Betrayed By My Fated Mate

11 Not Yet Caspian

Caspian POV

It's been a f**king week since Seraphina left, and I still feel like I can't breathe. Abby keeps trying to talk to me about missing Seraphina, but I can't bring myself to be around her. I know what happened isn't her fault, but being around her feels wrong. I need my mate. I miss her scent and the feel of her skin. Goddess, I just miss her. The only thing I can maintain my focus on doing is training. It also helps me when I'm alone in my room at night. I'm too exhausted for the thoughts of how badly I f**ked up to keep me awake.

George's cold eyes meet mine as he dismisses the warriors. I hate the anger and disappointment I see in eyes that once looked at me with pride. He still refuses to talk to me. Refuses to tell me where Seraphina is or to let me explain how much of a mistake I made. As I watch him turn away from me, I debate about trying to talk to him now, but his glare from a few seconds ago lets me know he still isn't ready. I turn intending to head back to the pack house to shower, but I stop in my tracks when I notice Brooke at the edge of the training field staring in my direction.

What the f**k is she wearing? She is barely covered. I try to ignore her as I gather my shirt from the ground. I intend to walk past her, but she steps in front of me. "Brooke, what do you need," I say gruffly. "I just wanted to check on you Caspian. I heard what happened between you and Fina," she says. I growl and she takes a step back. "I didn't mean any disrespect Caspian. I just can't believe she would reject you. She was lucky to have such an amazing mate," she says.

"Is there a point to this conversation, Brooke?" "The point is that you deserve a mate that will stand by you no matter what happens. A mate that will love you and put you first. A mate that will be a good Luna to the pack. A mate that is worthy of standing by your side," she says. "Let me guess, you think you should be that mate." She smiles and steps toward me again. "I do. Fina was never right for you Caspian. She will be a good Beta, but she isn't soft enough or beautiful enough to be Luna. She doesn't know her place like I do," she says.

Without hesitation, I reach out, wrapping my hand around her throat. Her eyes get big before fear settles in them. "Let me make some things perfectly clear to you. Seraphina is perfect. She is gorgeous. She is better than you in every way. I am not worthy of being her mate, but I refuse to give up trying to beg for her forgiveness for being stupid. She is mine. I f**ked up by not being honest, but nothing will change that she is mine. No one else will ever be my mate, especially not a conniving b**ch like you. Don't ever approach me again, or you won't like what happens next."

I release my hold on her and she coughs. She reaches for her throat as she tries to pull air into her lungs. As soon as she catches her breath, she takes off toward the pack house. I sit on the ground and put my face in my hands. A hand on my shoulder startles me. Anger bubbles up inside me thinking that Brooke came back. I look up ready to push her off when I realize it's George. For the first time since he returned, I see something other than anger in his eyes. "Get up, Caspian, let's talk in my office," he says. He offers me his hand and I take it.

We walk back to the pack house in silence. When we finally reach his office, I take the seat in front of his desk. "I heard what you said to that she-wolf. Your father also told me about the conversation that he and your mother had with you and Abby," he says. "You will never know how sorry I am, George. I hate myself for hurting Seraphina. Abby may have had her reasons for what we did, but mine was just stupidity. I thought it was just s*x, and it wasn't a big deal."

Anger flashes in his eyes, but he stays quiet, letting me finish. "That conversation that Seraphina overheard kills me. When I said it would be easier if Abby was my mate, I didn't mean I wanted her to be. I knew what I had done was going to hurt the one person I was meant to love and cherish. The person I was meant to protect. I don't want Abby. I never did. The only person I want is Seraphina. My chest aches every day that we have been apart. I feel like I can't breathe most of the time."

"Good, you should suffer for what you've done. You should never have touched another she-wolf, let alone one in our pack. If that wasn't stupid enough, then in your infinite wisdom you thought keeping the truth from my daughter was a good idea. I'm not saying she would have been happy about you sleeping with her best friend, but maybe you could have worked through it with honesty. I have never seen my little girl so broken. If you were any other wolf I would have kicked your a** all over this pack," he says. The tears that I thought were dried up start to run down my cheeks. His features soften, and he clasps his hand in front of him.

"Caspian, I have watched you grow from a pup into a man. I was thrilled when I realized that you and Seraphina were mates. I knew you hadn't saved yourself, but I also knew you would love my daughter. You would cherish her and help her bloom into the amazing woman she was always meant to be. She is an amazing warrior and one hell of a Beta, but she has always shied away from her softer side. She worried that the pack would view it as a weakness. Especially when her own brother made it known, he thought she should relinquish her title to him," he says.

"She is perfect. She is amazing in every way. Marcus is a jealous a**. Honestly, I'm not sure that I can ever trust him to become my Beta after what he did to Seraphina." "We will table that discussion for now. He has his own atonement to make for what he has done to his sister and you. I love my son, but I don't like him very much at this moment. So what do you plan to do to win your mate back," he asks, surprising me.

He chuckles at my look of shock. "Don't get me wrong Caspian, this isn't going to be easy, but things worth having rarely are. You need to decide if you are willing to fight for my daughter or if you are going to accept her rejection. If you aren't ready to fight for her then accept her rejection and take a chosen mate," he says and I growl. "Good, now first thing you need to do is speak to my mate. She is pissed and angry. If you were scared of my reaction, you should be terrified of hers. She wants your head on a pike for hurting our pup," he says.

"Do you really think there is a chance that Seraphina will forgive me, George? I can't live without her." "I think that will depend on how much you want it, Caspian. My daughter is strong and proud, but she is also soft and hurt. She loves you Caspian. I saw the way she looked at you before the sh*t storm hit. Those feelings don't just go away because you're hurt. The question is what you do next. I won't tell you what pack she is in but what I will say is that we will be receiving an invitation to an alpha ceremony soon. I think perhaps you should accompany your parents to the event," he says.

My heart is almost beating out of my chest at the prospect of seeing my mate. "Thank you, George. I promise you'll never regret forgiving me." "Oh, I haven't forgiven you yet, Caspian. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for my daughter. She deserves her goddess given mate. She deserves to be happy. She deserves a mate that would walk through fire to show her she is everything he wants. Don't make me regret thinking you can make this right and bring my daughter back where she belongs," he says. "You won't, I promise." I don't care what it takes.