5
1064 Words
Selene's POV
Sleep never came.
I lay awake in the oversized guest bed, staring at the ceiling while moonlight spilled through the tall windows.
The Weston estate was quiet. Too quiet.
Yet no matter how silent the house became, my mind refused to follow. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Cain.
His cold stare.
His infuriating arrogance.The kiss we'd both pretended hadn't happened. I turned onto my side with a frustrated sigh.
"This is ridiculous."
I shouldn't have been thinking about him. I barely knew him. I'd spent years hating him. And yet...The bond refused to let him leave my thoughts.
It was exhausting. After another hour of staring into the darkness, I gave up.
Maybe a glass of water would help. Slipping out of bed, I quietly opened my bedroom door.
The hallway was empty. Only a few wall lamps burned softly, casting long shadows across the polished wooden floor.
I followed the corridor toward the staircase. Halfway there...I froze.
A woman's voice drifted through the silence.
"Cain..."
It wasn't just his name.
It was the breathless way she said it. Soft. Intimate.
My stomach tightened. No...
Slowly, almost against my own will, I looked toward the slightly open bedroom door.
Another quiet moan reached me.
My feet moved before my mind could stop them. I shouldn't have looked. I knew that.
But I did.
Through the narrow opening, I caught sight of Cain.
A woman stood impossibly close to him, her hands resting against his chest as she whispered his name again.
She looked over his shoulder. Our eyes met.
A slow, satisfied smile curved across her lips.
My heart dropped. I didn't wait to see anything else.
I turned and hurried down the staircase, blinking rapidly as tears blurred my vision.
Why did this hurt so much? I hated him. Didn't I?
Then why did it feel as though someone had reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart until I couldn't breathe?
The kitchen was empty.
Moonlight poured through the windows, bathing the room in silver. I gripped the edge of the counter and fought to steady my breathing.
"This is stupid," I whispered.
I reached for a glass with trembling fingers.
Before I could fill it—
"You look like you haven't slept."
I gasped. The glass slipped from my hand. A familiar hand caught it before it hit the floor.
Zane.
He set the glass gently on the counter before turning his full attention to me. His smile faded almost immediately.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
He studied my face."You've been crying."
"No."
A small, sad smile touched his lips.
"You've already learned I'm terrible at believing obvious lies."
I looked away."I said I'm fine."
"No."
His voice was gentle."You're hurting."
That simple statement shattered the little control I had left. I covered my face with one hand.
"I don't even understand why."
Zane stepped closer but didn't touch me. He waited. Giving me the chance to speak when I was ready.
Finally, I lowered my hand.
"I heard someone."
His expression tightened."Someone?"
"In Cain's room."
The warmth disappeared from his eyes.
"He wasn't alone."
Silence.
"I saw..." My voice cracked. "I saw enough."
For several seconds, Zane didn't say a word.
Then he closed his eyes briefly."You shouldn't have had to see that."
A bitter laugh escaped me."I don't even like him."
The words sounded hollow.
"So why does it hurt?"
Zane's gaze softened."Because the bond doesn't care how you feel."
I swallowed hard."I feel pathetic."
"No."
He shook his head."You feel rejected."
The distinction hit me harder than I expected."I didn't choose this bond."
"I know."
"I didn't ask for two mates."
"I know."
"And now..." I laughed through my tears. "Now I feel jealous over a man I can't stand."
For the first time that night, Zane reached for me. He rested a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"You're not weak, Selene."
"I don't feel very strong."
"You don't have to."
His quiet reassurance settled some of the storm inside me. Before either of us could say another word, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Cain.
He walked into the kitchen, his expression unreadable. Then his eyes found mine.
For a brief second...Something flashed across his face. Concern.
It vanished so quickly I almost believed I'd imagined it.
"There you are," he said.
I folded my arms tightly.
"Were you looking for me?"
His jaw tightened."You shouldn't wander around the estate alone."
I stared at him in disbelief."That's what you're worried about?"
His eyes narrowed."I told you this place isn't safe."
I laughed bitterly."Right."
He frowned."What does that mean?"
"It means you should stop pretending to care."
Silence stretched between us.
Zane glanced from Cain to me.
"What happened?" Cain asked quietly.
I looked him straight in the eye.
"You tell me."
Realization flickered across his face. He understood.
Whatever he'd seen in my expression told him exactly what I thought had happened. He exhaled slowly.
"You misunderstood."
I scoffed."I don't think I did."
His jaw tightened.
"This isn't the time to explain."
"Selene—"
"No."I stepped back.
"I don't want to hear it."
Cain looked away for a long moment. When he finally spoke again, his voice was colder. More distant.
"I've made my decision."
Zane stiffened."Cain..."
"I reject the bond."
The words landed like a blade to my chest. Pain exploded through me. I stumbled backward, one hand flying to my heart.
The bond didn't disappear. It tore. A cry escaped my lips before I could stop it. Zane caught me before I hit the floor.
"Selene!"
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I could only stare at Cain.
"You..." My voice shook. "You rejected me?"
His face remained unreadable."It's for the best."
"For who?"
No answer came. Only silence.
A tear slipped down my cheek. Then another. I laughed quietly, though there wasn't a trace of humor in it.
"So that's it."
I looked at the man fate had chosen for me.
The man I'd hated.The man I'd somehow begun to understand.
"You humiliate me..."My voice broke."...and then you throw me away like I was never yours to begin with."
Cain didn't answer. He simply turned and walked away. The moment he disappeared from the doorway, something inside me shattered.
Not completely.Just enough to make me realize A mate bond could break your heart long before it ever broke your soul.
- Writer
