unmistakably belonging to the last person I want to encounter right now.
“Get lost, Theron. I’m not in the mood to deal with you,” I snap, brushing past him and entering the kitchen. “What’s he made of, steel?” I mutter under my breath as I step inside.
I glance around the room. A few people are seated, eating, but there’s no sign of Nolie. The person manning the kitchen is unfamiliar to me. I hesitate, unsure if I should ask this stranger about her whereabouts. After all, the worst they could do is glare at me like everyone else. I take a cautious step forward, unease tightening in my chest.
Confrontation has never been my strong suit. In fact, I avoid it whenever I can.
Another step, and it’s as if they finally notice me. Their eyes meet mine–and then…
They bow? I blink, confusion flooding me. A bow of respect. Do they now see me as the mate of their Alpha? Do they actually believe it?
“Leave us,” a voice commands, and suddenly everything makes sense. Of course not. They’ll never view me that way, not now, not ever.
The kitchen staff quickly gather themselves and rush out, eager to escape.
“I’ll ask this only once. Where have you been?” His gaze is murderous, as if he’s seconds away from tearing me apart.
I stare at him silently. What could I possibly say? ‘Oh, I got transported to another realm by a man who might be my fated mate?‘ The thought alone makes me snort quietly.
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“Is this funny to you?” he snarls, stepping in so close it feels suffocating. His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply.
“Who was it?” he demands, his eyes flashing with fury. “You reek of another male.” His voice turns into a growl. “So that’s where you were? Spreading your legs for someone else, you filthy whore!”
I don’t think. I don’t pause. My hand moves on its own, and the sting in my palm is immediate as his head jerks to the side.
I slapped him.
He lets out a disdainful laugh. “You’ve grown guts, haven’t you?” he sneers, seizing me by the throat and pulling me toward him. To an outsider, it might seem like an intimate gesture, like he’s breathing me in–but with his grip tightening around my neck, I know if I don’t break free soon, I’ll be meeting the goddess herself.
I gasp for breath, feeling my strength drain the more my airway is cut off.
Suddenly, the door bursts open, and in walks Selene, completely unaware–at first. Her expression shifts rapidly: first confusion, then despair, then sorrow, and ultimately, fury–all within moments. I catch sight of a mark on her neck. It’s unmistakably a mating bond, the kind only an Alpha can give.
Without a word, she storms out just as quickly as she came, slamming the door so violently it nearly tears off the hinges. He lets go of me almost immediately and rushes after her. “For someone who’s fully bonded and mated, you sure have a talent for manipulating people,” I say, my voice dripping with
sarcasm.
My words freeze him in place, probably because he didn’t expect me to speak at all. “You’re incredibly selfish, Theron–disgustingly so.” I stare at the man who, only a few months ago, meant everything to me. He used to be everything I dreamed of. But now? Now, he fills me with nothing but disgust. He’s nothing more than a self–centered coward.
“I’m selfish?” he scoffs, spinning around to face me. I’m momentarily stunned–I thought he’d retaliate or explode in anger, not actually respond. “You’re the one who didn’t believe in me!” he shouts. He looks visibly shaken, and once upon a time, I would’ve done anything to calm him down, to make him feel better. But now, I couldn’t care less.
“Believe you? You really think I should’ve believed you?” I glare at him, wondering if he actually believes his own words.
“Yes! You should have had faith in me! Maybe you wouldn’t have ruled at my side, but you still would’ve had me,” he says, eyes locked on mine.
“Had you? For what exactly? You didn’t even want anyone to know I was your mate!” I scream, unable
to hold it in.
“That’s because you belong to me! No one else needs to know!” he yells back, his anger growing, but I’m done caring about how he feels.
“So it’s fine to flaunt Selene as your mate, but I have to stay hidden?”
“Selene is an Alpha in her own right. You-”
“I’m nothing more than a wolfless wolf,” I interrupt, finishing the sentence for him. Hearing it from him would’ve broken me, so I say it myself. “Nothing more than someone good enough to warm your bed,
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Chapter 25
to keep as your dirty little secret, right?” He stares at me, too stunned to utter a word.
“Aurelia,” he whispers, reaching toward me. But I step away, shaking my head.
“This is the end, Theron. I won’t keep putting up with your lies and excuses.”
“What are you saying?” he asks, his face suddenly pale, no trace of bravado left–just raw, honest fear.
“I’m saying I’d rather die than remain in this pack, or anywhere near you.”
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