Fated to Fall

Chapter 2

Kalen's POV

I should’ve listened to myself.

I hadn’t wanted a grand celebration for Aria’s birthday this year. She was turning seven, and I’d imagined something intimate—just us, a few friends, a quiet dinner under the stars. I couldn’t explain why I felt that way, but the idea of a massive gathering unsettled me.

Selina, of course, thought otherwise.

“It’s not just a birthday,” she said weeks ago, her eyes gleaming with warmth and certainty. “It’s a milestone. She’s only seven once, Kalen.”

I didn’t argue. I rarely ever did when she felt that strongly. Selina’s heart was always in the right place and I adored her for it. Still, something in me hesitated.

If I’d insisted… If I’d held my ground, maybe I wouldn’t have met Sierra Whitlock.

Maybe I wouldn’t be here now—splintered between duty, love, and a bond I never asked for.

The celebration was beautiful. Selina oversaw every detail, from the florals lining Havencrest Hall to the lavender silk bows tied around every chair. Our daughter, Aria, shone brighter than any star in the sky that afternoon, running around with her curls bouncing and her smile stretching from ear to ear.

But I didn’t enjoy it.

Not after I saw her.

Her scent hit me like wildfire—fresh mint and ripe apples, impossible to miss. My wolf, Varric, snapped to attention so violently it made me stumble. I turned toward the source like I was being yanked by a chain.

And there she was.

Sierra.

Long jet-black hair, legs that didn’t quit, and eyes that could disarm a battalion. But it wasn’t just how she looked—it was how the bond snapped into place the moment our eyes met.

Mate.

I staggered internally, barely holding myself together.

I tried to suppress it. I did.

But she saw me—recognized the pull instantly—and before I could retreat, she walked toward her car and glanced back at me.

An unspoken invitation.

Like a fool, I followed.

The car was parked beneath the shade of the hill, away from the crowd. When I stepped inside and shut the door, I knew I’d made a mistake.

But it was already too late.

The pull between us was suffocating. I stared at her, barely blinking, heart pounding like a drum of war.

“Alpha Kalen,” she greeted softly, her voice a mixture of reverence and danger. “You know what this is.”

I nodded numbly. “It doesn’t matter.”

She reached for me, her fingers brushing mine. “You’re mated?”

“Yes. Ten years. We have a daughter.”

A flicker of pain crossed her face, but she leaned in anyway, her voice trembling.

“I’m not asking you to leave your wife. I know how this works,” she whispered. “Just once. Just one night. Let me have you… and I swear, I’ll disappear. I won’t interfere.”

I should’ve said no.

I should’ve jumped out of that car and run straight to Selina, thrown myself at her feet and confessed everything before I allowed even one second of weakness to claim me.

But her lips brushed mine and I lost the battle.

Varric howled with triumph as instinct took over. My hands gripped her waist. She climbed into my lap like she belonged there, and for a breathless moment, I allowed it.

I nearly lost everything in that single kiss.

Then I remembered Selina. Aria.

I forced myself to pull away, my entire body shaking with restraint.

“I can’t,” I said hoarsely. “I won’t.”

“You don’t mean that,” Sierra said, her voice already cracking. “I felt it. You want me. We’re supposed to be together.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she didn’t wipe them away.

“I’m not the villain,” she whispered. “This isn’t my fault.”

And she wasn’t wrong.

But neither was Selina.

I left the car without another word. I didn’t look back.

By the time I returned to the party, Selina was gone.

I knew she’d felt it. Every moment in that car, every surge of desire and confusion—I knew she’d sensed it through the bond we shared.

She always did.

That night, I sat in our living room, drowning in silence and guilt, a drink in my hand that refused to offer peace. The moon stared at me through the window, unblinking and cold.

Selina entered later, barefoot and naked, water glistening on her skin. Her body was trembling from rage.

I stood, unsure of what to say.

She beat me to it.

“How could you, Kalen?” she asked, voice brittle with heartbreak. “You told me I was enough. You swore, if it ever happened, you’d reject her. You lied.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I said quietly. “I didn’t expect—”

“No,” she cut me off. “You didn’t try. You gave in. I felt it. You wanted her.”

“I still want you,” I said, and the words sounded so hollow in my mouth I wanted to swallow them back.

She shook her head and disappeared up the stairs.

I followed her later, slipping into bed beside her, but she faced away, unmoving.

I lay there silently, listening to her cry without sound.

The next morning, I received a mind-link from Nolan.

“Alpha,” he said, hesitant. “I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“I saw you get into Sierra Whitlock’s car yesterday.”

I said nothing.

“I didn’t want to believe the rumors,” he continued, his voice quiet. “But… was that what it looked like?”

“She’s my fated mate,” I admitted.

He didn’t answer immediately.

“I see,” he finally said. “You were… close. In the car.”

I closed my eyes.

“Please don’t speak of it,” I said. “Not yet. Not until I figure this out.”

“I won’t,” he promised. “But you should know—people are watching. Whispers are growing. You need to decide quickly, Alpha.”

After he disconnected, I sat in silence, my mind slipping to Ronan. Years ago, the same thing happened to him.

He found his true mate while already mated and with a child. I remembered how he handled it: he brought the second woman into his home, crowned her as his second Luna, and expected peace.

But his first mate crumbled.

Their daughter left the pack at fifteen.

His marriage fell apart.

He never recovered—not emotionally, not spiritually. He lost half his warriors, too.

I swore I wouldn’t let that happen to Selina.

I couldn’t let her become like Ronan’s Luna—broken, betrayed, and discarded under the weight of another woman’s title.

So what now?

I didn’t know.

All I knew was this:

I loved Selina. And I couldn’t lose her.

But fate was a cruel mistress. And Sierra was now a part of my soul.

Even if I never touched her again, the pull was so strong.

And I wasn’t sure if love alone could fix it.