Chapter 3

Letty’s pov

There was silence. Then.

“Come in.” His voice was calm. Too calm.

I opened the door.

Mason stood behind his desk, sleeves rolled up, jaw tight and his eyes colder than I had ever seen them. Not distant, not conflicted.

The door shut softly behind me, the sound echoing louder than it should have.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” I said before I could stop myself.

His gaze flicked to me briefly, then away. “You shouldn’t be here.”

The words landed like a slap.

“I heard them talking,” I said, my voice shaking despite my effort to steady it. “The house help, they said you’re already mated.”

That got his attention.

His eyes snapped back to mine, sharp and warning. “You shouldn’t listen to gossip.”

“So it’s not true?” I asked, hope surging painfully in my chest. “Tell me it’s not true, Mason. Look at me and say it.”

He stared at me for a long moment. Too long.

Then he said quietly, “You need to leave.”

I laughed once, broken and disbelieving. “That’s your answer?”

“This conversation ends here,” he said, his tone commanding

My chest burned. “No. You don’t get to touch me like I mattered and then shut me out like I was nothing.”

Mason jaw flexed.

“You shouldn’t have come to me,” he said.

“You’re right,” I snapped. “I shouldn’t have trusted you.”

That did it.

He turned fully toward me, eyes dark, voice sharp. “You think this is about trust?”

“What else is it about?” I demanded. “You slept with me knowing you belonged to someone else.”

“I didn’t belong to her,” he said harshly.

I froze. “Then who do you belong to?”

His lips parted then pressed together again.

The answer hung between us, heavy and cruel.

“So I was just, what?” My voice cracked. “A distraction?”

“No,” he said too quickly.

“Then say it,” I whispered. “Tell me what I was to you.”

He stepped closer, stopping just out of reach, his restraint trembling like a breaking wire.

“You were a mistake,” he said coldly.

His words shattered something inside me. I staggered back as if he had struck me. “A mistake?”

“Yes,” he repeated, forcing the word out like punishment. “One that should never happen again.”

Tears blurred my vision. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” he said, his voice ice cold. “And you need to forget last night ever happened.”

I shook my head slowly. “You’re lying.”

“Leave,” he said.

“Mason…” I almost lost my voice

“Leave,” he repeated, louder now.

“Why?” I cried. “Why push me away like this?”

His hands curled into fists at his sides.

“Because if you stay,” he said through clenched teeth, “I won’t stop myself next time.”

The confession stole my breath.

“So that’s it?” I whispered. “You break me to protect me?”

His eyes flickered with something raw and dangerous. “You think I don’t feel this tearing me apart?”

“Then why are you doing this?” I sobbed.

“Because the truth would just make it worst,” he said.

I laughed bitterly. “You’re already doing a good job.”

Silence swallowed us.

Finally, I forced myself to straighten. With shaking hands, I wiped my tears, even though more kept falling. I lifted my head to face him, my voice barely steady but filled with truth.

“If I walk out that door,” I said quietly, each word cutting deep, “I won’t come back.”

His chest rose sharply.

“Go,” he said.

I stared at him, memorizing his face, the man who had made me feel seen, wanted and loved..

“I loved you,” I whispered.

The words landed like a blade.

His eyes shut briefly, his control cracking for just a second.

Then he opened them again, cold.

“You’ll get over it,” he said.

With his crushing words, I didn’t even get the chance to tell him about me being pregnant, I just

turned and walked out before he could see me break completely.

Mason Pov

I stood alone in my study after she had left, staring at my hands as if they belonged to someone else.

The memory of the night before clung to my skin like a scent I could not wash away. Her warmth and her breath. The way Letty had looked at me when she thought I might leave her behind.

I had tried to.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I had told her, my voice cold even as my body refused to listen. God, I had meant it and still, I hadn’t stopped it.

“Damn it,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. My chest felt tight, like something was trapped inside it, beating too hard.

I had felt it then and I felt it now, the pull.

The truth I had been denying since the day she arrived under this roof. Since the first time I heard her laugh echo down the hall. Since the first time her scent had wrapped around me and refused to let go.

She wasn’t supposed to be part of this world or even supposed to matter.

Then a sharp knock sounded at my door, pulling me back.

“Come in,” I said roughly.

The door opened, and my father stepped inside. Micheal, Alpha of the pack. His presence filled the room instantly, the way it always did. It was calm, controlled and heavy with authority. Even without speaking, he commanded attention.

“I didn’t know you were back yet,” he said, his voice even. “The bond is progressing faster than anticipated.”

My jaw tightened.

“Yes,” I replied.

He studied me closely, his sharp eyes missing nothing. I had faced enemies with less fear than I felt under that gaze.

“The council is pleased,” he continued. “The ritual will take place soon.”

My chest constricted at the word ritual.

“The mate chosen for you is strong,” Micheal said. “Her bloodline will secure the pack’s future. She is everything we need.”

I nodded, even though every part of me resisted. “Of course.”

Silence stretched between us. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, loud and traitorous.

“You seem distracted,” my father said at last.

I lifted my head and met his eyes. “It’s a lot to carry.” I answered.

That was the truth, just not all of it.

He stepped closer and placed a firm hand on my shoulder. The weight of it was familiar, heavy and grounding. A reminder of duty.

“This is our way, Mason,” he said. “The bond is not about desire. It is about duty, legacy and survival.”

If only he knew.

If only he knew that desire was already tangled in my bones. That it lived under this roof, breathed the same air, slept just rooms away from me. That it had a name. A voice. A heartbeat I could still feel pressed against my chest from the night before.

“She will accept you,” my father said firmly. “As all mates do.”

I swallowed hard.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “She will.”

But even as the words left my mouth, I knew the truth.

The bond might belong to the pack but my heart had already chosen its own war.