Fates Entwined

10

"What have you done?" I asked, my voice shaking.

The hurt vanished and was replaced by that familiar steely-eyed determination. "What I had to do."

“By getting your pack to attack me?” I could barely breathe as that terror came back to me now. I’d thought I was being ambushed and that I’d have to fight all those wolves for my life. It had brought back so many awful memories of the Leos, reawakening my fear and hatred of them all over again.

“You were never in any danger. I wouldn’t let anyone harm you.”

“No, you just made me think I was in danger so you could trick me into shifting!” My hands balled into fists at my sides. “You forced the mate bond to activate when you knew I didn't want it!"

Jordan slowly rose to his feet and brushed himself off, drawing my eyes to all that tan, glorious skin on display. Hatred warred with desire inside of me, the mate bond humming between us. Half of me wanted to jump into his arms, and the other half wanted to claw his face off.

"You kissed me last night,” he said. “You felt the connection, just like I did. But you were going to leave without a word and go back to your pack like there was nothing between us. I couldn't let that happen. You're my mate, Stella. There's no denying it now."

"You set this whole thing up, didn’t you?” Betrayal burned through my veins as I picked up Ayla’s camera again. He’d come out here with Ayla this morning. He must have planted her camera here, hoping I would be sent to find it.

“I set up a possible situation and took advantage of it,” he said without any trace of guilt.

“And if I didn’t come? Would you have found some other way to get me to shift?”

“Yes.” His gaze was steady and unapologetic. “I wasn’t going to leave without you.”

“You knew I didn’t want this, but you forced it upon me anyway.” I couldn't believe what he'd done, how he'd manipulated me into a situation I’d tried so hard to avoid. I poured every bit of hatred, anger, and betrayal into the bond so he would feel it just as strongly as I did. “You’re despicable.”

“You’re right.” He crossed his arms, arrogance radiating from his posture. “I've never claimed to be a saint. You’ve always known I’m a villain.”

"Well, congratulations," I spat. “Your plan worked. We’re mates. But this doesn't change anything. I won't abandon my pack for you. I will never be your alpha female. And I would sooner die before becoming a Leo.”

He opened and closed his mouth like he was trying to find the right thing to say. Through the bond, I felt a dozen emotions ranging from confusion to regret to desperation, but I was done. I was so f*****g done.

I moved right into his space, my eyes locked onto his. “Jordan, I reject you as my mate.”

His eyes widened and he stumbled back as though I’d physically punched him in the gut. At my words, the connection between us was severed, vanishing as quickly as it had formed. My soul ached at the loss and something inside of me whimpered at being alone again, but I refused to take back my words.

Jordan straightened up and stared at me. I thought he would be angry, but instead, his eyes shone with a remorse that made my breath quicken. “I suppose I deserve that, after everything I’ve done.”

I had a feeling he didn’t just mean today. Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. The ache in my chest was nearly unbearable. Every part of me yearned to go to him, to take him into my arms and tell him I needed him, but I couldn’t do that. He’d tried to take away my choices, my options, my freedom. I would never look at him as anything but my enemy.

“Yes, you do.” I drew in a shaky breath. “I will never forgive you for this.”

“Maybe not, but we both know this isn’t the end of us.” He took a step closer, his voice low. "You may have rejected me, but you can't deny the connection between us, Stella. And deep down, you don't want to."

Anger and hurt clouded my vision, and I couldn't stand to be near him any longer. Without another word, I shifted back into my wolf, grabbed Ayla’s camera bag between my teeth, and sprinted away, leaving him standing alone in the forest. This time he didn’t chase me.

As I ran, I wondered if I'd ever be able to escape the pull between us. Even with the mate bond severed, the longing for him was a constant ache, a bittersweet reminder of what could have been if only things were different. Maybe if he had given me more time I would have entered the mate bond willingly, once I'd been ready to accept it.

Now we would never know.

CHAPTER SIX

The Ophiuchus packed up and left a few hours later, and I made it back to Coronis without another whiff of Jordan’s scent. Ayla seemed to sense something was wrong on the drive back, but she had so much on her mind she let me go without an interrogation. Max had decided to return to our pack and brought his new mate, a Taurus named Elliott. The other gay and lesbian mate pairs had also been given the choice of which of their packs to return with, after much heated discussion by the affected alphas. I had a feeling there would be more discussion on the matter soon, followed by a vote of all thirteen alphas. But that wasn’t my problem and it never would be, because I’d turned down the chance to become an alpha female.