Page 90 of My Dragon Boss's Secret Baby

"Yeah? We know you two dated and broke up," Drake said. "And?"

"I left her," I said. "It was bad. I made it bad on purpose. I told her for me it had only been for fun. That she was too weak to handle a real relationship. Told her she was boring in bed."

Zaden winced. "That’s rough."

I shrugged. "It was the only way to make her go. I didn’t want her to spend a decade pining for a sleeping man, and she would have. She's loyal to a fault."

Ashton’s jaw ticked. "You could have told her the truth."

I glared at him. "She'd have spent a decade pining. And I had no idea she was my mate then. If I had, I would've claimed her and not slept."

Drake cocked his head. "But you’re awake now. Why not talk to her?"

I almost laughed. "Because she hates me, Drake. I made sure of it."

Silence. Zaden leaned in. "But you can’t let go. Can you."

"No," I said. "It’s the bond. It’s different now. I can’t breathe when she’s in the room. I can feel her heartbeat from across the bar. And now it's too late."

Zaden squeezed my shoulder. "You have to tell her, man. Otherwise the bond’s going to eat you alive."

I shook my head. "How do I explain? ‘Sorry I ripped your heart out and stomped it, but turns out you’re my one true mate and I’d like a do-over?’"

Drake laughed, a low bark. "That’s exactly what you do."

I shoved him, but he didn’t move. Ashton put a hand between us. "Take a breath, Chance. You don’t have to solve it tonight."

I stared up at the night sky. For a second, the old anger came back, a hot, wild feeling that made me want to burn something. But underneath it was something worse. Hope. "I’m going to fuck it up," I said.

"Probably," Zaden said. "But you’ve got to try."

The bond thrummed through me, pulling me toward her, even now. I could hear her laugh, sharp and musical, floating through the back door. I wanted to go to her, to beg her to forgive me.

Drake’s grin widened. "You’re so fucking screwed, dude."

He was not wrong.