The Condition

I sat on Brielle's couch, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.

"Kira, honey, you need to calm down." Brielle rubbed circles on my back, her voice soothing. "I can't understand what you're saying."

"I'm—" A hiccup cut me off. "I'm fucked, Bri. Completely fucked."

"Okay, deep breath. Tell me what happened."

I sucked in air and tried to compose myself. "Morrison fired me. And kicked me out of the apartment."

"What?" Brielle's hand stilled on my back. "He can't do that!"

"He did." I wiped my face with shaking hands. "I have twenty-four hours to pack my stuff and get out."

"That piece of shit." Brielle stood up, pacing. "We should report him. Sue him. Something. He can't sexually harass you and then fire you when you refuse—"

"With what lawyer, Bri?" I laughed bitterly. "I can barely afford groceries. I'm still drowning in student loan debt. I have exactly three hundred dollars in my bank account and nowhere to live."

"You can stay here—"

"Your lease doesn't allow additional tenants. Remember? Your landlord threatened to evict you last time I stayed over for more than a week." I dropped my head into my hands.

"I have no savings. No family. No options. In forty-eight hours, I'm going to be homeless."

Brielle sat back down beside me, taking my hand. "We'll figure something out. I promise."

"How?" The word came out broken. "I've been looking for jobs for months. Nobody's hiring, and even if they were, I can't afford first and last month's rent on a new place. I can't—" My voice cracked. "I can't do this, Bri. I can't go back to living like I did before."

"You won't. I won't let that happen."

She squeezed my hand. "What about your mom? Didn't she invite you to stay for the weekend?"

"No." The word shot out of me. "Absolutely not."

"Kira—"

"I can't stay there, Brielle. Not with him."

"Xavier?" She said his name carefully.

"Look, I know he was awful to you in school, but maybe—"

"He's my mate." The confession tumbled out before I could stop it.

Brielle's eyes went wide. "What?"

"We're fated mates. The bond snapped into place last night when he rescued me from the gala." I laughed without humor.

"Because apparently the universe has a sick sense of humor. I'm mated to my childhood bully who's now my stepbrother."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah." I wiped at my eyes again. "So no, I can't stay there. I can't be around him. The bond already makes it hard enough to think straight, and if I'm living in the same house—" I shook my head. "I'd rather sleep in my car."

"You don't have a car."

"Then I'll sleep on a park bench."

Brielle was quiet for a long moment. "Kira, I love you. You know I do. But you're being stubborn and stupid right now."

"Excuse me?"

"You have a place to stay. A nice place, from what you described. With your mom who's actually trying to make amends." She turned to face me fully. "I get that Xavier makes it complicated. But what's worse? Dealing with him for a few weeks while you find a new job and save up money? Or being homeless?"

"You don't understand—"

"You're right. I don't understand what it's like to have a mate bond. But I do understand that pride won't keep you warm at night." Her voice softened. "Just stay there temporarily. Two months, tops. Avoid Xavier as much as possible, save every penny, and then get your own place. You'll survive."

"I don't know if I can."

"You survived living in that trailer park. You survived Xavier's bullying. You survived everything your mom put you through." Brielle gripped both my hands. "You're the strongest person I know. You can survive this too."

I wanted to argue. Wanted to find another option. But deep down, I knew she was right.

I was out of choices.

***

Six hours later, I stood in front of the Sterling mansion with two battered suitcases and a duffel bag containing everything I owned.

My vision blurred with tears I'd been holding back since leaving Brielle's apartment.

This was rock bottom. Again.

The door opened before I could knock. Mom rushed out, her face crumpling when she saw my bags and tear-stained face.

"Oh, baby. Come here." She pulled me into a tight hug, and something inside me broke. I sobbed against her shoulder while she made soothing sounds and rubbed my back. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. You can stay here as long as you need."

"Two months," I choked out. "Maximum. I'm not staying longer than that."

"Whatever you need, sweetheart. Whatever you need." She pulled back, wiping tears from my face like she used to when I was little. Before everything fell apart. "Let's get you settled."

She led me inside and up a curved staircase to a guest room that was bigger than my entire studio apartment had been.

Large windows overlooked a garden. A queen-sized bed with fluffy white linens. An attached bathroom with a clawfoot tub.

"This is yours for as long as you're here," Mom said softly. "Take your time settling in. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

She left, closing the door gently behind her.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at my pathetic pile of belongings. Twenty-one years old and this was all I had to show for it. Two suitcases and a broken dream of independence.

After unpacking my meager belongings and washing my face, I ventured downstairs. The house was quiet. Too quiet. Maybe I could grab some water and retreat back to my room.

"Hey."

I froze in the kitchen doorway. Xavier stood at the island, coffee mug in hand, watching me with an unreadable expression.

"I heard what happened," he said quietly.

"With your boss. I'm sorry. If you need anything—"

"I don't care." The words came out harsher than intended. "I don't care that you're sorry. I don't want anything from you. Not now, not ever."

His jaw tightened, but he nodded. "Understood."

"Good." I stepped into the kitchen, keeping maximum distance between us as I grabbed a glass from the cabinet. "And I want to make one thing absolutely clear. My presence here doesn't mean you get to speak to me. At all."

"Kira—"

"I'm staying for sixty days." I filled my glass with water, focusing on the stream instead of looking at him. "That's it. Two months, and then I'm gone. So I would really appreciate—"

My voice cracked slightly, and I hated myself for it. "Please. I'm begging you. Just stay out of my way until I leave. And don't mention anything about the mate bond to me or our parents."

Silence stretched between us. The mate bond hummed insistently, trying to pull me toward him. I gripped the glass tighter.

"Please," I whispered.

"Fine," Xavier said finally. "I promise to respect your wishes."

Relief flooded through me. "Thank you—"

"On one condition."

I turned to face him, suspicion rising. "What the hell do you want?"

Before I could finish the sentence, he was there. He moved faster than should be possible, closing the distance between us in two strides. His hand cupped the back of my neck, and then his lips crashed against mine.

I tensed immediately, shock freezing me in place. My brain screamed at me to push him away, to slap him, to run. But my body betrayed me completely.

Heat flooded through me, my wolf purring with pleasure as Xavier's mouth moved against mine. His other hand found my waist, pulling me closer, and God help me, I let him.

My hands, which should have been shoving him away, curled into his shirt instead. When his tongue swept across my bottom lip, I opened for him without thinking.

He tasted like coffee and something uniquely him that made my head spin.

This was wrong. So wrong. But my body didn't care about wrong. The bond sang between us, every nerve ending lighting up as he deepened the kiss.

A small sound escaped my throat—part protest, part surrender—and I felt him smile against my lips.

His hand tightened on my waist, fingers splaying across my lower back, and heat pooled low in my belly. I couldn't think.

Couldn't breathe. Could only feel the solid warmth of him against me, the way his heart hammered just as hard as mine, the rightness of this that terrified me more than anything.

Then he broke the kiss and stepped back.

I stood frozen, lips still parted, chest heaving, my mind trying desperately to process what just happened.

The glass of water had fallen from my hand at some point, water pooling on the floor between us.

Xavier smiled—slow, satisfied, devastating. He licked his lips like he was savoring my taste. "I always wondered what kissing you would feel like."

I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Could only stare at him with my heart racing and the mate bond screaming for more.

"It was better than I imagined." His voice was rough, his eyes dark. "Much better."

He turned and walked away, whistling a cheerful tune like he hadn't just completely shattered my world.

I stood alone in the kitchen for several long minutes, my fingers touching my still-tingling lips, absolutely hating the fact that some traitorous part of me wanted him to come back and do it again.