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“The way you did after this?” I asked, ripping my shirt down to display her mark. “Didn’t tell him that, did you? You gonna mate her, knowing her wolf thinks I’m hers?”
“Caleb, stop it.”
“Why Ren? I thought we should talk; you know, since you fucking left me.” I yelled, hurt and confusion filling me.
She left me. Just up and ran.
“Because you’re an asshole, and you don’t want me! What do you expect from me, dammit? I love you.” She yelled, jumping up to glare at me so hard I saw her eyes turn bright blue before I felt…something.
Oh Christ, not this, I thought, taking a step back when I realized what was happening. I’ve known about this for a few weeks now, and some of the stuff Ren’s said gave me a clue, but feeling her, in my head, was something else entirely. Gasping, I took another step back and closed my mind off as much as I could because if she knew what I was feeling…fuck, she couldn’t know.
I didn’t want anyone to know me, not like this.
Cursing, I shook my head in denial and tried to tell myself I was okay. I wasn’t afraid, and I wasn’t some green boy who didn’t understand how things worked. Ren had the Knowing. She could read my mind, and that wasn’t her fault. The problem was I didn’t want her in my head. What she’d see there…
“You shouldn’t love me,” I murmured, the need to leave riding me hard now because I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t give her what she wanted. “You can’t love me. You have no idea who I am.”
“Yes, I do!” Ren whispered, her eyes pleading with me for things I just didn’t have to offer. “Please, Caleb. We can fix this.”
“There’s nothing to fix, Ren,” I said softly, the anger bleeding out of me so quickly I felt drained.
There was nothing to fix, and the more I reminded myself of that, the better off she’d be. Turning because there wasn’t anything left to say, I left her crying silently and made my way home.
Alone. Like I needed to be.
Ren
“Ren, honey, you need to stop crying.”
“I can’t,” I yelled, my emotions in turmoil as Caleb’s thoughts bombarded me and turned my already broken heart to mush.
God, I didn’t know, couldn’t have ever known just how much he hated the thought of mating, and as I sobbed softly, I finally accepted that it was over. Oh God, the fear, the anger, the way he had looked at me before he left.
“It’s going to be okay.” Trey sighed, rubbing my back comfortingly as he made plans and talked about a mating that would never happen.
Not because I didn’t adore him. I loved Trey. He was my best friend, and he deserved the kind of love I had just lost. A mating. A true melding of hearts, minds, and spirits, and he wouldn’t ever have that with me. Not now.
“It isn’t, and stop telling me we’re getting mated. We’re not. Stop glaring at me, Trey Chase. It isn’t happening. For one, I’m fated to your stupid, dumbass brother, and for another, I want to see you fall in love. Hell, I want to be at your mating and see your first cub born and be its favorite aunt.” I huffed, a small smile blooming when he groaned and leered at me mockingly.
“You think I couldn’t knock you up? I could call you ‘aunty’ while doing it.” He purred, making me snicker before my shoulders drooped, and I let out a sigh.
“God, that man is such an ass. I don’t know why I couldn’t just fall for you or Cole. You guys are a lot less—”
“Nuts?” Trey asked, grinning when I glowered at him.
“Don’t talk about Caleb that way. He can’t help being a little unstable right now. I just presented him with his worst fear, and before you ask, yeah, I get it now.”
“You connected?” Trey asked, smiling when I shrugged and shivered.
“This fating stuff is so awful.”
“It isn’t supposed to be. The fating thing is more of a melding so deep and intimate, you never feel alone.” He said softly, watching me intently while I shuddered.
“Says you because you don’t understand. He doesn’t think this is real, Trey. I mean, I knew it, but I, I felt it, and dammit, how am I supposed to convince him when he’s right. He had a Fated!” I sneered, despising his ex-mate so much. If I saw her now, I think I’d rip her face off.
“He has two animals. I’ve been trying to tell him for months. I don’t think she was his bear's choice.” Trey sighed. “Truth is, even when they were together, it was just his wolf. Those two-toned eyes were nowhere in sight. Just that crazy wolf.”
I chewed on that for a minute, trying to understand.
