Semua Bab The Alpha Billionaire's Fake Mate: Bab 1 - Bab 5

ELENA POV "I, Cassian Vandenberg, reject you, Elena Hartwood, as my mate."The words hit me like silver bullets, each one tearing through my chest.I stood at the altar in white silk, the full moon bright above us, every member of the Obsidian Pack watching.I had never seen Cassian's hateful expression before, and it wasn't aimed at me."Your father murdered my family," he said, his voice carrying across the ceremonial grounds, "your bloodline is poison."I tried to speak, but nothing came out.The bond between us, the thing that had hummed and pulled and made me feel complete for the first time in my life, started to crack."Cassian, please," I whispered, reaching for him, "let me explain."He stepped back as I'd burned him."There's nothing to explain," he said, "you're the daughter of a monster, I was a fool to think the bond meant anything."His uncle Marcus stood beside him, one hand on Cassian's shoulder, steady and supportive.Marcus looked at me with something like pity. "I

ELENA POV "We're three months behind on the mortgage, Elena, three months."Mateo stood in my tiny office at Silvermist Sanctuary, waving a stack of red-stamped envelopes like they were evidence in a trial.Five years had passed since I'd left the Obsidian Pack territory, five years of building this wildlife refuge from nothing, and now it was all falling apart."I know how far behind we are," I said, not looking up from the expense reports on my desk, "I'm the one who opens the bills.""Then you know we need to make a decision," Mateo said, his voice gentler now, "maybe it's time to sell, cut our losses before we lose everything."I looked up at him then, this man who had partnered with me three years ago when the sanctuary was just me and a falling-down barn.Mateo Santos, thirty years old, kind eyes, patient smile, completely in love with me, even though I had never given him any reason to hope."We're not selling," I said."Elena, be reasonable.""I am being reasonable," I stood

CASSIAN POV My head felt like it was splitting by the time my driver pulled over two miles down the mountain road.I gripped the head rest of the seat in front of me until my knuckles turned white, trying to breathe through the pain."Sir, are you alright?" my driver asked from the front seat.Marcus Jr, my uncle's nephew, has been driving me for three years now. "I'm fine," I said, even though I wasn't, "just give me a minute." "Did you get what you came for?" he asked. "Yes," I said, "Elena agreed to the contract." "Did she seem different to you?" he asked. I thought about Elena standing at that gate, hatred burning in her eyes. "She's hiding something," I said. "What makes you say that?" "Just a feeling," I rubbed my temples, Marcus Jr was quiet for a moment."You know, you really should look at that photo again," he said, "the one you took last week when you drove up here." My blood went cold. "I wasn't here last week," I said. "Yes, you were," Marcus Jr insisted, "Th