Chapter 3

That night, we returned to Kane's and my shared home to get my passport and Mom's. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Kane and Beth sitting on the couch I had picked out myself. They were on a video call with the healing center.

The framed photo of Kane and me from our registration lay on the floor, its frame shattered. Even the couple's nameplate by the entrance had been replaced. Beth's name was on it.

On the screen, Beth's mother lay propped up against her pillows, weakly calling Kane her son. Kane held Beth's hand and answered gently, "Don't worry. I'll take good care of Beth."

He sounded so gentle, but he had never spoken to me this way.

After the video call ended, Beth looked at me guiltily. "Mia, it's my fault. I said I shouldn't have come here, but Kane was afraid my mother would find out, so I had no choice but to—"

"I told her to come here. Don't take it out on her!" Kane said coldly, stepping in front of Beth.

Mom bent down to pick up the photo, but her knees gave way, and she nearly fell. I quickly reached out to steady her.

Seeing this, Kane hurried over to help, but Mom moved away from him. His hand froze, and he lowered his voice. "I'm sorry you've had to go through this. I'll take Mia to redo the mating ceremony tomorrow. We'll do everything the way she likes it."

He took out some ointment and knelt in front of Mom. Then, he carefully massaged it into her legs. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched. This was exactly what I had once longed to see. But now, everything just made me weary.

"We'll arrange another ceremony tomorrow. Mia, don't be angry anymore, okay?" he asked, looking at me tenderly.

I was just about to speak when Beth's phone rang. It was an emergency call from the healing center. "Ms. Cooper, your mother's condition has deteriorated again!" A nurse's anxious voice came through the phone.

Beth nearly collapsed to the floor, but Kane caught her in his arms. Tears streamed down her face as she cried, "Stay with Mia. If my mother doesn't make it, I'll face it alone."

Kane held her tightly by the shoulders, his voice turning serious. "I promised I'd take care of you. I can't leave you alone when your mother's in critical condition."

The nurse urged them to hurry, explaining that Beth's mother kept asking whether they had completed the mate marking.

Beth raised her red eyes as if she wanted to say something, then buried her face in Kane's shoulder instead. Kane was silent for two moments before reaching up and brushing the long hair away from the back of her neck.

When I realized what he was about to do, my entire body went rigid. I whispered, "Kane…"

He didn't turn around. He positioned his fangs over the delicate skin at the nape of Beth's neck.

Beth shuddered, her fingers tightening around his collar. The next moment, Kane bit down. Tiny beads of blood quickly welled up, only to be suppressed by his scent. The mark belonging exclusively to a mate began to emerge around the wound, its crimson painfully vivid.

My fingertips went numb, and every breath felt like torture. That mark was meant only for one's mate. Yet, he gave that mark to my best friend right in front of me, just to convince her mother that their relationship was real.

I screamed, "Kane, have you gone mad?"

Kane lifted his head and looked at me, unperturbed. "Mia, I did this to appease Beth's mother. Don't read too much into it. You're the one I love."

Beth pretended to be shy and weak as she leaned against Kane, the mark on her neck an almost blinding red.

Kane even took the spare key to the house out of the drawer and handed it to her. "I've just marked you, so you should stay somewhere filled with my scent. Stay here for the next few days."

Then, he turned to me, his voice taking on a commanding edge. "Our mating ceremony is postponed. For the next few days, I'll be visiting her mother as her mate. Don't be unreasonable and get jealous of her at a time like this."

I opened the drawer and took all my personal documents.

Beth stood up, her face burning red. "Mia, I'm only using this place temporarily. As soon as my mother's condition stabilizes, I'll return the key."

However, I didn't spare her a glance. I simply took Mom's hand and left without looking back.