Elsa
I took a deep breath, my heart aching for Lucas. "You know how impossible that would be, Lucas," I said gently, though the words felt like a knife between us. "You know exactly how this mate thing works, and I don’t want to create more problems between you two."
I could sense the defeat in his silence, and it broke me a little more. He deserved better than this tangled mess of emotions, but I couldn’t give him what he wanted. My heart, despite everything, was already bound to Adam.
“At this point, I don’t care, Elsa,” Lucas’s voice trembled with frustration, and it hit me like a punch to the gut. “I’ll do anything to be with you and Claire. Adam is being selfish. He’s had a mate before. The fact that I’m even willing to be a third wheel should show you how desperate I am. He shoul
