The Weston Bond

6

Selene's POV

For the briefest moment, Cain's expression cracked.

He look Guilt.

It flickered across his face before the familiar cold mask returned, hiding whatever he truly felt.

"You don't understand how dangerous this is," he said quietly. I let out a bitter laugh.

"Oh, I understand perfectly."

I swallowed against the painful lump in my throat."You don't want me."

The words came out broken, shattering what little pride I had left. A sharp pain twisted through my chest. I gasped, instinctively reaching for the kitchen counter to steady myself.

Before I could fall, a strong hand caught my arm.

"Easy," Zane murmured.

His grip was firm but gentle.

I barely had time to thank him before I felt another pair of eyes on us.

Cain's gaze had dropped to where Zane was holding me. For just a second, something dark flashed across his face.

Jealousy.

It disappeared almost as quickly as it came, but I had seen it.

Interesting.

For someone who had just rejected me, he looked strangely bothered by another man touching me.

"You're hurting her," Zane said, his voice calm but firm.

Cain gave a humorless laugh."The bond hurts both ways."

"Then why reject it?" I shouted.

My voice echoed through the kitchen, leaving a heavy silence behind.

To my surprise, Cain looked away first. His jaw tightened, as though he was fighting a battle inside himself.

"You think I had a choice?" he asked quietly.

"Yes."

I stepped toward him despite the pain in my chest.

"You always have a choice."

His eyes met mine."You don't know anything about me."

"And whose fault is that?"

The words hung between us. The bond inside me thrashed violently, like a wounded animal refusing to give up. Every heartbeat hurt. Every breath felt heavier than the last.

Zane stepped forward, placing himself between us."Enough."

Cain's eyes narrowed.

"Move."

"No."

The single word was enough to silence the room. Only then did I realize something. These two men weren't simply different. They were complete opposites.

Cain was fire. The kind of man who burned everything around him just to keep himself standing.

Zane was ice.Quiet.Controlled.But somehow even more dangerous because he never needed to raise his voice.

Cain folded his arms."What are you going to do?" he asked sarcastically. "Pretend you're her protector now?"

Zane didn't hesitate."If I have to."

My breath caught.

The air between them turned dangerously tense.

At the same time, I felt something inside me shift.

The bond with Zane pulsed softly.

I hated it. Of all the times for my body to react to him, why now?

Cain noticed.

I watched the exact moment he felt it.

His face darkened before he let out another bitter laugh.

"See?" he muttered. "This is exactly why everything is a mess."

I frowned.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

This time, he looked directly at me.

"The moment I rejected the bond," he said quietly, "your bond with Zane became stronger."

The room fell silent.

I stared at him."No..."

The denial left my lips automatically. But deep down, I already knew. I could feel Zane's heartbeat more clearly than before.

Zane shook his head."You shouldn't have rejected the bond so impulsively."

Cain scoffed."Impulsively?"He laughed bitterly.

"You think I haven't been thinking about this for months?"

Months?

I blinked."What did you just say?"

The question escaped before I could stop it.

Cain froze. Realization flashed across his face. He had said too much. Slowly, I looked from him to Zane.

"You knew."

Neither of them answered."You knew I was your mate before tonight."

Silence.

My stomach tightened painfully. I turned to Zane.

"You told me Cain didn't know."

He closed his eyes briefly. That was all the answer I needed. A fresh wave of anger washed over me.

"You both knew."

The betrayal hurt almost as much as the rejection itself.

"You both knew," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

The silence that followed was deafening. I looked from Cain to Zane, waiting for one of them to deny it.

Neither did. My heart clenched.

"You manipulated me."

Zane's expression hardened immediately."No."

"Yes," I snapped, turning to him. "You did."

His jaw tightened."We were trying to protect you."

I laughed bitterly."Protect me?"

I shook my head."Funny, because all I feel right now is trapped."

The room fell silent again.

Cain leaned against the counter, crossing his arms, but I noticed the tension in his posture. Every muscle in his body looked rigid, as though he were barely holding himself together.

"You think this has been easy for us?" he muttered.

I rounded on him."I don't care if it was easy for you!"

My voice echoed through the kitchen."You rejected me like I was disposable."

Something dangerous flickered in his eyes."You think that's what I wanted?"

"Isn't it?"

"No."

The answer came so quickly that all three of us froze.

Even Zane looked surprised. Cain cursed under his breath and dragged a hand through his hair.

"You don't understand."

"Then help me understand!"

For the first time since we met, the walls around him seemed to c***k. When he looked at me again, I didn't see anger.

I saw fear. Real fear.

"If I accept the bond," he said quietly, "you die."

The world seemed to stop. I stared at him.

".What?"

Zane stiffened."Cain."

"She deserves to know."

"Not like this."

Cain ignored him. His eyes never left mine.

"There's a reason no one has seen a dual-mated wolf in centuries."

I frowned."The bond becomes unstable."

His voice was calm, but I could hear the pain beneath it."It begins to tear at everyone connected to it."

My thoughts spun. Nothing made sense anymore.

Earlier, they had acted as though having two mates was rare.

Now they were telling me it was dangerous.

"So everything you've told me..." I whispered. "Was it all a lie?"

"No," Zane answered softly."Not a lie."

"Then what?"

"A truth we couldn't explain."

I let out a frustrated laugh."That doesn't even make sense."

Cain's smile was bitter."It doesn't have to."

He looked toward the window before continuing.

"The Moon Goddess doesn't explain herself."

I folded my arms tightly across my chest."I deserve more than riddles."

"You do," Zane admitted."There are old stories."

I looked at him."You knew about those too?"

His silence answered for him. I closed my eyes briefly. Of course. Everyone knew except me.

"So that's how this works?"I asked quietly."You both make decisions about my life while I stumble around in the dark?"

"You weren't supposed to be involved," Cain said.

My eyes snapped open. I actually laughed."Are you hearing yourself?"

I pointed at my chest."I'm literally the center of whatever this is."

His expression darkened."You were supposed to stay hidden."

My smile disappeared."Hidden?"The word settled uneasily in my chest."Hidden from whom?"

Neither brother answered. A cold knot formed in my stomach.

"From who?" I repeated.

Cain pushed away from the counter."The Blood Moon Pack."

The name seemed to change the atmosphere inside the room. Even Zane's shoulders stiffened.

I frowned.

"Who are they?"

Cain's expression became unreadable."They're a rogue pack."

His voice was colder now."They've spent generations searching for wolves with rare bloodlines."

A chill crept through me."What do you mean by 'searching'?"

Zane answered before Cain could.

"They believe rare bonds create stronger descendants."

The implication hit me immediately.

"They're trying to breed them."

Neither man denied it. Disgust rolled through me.

"That's sick."

"It is."Cain's voice was flat."And they'll stop at nothing to get what they want."

I swallowed hard."So that's why you rejected me?"

His jaw clenched."It was part of it."

"Part of it?" I'm Lost "What does that mean?"

He hesitated. Long enough for my heartbeat to quicken."People are watching this pack."

His gaze locked onto mine."If they knew you carried two mate bonds..."

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.

I already understood.

"They would come for me."

Cain nodded once.

"Yes."