Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first thing I feel when I wake up is warmth. I shift slightly, my body sore from the night before, and heat rises to my cheeks. The flimsy sheet barely covers me, but I don’t move to pull it up. Instead, I let myself bask in the moment, in the lingering scent of Aiden all over me.

He didn’t reject me.

He had chosen me.

I had given myself to him because I believed in the bond, in the promises he made last night. That he wanted me. That he would claim me. That I was his.

A small smile tugs on my lips, I open my eyes just as I hear the rustling of fabric, and my heart skips at the sight of him standing by the window, shirtless, pulling on his pants with ease. His muscles ripple under his tanned skin. The early morning light shines across his face, making him look even more breathtaking.

I watch him silently, my heart swelling with something dangerously close to hope.

Then he turns, noticing I’m awake. A slow smirk curves his lips as he walks over, sitting at the edge of my mat. His fingers brush against my cheek, and I lean into his touch, savoring it.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmurs.

I flush.

I bite my lip, suddenly self-conscious, but he doesn’t give me a chance to respond before his thumb grazes my lower lip.

“Did you sleep well?” His voice is deep, husky, sending shivers down my spine.

I nod shyly.

Aiden leans down and presses a soft, lingering kiss against my lips. “Come to the pack house tonight.”

I blink up at him, confused. “Why?”

He smiles. “I have a surprise for you.”

My heart skips again. “Aiden… does this mean…” I hesitate, afraid to hope. “Are you going to tell your parents about us?”

He smiles, his fingers trailing down my arm. “Just be there, okay? Trust me.”

And I do. Even after everything. I trust him.

By the time the sun sets, I’m standing in front of the mirror in the omega quarters, smoothing out the simple blue dress I borrowed from my friend, Lillian.

“You look beautiful,” she says softly, adjusting my sleeves.

I swallow hard, nerves dancing in my stomach. “Do you think he’s going to tell his parents?”

Lillian hesitates before offering a small smile. “If he said he has a surprise for you, then maybe.”

My heart flutters. Maybe this is it, maybe Aiden meant it when he said he would be proud of me.

Maybe he’s about to claim me, despite everything.

The pack house is alive with music and filled with people laughing, drinking, and talking. I step inside cautiously, my hands gripping the fabric of my dress. Wolves are gathered everywhere, talking, drinking, celebrating.

I stand awkwardly by the door, looking around. The wolves all stare at me, wondering what a maid is doing in the pack house when I’m not serving or cleaning. I try to ignore the stares. My heart thumping hard in my chest as I wait for Aiden.

Soon, I see every wolf beginning to gather around in a circle, all of them gasping with excitement. Slowly, I make my way towards the wolves, wondering what it is that caught their attention and made them excited.

Then I see him, and my entire world comes to a halt.

He’s standing in the center of the grand hall.

With her.

A girl with long, dark curls cascading down her back, wearing a shimmering emerald gown that hugs her perfect body. Her delicate fingers are entwined with Aiden’s as they move effortlessly across the dance floor.

He’s smiling at her, the same way he smiled at me, and my stomach twists painfully.

No. No, this isn’t… This can’t be real.

“Attention, everyone!” The Pack Alpha’s voice booms across the hall, cutting through my spiraling thoughts.

I barely register it. My heart is pounding too loudly in my ears.

“I have an announcement to make.” The Alpha’s voice is filled with pride. “Tonight, we celebrate the future of our pack. My son, Aiden, has finally found his mate.”

The crowd erupts into loud and excited cheers.

I can’t breathe.

“Meet Natalie, his fiancée and the future Luna of the Blood Moon Pack.”

Something inside me snaps. Natalie, fiancée.

I watch, frozen, as Aiden takes her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles. Suddenly his gaze snaps to me, and our eyes lock. Then he smirks and pulls Natalie for a kiss.

I feel sick.

I need to leave.

I turn on shaky legs, pushing through the crowd, my breath coming out in shallow gasps.

The moment I step outside, the cool air hits me, but it does nothing to stop the storm inside my chest.

Aiden lied.

He used me.

He never meant to claim me.

A broken, bitter sob rips from my throat as I clutch my arms around myself, my entire body trembling.

The Moon Goddess had cursed me.

Because there was no worse fate than this.

I begin to walk, not knowing exactly where I am heading to. Tears blur my vision, but I don’t let them fall. I can’t. I won’t.

A bitter laugh bubbles up in my throat. Of course, I was stupid enough to believe him. Stupid enough to believe that an omega, a maid could ever be loved by someone like Aiden Blackwood.

The Moon Goddess didn’t give me a mate.

She gave me a curse.

I don’t walk far enough when I feel it. The pain slams into me without warning, a searing, white-hot agony that knocks the breath from my lungs. My knees buckle, and I barely catch myself against the wall. A strangled gasp escapes my lips as my entire body burns.

I clutch at my chest, my vision swimming. What—what is happening?

Then I feel it.

The bond.

It’s burning. Tearing.

I squeeze my eyes shut as a new wave of pain crashes through me. Aiden is with Natalie.

Not just touching her. Claiming her.

The realization shatters something deep inside me. My body trembles as the mate bond lashes out in protest. It’s like my soul is being ripped apart, thread by thread, forcing me to feel every single betrayal, every single touch he gives to her.

A scream tears from my throat, raw and broken. My wolf whimpers, too weak to fight against the pain, too weak to do anything but suffer.

I claw at my skin, as if I can tear the bond away, as if I can rip Aiden out of me, but there is no escape.

I collapse to the ground, my body trembling, my breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Why? Why would he do this? Why would he come to me, hold me, kiss me, make love to me, only to turn around and… and…

The pain sharpens, a final dagger to the heart. I clutch at my chest, my vision going dark for a brief second.

Hot tears finally spill down my cheeks, and in that moment, I know, I can’t stay here.

I can’t survive this.

I have to run.