The Weston Bond

2

Selene's POV

I woke up before sunrise.

Not because I wanted to. That was the worst part. Even while Zane slept beside me, his arm still warm around my waist, I wanted to stay there with him. Every part of me wanted to stay so badly that it frightened me more than anything else had in years.

I lay awake in the darkness, listening to Zane breathe beside me while I thought about everything he had told me.

Brothers could share the same mate.

It was not gossip. Not some old myth people whispered about. It was part of his family's bloodline, passed down through generations. The bond I felt with him was only half of it. Somewhere out there was another man—his brother—a stranger I had never met, never spoken to, never chosen, who was also tied to me by the same bond.

I stared up at the ceiling and realized I could not think clearly while lying beside Zane. The bond was too strong in this room. He was too close, too warm, too comforting. Every second beside him made my thoughts weaker and my feelings stronger.

So I got up.

I dressed quietly in the dark and kept telling myself that leaving was not the same thing as running away. I only needed space to think clearly. I planned to find a quiet coffee shop, sit alone for a while, and sort through everything like a calm and reasonable adult.

"Leaving so soon?" I heard a voice say behind me.

I froze and turned to him with a weak smile.

"I thought you'd last twenty minutes," he said. "You made it eighteen. I'm impressed."

I stopped walking and immediately felt warmth spread through the bond again.

"Are you going to let me leave?" I asked him.

"Of course—after having coffee with me," he said and got up from the bed. He also got dressed.

I should have refused him. I should have walked away into the cold morning air. I should have put as much distance between myself and this place as possible before letting myself feel anything about him.

Instead, I waited for him to finish dressing, and together we walked out of the room. There was an empty restaurant across the way. We went there to have some coffee while we discussed.

We sat together in a quiet booth while workers moved around preparing for the morning rush. The early sunlight outside was soft and gray. Zane rested his arms on the table and looked at me as though I was the only thing in the entire room worth seeing.

"Ask me whatever you need to ask," he said quietly.

"How long have you known I was your mate at the ball?"

I knew he had seen me even before I noticed him.

"The moment I saw you across the ballroom," he said. He slowly turned his coffee cup in his hands. "The bond doesn't happen slowly. You know what it feels like."

"And you still waited before coming to me."

"I wanted you to feel it for yourself first," he answered softly. "I didn't want you thinking I only approached you because I already knew."

I stared at him for a few seconds.

"That was surprisingly thoughtful," I admitted.

He smiled a little, and the bond reacted instantly inside my chest in the most unhelpful way possible.

I looked down at my coffee cup.

"Tell me about the bloodline," I said. "Everything. Don't hide parts of it because you think I can't handle it."

Zane stayed quiet for a moment before answering me.

"It started four generations ago. My great-grandfather and his brother shared the same mate. She rejected both of them and disappeared."

He kept his eyes on mine.

"None of them were ever truly the same after that. They survived, but it was like something important had been ripped out of them forever."

"And after them?"

"My grandfather's older brother went through it too. But their mate accepted both brothers. They stayed together until the day they died."

"Were they happy together?"

Zane thought carefully before speaking again.

"Yes. Eventually, they were. The beginning was difficult. She hated the situation for a long time." A small smile touched his face. "Then she fell in love with both of them anyway."

I stayed silent after that.

"What happens if one brother rejects the bond?" I finally asked.

Zane's expression shifted slightly.

"It's different from rejecting a normal mate," he explained carefully. "Usually, a rejected mate bond hurts badly at first, but eventually you heal and move on. This is different."

He looked directly at me.

"The bond connects all three people. If one person leaves, the damage stays with the other two forever."

"So it can't just be you and me?"

"The bond was created for three people," he said quietly. "I know that isn't what you wanted to hear."

I thought about the strange pull I had felt all night long. Not only toward Zane, but toward something else too. Someone else is waiting somewhere beyond my reach.

"Tell me his name."

"Cain."

The name felt strange and unfamiliar in my head.

"What is he like?"

Zane hesitated before answering.

"He's four years older than me. He leads the clan. He's serious and careful. He thinks through every decision before making it."

Another pause followed.

"This is going to be difficult for him."

"Difficult because he won't accept it?"

"Difficult because he doesn't let people close easily," Zane admitted. "And this bond doesn't give anyone time to adjust slowly."

He watched me carefully.

"He's not a bad person, Selene. I need you to remember that before you meet him."

Something about the way he said those words made me nervous.

"Will he hate me?"

Zane lifted one shoulder slightly in an uncertain gesture.

"Wonderful," I muttered.

I heaved a sigh.

"I can't promise anything," I finally said. "Meeting him does not mean I'm agreeing to this whole three-person mate situation."

"I know," Zane replied calmly.

"I'm only agreeing to meet him."

"I know."

"And if I decide I can't handle this?"

"Then we'll figure something else out," he answered immediately. "I'm not going to force you into a life you don't want."

I studied him silently for a long moment.

The thing that affected me most was not his face or even the bond between us.

It was his honesty.

He spoke openly without hiding behind games or lies, and I had no idea how to defend myself against someone like that.

"Alright," I said quietly. "Take me to meet your brother."

Relief flashed across his face. He reached across the table and covered my hand with his. Warmth rushed through the bond the second he touched me.

"There's one more thing," he admitted.

"There's always one more thing."

"He doesn't know about you yet."