beauty
1047 Words
She looked beautiful.
That was my first thought when Elena walked into the sitting room where I’d been told to wait. She wore jeans and a simple sweater, her dark hair pulled back in a messy bun. No makeup. No fancy dress. Just… Elena.
And she looked better than she had in months.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice was ice.
I stood up, suddenly aware of how I must look. I’d barely slept on the flight, hadn’t bothered to change from the clothes I’d been wearing for 18 hours. “I needed to see you.”
“You needed to,” she repeated slowly. “So you tracked me down, flew across the Atlantic, and showed up uninvited. Because you needed something.”
The way she said it made me realize how it sounded. How everything I’d done sounded, when you actually thought about it from her perspective.
“Elena, I—”
“No.” She held up a hand. “You don’t get to talk yet. I have questions, and you’re going to answer them honestly. Can you do that?”
I nodded, my wolf settling slightly at her willingness to even speak to me.
“Did you ever actually want to marry me?” she asked. “Or was I just a convenient alliance?”
“I wanted—” I stopped, made myself really think about the answer. “At first, it was just the alliance. But then I got to know you, and I started to want more. I wanted you to want me back.”
“So the games. The tests. Making me watch you flirt with other women. Giving my engagement ring to Sophia.” Her voice didn’t waver. “That was all to make me want you?”
“I thought if I could make you jealous, make you fight for me, it would mean you really cared. That it wasn’t just about the alliance for you either.”
“And did you ever consider just asking me how I felt?”
The question hung in the air. The floating messages appeared:
*[Ooh, she’s got him there]*
*[Alpha has no answer for that one]*
*[This is painful to watch]*
“No,” I admitted. “I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “Because I’m an Alpha. We don’t—we’re not supposed to show weakness. My father always said that if you show vulnerability, people will use it against you.”
“I’m not people, Adrian. I was supposed to be your partner.” She moved closer, and I caught her scent—wildflowers and rain. My wolf whined. “Do you know what the worst part was? Not the games. Not even the humiliation at the altar.”
“What?” I asked quietly.
“It was realizing you never trusted me. You never trusted that I could care about you without being manipulated into it. You never trusted me with the truth of how you felt.” Her green eyes glistened. “That’s not love, Adrian. That’s control.”
The words hit like a physical blow. “I do love you.”
“Do you? Or do you love the idea of me? The perfect Luna who’ll make you look good and never challenge you?” She shook her head. “Because the real me—the me who has opinions and boundaries and won’t play your games—you spent five years trying to break her down.”
“That’s not—” But the protest died in my throat. Because it was true. I’d wanted Elena to be softer, more pliable. I’d wanted her to need me so badly she’d overlook anything.
“I felt the bond,” I blurted out. “Six months ago. The mate bond. I felt it snap into place.”
Elena froze. “What?”
“You’re my true mate. I’ve known for six months.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” Her voice rose. “You knew we were fated mates and you still—” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “That actually makes it worse. You knew we were meant to be together and you still treated me like that?”
“I wanted you to choose me without knowing about the bond. I wanted it to be real.”
“It would have been real! The bond doesn’t force feelings, Adrian. It just confirms what’s already there.” She stepped back. “I was falling for you. For months, I was falling for you. And you were so busy testing me that you never noticed.”
Was. Past tense.
“Elena—”
“You need to leave.” Her voice was firm. “I came here to figure out my life without you in it. I’m not going back to Boston. I’m not going back to that alliance. And I’m definitely not going back to you.”
“I won’t accept that.” The words came out more aggressive than I meant them to.
Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t have a choice.”
“You’re my mate—”
“A fact you hid from me while you played psychological games! You don’t get to use the bond as leverage now.” She walked to the door and opened it. Two large men—clearly pack enforcers—stood outside. “Adrian, leave. If you show up here again, I’ll have you escorted off the property and file harassment charges.”
“Just give me a chance to make this right.” I hated the desperation in my voice, but I couldn’t help it. “Please.”
For a moment, something flickered in her expression. But then it hardened again.
“You had chances. Years of chances. I’m done giving them to you.” She gestured to the enforcers. “Gentlemen, please escort Mr. Blackwood off the property.”
They moved forward, and even though I could take them both easily, I knew I’d lost.
Elena had made her choice.
And for the first time in my life, I understood what it felt like to have someone walk away from you because you didn’t deserve them.
- Writer
