2
1609 Words
LANA
“Mate.”
My wolf growled, and panic surged through me.
No, it couldn't be.
It wasn't possible that my fated mate was around here on my supposed wedding getaway trip. The Moon Goddess must be playing some crazy games right now.
I turned around so fast, and then I saw who was standing in the hallway. Big grey eyes locked on me. He wasn't just staring. He was watching every part of me. The tears streaming down my face, the pain etched into my face and my trembling fingers.
Jace Sinclair!
Jude's brother and the black sheep in their family!
His jaw clenched. He had seen everything, not just the scene unfolding in the room Jude was with his plaything, but me. He had seen my pain, my tears, and my heartbreak. He didn't do anything at first. He just stood there, staring.
Then, the moment my wolf growled again, his scent pine and wood wrapped around me. My breath caught, and my eyes widened as the realisation sank in slowly, painfully, like ice crawling through my veins.
He was my mate?
The realisation hit me like a slap to the face!
How could my fated mate be my fiancé's brother of all people? What kind of twisted fate was this? What was the Moon Goddess thinking?
“Mate!”
His wolf growled, and shock flashed in his eyes, too. He opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again. Then, his eyes moved to the door behind me. The loud moans and whispers from inside still floated through the hallway like poison.
My heart shattered over again into a million pieces.
Jace’s whole body tensed, and a low growl rumbled from his lips, one he didn't bother to hide.
“Lana…” He muttered through gritted teeth, his voice tight and filled with pain.
He took slow steps closer, but I didn't wait. I couldn't. Not when I'd just found out he was my fated mate, and I had just caught my supposed chosen mate cheating on me.
With hot tears gushing down my face, I bolted into the suite that was meant for Jude and me and slumped on the bed.
The pain from Jude's betrayal stung deeper than any other pain I'd ever experienced. He had cheated on me right in the same hotel he had booked for our wedding getaway.
He'd lied about having something important to deal with. I guess f*****g his plaything was also important.
Tears blurred my vision as a hysterical laugh broke out of my lips at the absurdity of my situation.
I searched through my bag in search of my phone. I didn't know what I was expecting when I dialled Jude's number. The phone rang for a few seconds before he picked up.
“Jude, where are you? I just landed in Paris.” My tone was low as I spoke into the phone.
Maybe I was expecting that what I had just seen in the other room was a dream or my imagination.
“Hi, baby! I will be in Paris soon. I'm still dealing with some stuff in the pack.” Jude lied from the other end of the phone.
My heart lurched in my throat and his words felt like numerous knives were being pierced into my heart, causing it to bleed.
My stomach twisted at his lie.
If he was going to do that, he should have found a decent place to f**k his plaything and not the same hotel he had reserved for us, for our wedding getaway.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, unstoppable and relentless as the pain cut deeper into my heart. I'd thought that I could make things right. That I could make Jude love me again during the wedding getaway trip.
I thought we'd be able to spend time alone and that would strengthen our love and relationship again. But I had been wrong all this time. It looked like no matter what my plans were, Jude was never going to love me the same way he did when the relationship started.
He should have just called off the wedding. I wonder why he hadn't done that if he didn't love me anymore.
Evening came and Jude hadn't arrived yet. He was really having the best time of his life with his plaything.
My phone suddenly rang and his name flashed on the screen. I let out a sad sigh before picking up.
“I'm here, Lana. You should come out for dinner, our families are here,” He said.
My heart tightened painfully in my chest and I swallowed down the lump that had lodged in my throat.
“Okay,” my tone was barely above a whisper as I tried to hold back tears.
The call ended and I rose to my feet, not bothering to change my dress. I moved to the washroom, washed my face and checked myself in the mirror. My baby blue eyes were slightly red from crying and my lipstick was smudged.
I added another lipstick and used a little makeup to cover my red and swollen face. I couldn't let any of the family members see that I was hurt.
Plastering a smile on my face, I made my way to the dining room where the dinner was held.
The first person I saw when I stepped into the dining area was Jude and my fists clenched tightly by my sides in fury. I masked my anger with a smile and walked towards the table where he was sitting with his parents and my cousins.
“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair,” I greeted them, my lips stretching into a smile.
My cousins rose to their feet and pulled me into a tight hug the moment they saw me.
“Congratulations, Lana,” They both said in chorus.
My heart ached deeply, but I forced a smile and thanked them both.
“How are you doing, Lana?” Jude's father asked in a cold tone.
“I'm fine, sir,” I replied to him, the smile not leaving my lips.
“You look more beautiful, today,” his mother complimented.
“Thank you, mother. You look beautiful too.”
I pulled out the chair beside Jude and sat on it. He let out a sigh, then wrapped his big palm around mine. His touch, which was usually gentle and warm, now felt irritating. It took all I had in me not to snap at him at that moment.
A ball of frustration lodged in my throat and I swallowed it down. He must have sensed my stiffness as he looked into my eyes, his eyebrows furrowed.
“We should start eating now.” His mother said.
Suddenly, the familiar scent of pine and wood filled my nostrils again and my heart practically jumped out of my chest.
My wolf, which had been silent for the past few hours, perked up inside me, her joy bubbling to the surface.
Then like a dam, memories from a few hours ago flooded my mind.
My mate.
My fated mate.
Jace Sinclair.
He was close now. I'd forgotten about him, blinded by the betrayal of my fiancé.
“Are you planning to eat without me?” I recognised that tone even before I saw him.
Every head in the dining room turned towards the door at the deep baritone voice. My fingers trembled as my heart pounded heavily in my chest.
“Are you okay?” Jude asked gently and I bobbed my head at him, faking a smile.
My chest tightened as Jace's scent flooded my senses and I wanted nothing more than to melt in his embrace right now. I tried so hard to control my wolf from taking over and running towards him, revealing to others that he was my mate.
“You are not supposed to be here,” Jude's cold voice filled the room as Jace walked into the room.
My breath caught at how cold Jude had spoken to him. I thought they'd settled their differences? Moreover, Jace was the older one, why would Jude talk to him in such a cold manner?
Jace smirked at him. “Calm down, little brother. I only came to congratulate you. Isn't that right?”
A loud growl rumbled from Jude's chest at his brother's words, but Jace remained unfazed as he pulled out a chair across from me and sank into it.
His grey eyes locked onto me and my breath caught in my throat as the mate bond surged forward, hot and electric.
The urge to kiss him, to claim him and make him mark me at the moment was overwhelming and almost irresistible. I nearly forgot where I was and who I was.
Goddess!
The damn mate bond!
Jude's father and mother had begun eating, ignoring the stares their children passed at each other.
I looked over to my cousins, too; they were oblivious to the tension in the room as they fixed their gazes on their plates of food.
My heart thudded loudly in my chest and I just wanted to stand up and return to the pack. I was no longer interested in my wedding with Jude until he assured me that I was still the one he loved.
I was about to excuse myself when Jace's voice filled the room again.
“Are you two fated mates?” He asked, his eyes moving between me and Jude.
My heart skipped a beat and my nails dug into my palms under the table. What the hell was he trying to do now?
- Writer
