Betrayed By Two Alphas:Bound By One Fate

Chapter 21

Liam’s POV

I pushed my tongue against her lips, desperate for her to let me in. She stayed sealed shut. Then her teeth sank into my bottom lip.

“Ow!” The sharp sting hit me, and I could taste the warm copper of blood on my tongue.

“Are you out of your mind? How dare you kiss me?” Her voice dripped with anger. She raised her hand fast, ready to slap me, but I caught her wrist in mid-air.

“You didn’t enjoy it?” I snapped, still breathing hard. “You let everyone else kiss you. Why not mine?”

“You have seriously lost your mind, Liam.”

“Yeah, maybe I have.” My grip on her wrist tightened. “And you know whose fault that is? Yours, Aurora. f*****g yours.”

She scoffed and yanked her hand free. “Now you’re blaming me? I left you, Liam. I’m done. You’re the one who can’t stop obsessing.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I muttered, irritation burning in my chest.

“But it’s true.” Her eyes locked on mine, steady and sure. “We’re divorced. Still, you couldn’t let me go. You sent your friend to break my heart, and even after that worked, you’re still here. Pinning me down. Forcing a kiss.” A small smile curved her lips. “What’s really going on, Liam? Do I get under your skin that much?”

“You are nothing to me, Aurora. You will always be nothing.”

“Then own it,” she shot back. “Let me stay nothing, because you mean nothing to me either.”

The words landed like a punch I didn’t see coming. A sharp sting spread through my chest. I hated how much it hurt.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, pushing me aside, “people who actually love me are waiting.”

She walked off without looking back. I stepped in front of the mirror, touched my busted lip, and winced. Blood still seeped. I dragged my fingers through my hair, pushing it back. What the hell came over me? Why did I even come here? Why did I kiss her like that?

Whatever this thing inside me was—this weak, aching part that kept pulling me back to her—I f*****g hated it. I didn’t want to need her. I didn’t want to feel anything. But the emptiness followed me anyway, no matter how loud I denied it.

“So… are you taking me home?”

The girl I came with leaned closer in the passenger seat. My eyes stayed fixed on the dark road ahead.

“You know, last time was really good,” she added, sliding her hand up my thigh. “I was hoping we could do that again.”

I didn’t answer. My busted lip throbbed, and all I could think about was Aurora’s words still ringing in my head.

“Get your hands off me.” Annoyance sharpened my voice. I slammed the brakes and stopped the car on the side of the road. “Get out. You’ll find a cab here. I’ll send your payment.”

The girl stared at me for a second, then shook her head. “You know, I’m not even surprised. But sometimes you should try treating people like humans.” She stepped out and slammed the door.

I drove off without another word. Aurora’s voice kept crashing through my head like waves I couldn’t stop. I’m not obsessing over her. But the thought of her laughing with other men, letting them touch her… it burned. With Lucian it was different—I knew he never really wanted her. These new guys? What the hell did they see in her? The anger twisted tighter in my gut. It pissed me off so much I could barely breathe.

I finally reached the house. As I walked in, the maids went quiet, whispering behind my back. They never let me hear the words, but I felt their stares. I climbed the stairs, unbuttoned my shirt, and dropped onto the bed. The room felt too big, too empty. My life had become quieter than normal, and I hated it.

I closed my eyes.

Aurora’s face appeared instantly—her eyes, her lips, the way she pushed me away. My eyes flew open. What the f**k is happening to me?

“She is our mate. We want her back,” my wolf said softly inside my head.

“No. No, you don’t get to say that.” My chest squeezed with fresh pain. “She isn’t our mate. We don’t need her.”

The ache spread anyway. I thought the pain had finally left me, but I was wrong. It disappeared the day Aurora came back. It eased again when I saw her on the way to the pharmacy. What did any of this mean? I was totally f****d.

***

“Sir, are you listening?”

A voice snapped me out of it. I blinked and found the entire board staring at me.

“What is your input on this issue, sir?” one of them asked.

“I… whatever the verdict is, I stand by it.” The words sounded stupid even to me.

“You don’t seem well, Liam,” another member said.

I looked at him and froze. For a second, it wasn’t him. It was Aurora sitting there, watching me with that calm, knowing look. I blinked hard. Once. Twice. He returned to normal.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m good. Carry on.”

The meeting dragged for another thirty minutes. The moment it ended, I walked straight to my office and started pacing. I had just hallucinated Aurora. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.

I pushed my hair back, frustration boiling under my skin. Every thought of her made my heart ache in a way I couldn’t push away. Why didn’t I feel this when we were married? Or maybe I did feel it and chose to ignore it. None of it made sense anymore.

“She is our mate and she belongs to us,” my wolf said again.

“Stop talking rubbish,” I growled.

My phone buzzed. I picked it up, and a real smile tugged at my lips for the first time today. Ashley was finally back. The love of my life had returned. Now I could get distracted. Now I wouldn’t have to think about Aurora again.

At least… that’s what I told myself.