I refuse to look at him.
I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing how devastated I am. He doesn’t get to see how much I care. How much I want to never look at his stupid, unfairly gorgeous face again.
Unlike me, my wolf couldn’t be fucking happier. It’s infuriating. She is practically purring with excitement at our proximity to our mate. She’s a slut like that.
Luca opens the door and stands back to let me walk in ahead of him when we arrive at his cabin. I scowl at him and roll my eyes. Now he wants to be nice to me? Now he wants something from me. Typical. The gesture only serves to remind me of the old Luca. And who he used to be would fucking kick his ass for how awful he’s been to me.
My nose scrunches as I’m assaulted by the scents of other females, and even my wolf lets out a low growl. Good. She’s recognizing some of the signs of how wholly unsuitable he is.
“Right, I take it you are fated mates?” Ryan asks, and Luca and I both nod. Ryan lets out a breath and begins pacing back and forth. “Okay, okay, this makes sense. You can both talk again, but no one,” he points at me, “is to reject anyone.”
He lets his alpha aura out to undo his previous command, and I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. I’m so fucking over this bullshit. He might be alpha and my older brother, but he doesn’t get to act like he has any say in this.
This is my future—my life—not his.
“Nothing about this makes sense,” I snap while shooting my best death glare at Luca and then Ryan. “And just because you’re alpha, it doesn’t mean you can fucking force a mate bond!”
“Yeah, sorry. Definitely didn’t see this coming,” Luca offers with a shrug of his shoulders and a slight wince, speaking to Ryan as if I’m not even here. Did he actually just apologize for being fated to me? So, we’re still treating me like an annoyance, I guess. I scrunch my nose to relieve the tingling that erupts there and push the sting of rejection down.
“You want to tell us why you tried to reject your fated mate?” Ryan asks as he takes a seat and gazes up at me. His expression softens, and he’s using the soft sort of tone you would use with someone who is about to jump off a bridge. If the situation were any different, he would have me in the palm of his hand.
My big brother, who looked out for me after Mom rejected Dad and left us. Dad was a wreck and barely survived the rejection, and he ended up leaving us, too. But Ryan has been there for me. My only constant. He was thrust into the role of Alpha way too young, but he also fell into the role of parent as much as being an older sibling. I was only fourteen, and honestly; I enjoyed pushing the limits of his boundaries way too much.
“Yeah, I’d love an answer to that too,” Luca huffs, bringing me straight back into my frustration.
“Are you honestly surprised?” I ask. I blink too fast as I try to tamp down my emotions because there is no chance in hell I’mabout to let Luca see me cry. Fate, he’d love that; another reason to treat me like a child.
“Maybe because Luca has been an asshole to me for years? Or maybe the fact that he currently smells like another she-wolf tonight? Or maybe,maybeit’s because I want a mate who actually appreciates me as a person and can show me a fucking hint of respect?”
Fury simmers beneath my skin. Every muscle in my body tightens as a silent scream claws at my throat, threatening to break free. My frustration is a constant companion; one I need to hold on to right now. If I don’t stay angry, I’ll give in to hurt, and Ican’tdo that.
I’ve waited for my mate. Sure, I’ve dated, I’ve had sex, but I’ve never allowed myself to really let anyone in. Never felt as though I could let my guard down and fully trust someone enough to let them in. I’ve dreamed of someone who would love me instantly. A love that I would easily return, because we would be perfect for each other.
“Hey, I’m not exactly jumping for joy, either, Princess,” Luca says finally, his voice interrupting the blood rushing in my ears. “I wasn’t expecting to meet my mate tonight. I obviously wouldn’t have brought a date if I was. And I’ve already broken up with Rachel by mindlink.”
“How good of you,” I respond curtly, cutting him off and glaring at him. I knew he wouldn’t want me, but it still stings when he says it.
“Sofia, you’re my mate. We need to talk about this—about us,” he says. His stare is so intense, and he almost sounds sincere until he adds, “It’s not what I wanted either, but you need to grow up instead of jumping to the nuclear option.”
I wonder if he can see the steam coming out of my ears right now. I swallow the urge to pick up a lamp and throw it across the room. It would only be another thing for him to patronize me about. He would love nothing more than to accuse me of throwing a tantrum. I take a deep, steady breath and look to Ryan. Silently pleading with him to be my brother and not the alpha right now.
Not the Ryan who has been insanely passionate about the importance of fated mate bonds ever since Mom left. He thinks that because Mom and Dad were chosen mates, they put themselves into a situation where the potential would always be there for one of them to meet their true mate and their bond to be shaken. Even though there is no record of this ever happening before because usually once you take a chosen mate you can’t recognize your fated one, even if you do meet them.
And anyway, surely he remembers the last time he prioritized a mate bond over a pack member. He nearly ended up costing one of his best friends his mate, and seven wolves ended up dead. Not that I minded their deaths. They deserved it, but still, it was a shitshow to clean up, and I haven’t fully forgiven Ryan for not protecting Emily more.
“I’m going for a run,” I tell him, because I’ve reached my limit of listening to Luca’s bullshit, and I cannot breathe in this room that reeks of practically every female in the damn pack.
"Fia, I need you to think this through. Promise me you won't reject Luca yet," Ryan pleads, his voice thick with a mixture of concern and something akin to desperation. He reaches towards me, his hand hovering, waiting for me to take it. His brown eyes, usually warm and calm, are full of turmoil I don’t understand.
I look away from him, my jaw tight. The scent of desperation hangs heavy in the air, and none of this makes sense. Why would Ryan even want us together? Why isn’t this all kinds of weird for him? “Just… give it some time, Fia,” he continues, his voice barely a whisper, “before you make such a huge—potentially deadly—decision. Please.”
“How long?” I ask, letting out a breath as I pause by the back door. I have no intention of giving this a chance, but for right now, I need to get out of here, and I need no one to follow me. Because the bond and being so at odd with my wolf is already wearing on me. My head pounds as I try to keep my emotions in check.
“Give it a month?” he asks. I hear Luca scoffing, but I’m choosing to ignore him.
“This is ridiculous,” Luca huffs. “Let her fucking reject me, if that’s what she wants. Maybe I’ll get a second chance. Someone who is an actual adult.”
“Maybe I’ll get someone who isn’t a gigantic asshole,” I fire back, and he lets out a growl that if I didn’t know better, I would swear sounded almost possessive. But that can’t be right. Luca hates me. He’s made it abundantly clear how little regard he holds for me.
