Chapter 06
1022 Words
POV: Sarina
I paced around the room, feeling the cold floor against my bare feet. My hands were clenched into fists, the muscles in my shoulders rigid with tension. Every part of me screamed to go to Zander and demand a definitive answer, but what would be the point?
He had already given me his answer.
Maybe not with words, but with his hesitation.
The weight of reality was suffocating. I wanted to believe him, to hold on to the hope that he would choose me, but… the mate bond was a force neither of us could ignore.
I was tired of fighting alone. Or rather… not alone. I was carrying our child. Our baby.
Would it make any difference to tell him? Would it change anything?
The door creaked open softly. Zander’s scent filled the air, but this time, it didn’t bring the familiar shiver to my skin.
“Love…” His voice was gentle, but cautious.
I turned slowly to face him. He stood in the doorway, obviously tense.
“Don’t call me that. I’m not your love.”
The shadow of pain that crossed his face almost made me hesitate. But not enough.
Zander stepped closer. His steps were firm and measured, despite the obvious confusion in his expression.
“I don’t know what you want me to do.”
I crossed my arms.
“I want you to have the slightest bit of respect for me. To stop treating me like I’m stupid.”
He frowned.
“What are you talking about? I’ve never treated you that way.”
“Oh, haven’t you? Then tell me, Zander, what was your intention when you promised me you would reject Lillian, and the next day, you accepted her into our home? And worse, without even consulting me?”
He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking.
“I didn’t accept it because I wanted to. I accepted it because I had to.”
My nails dug into my palms.
“You had to?” I repeated slowly.
“Yes.” He opened his eyes, his expression resolute. “Healingwood Pack is an important ally. Refusing Alpha Edgar’s request could mean breaking our alliance. And in times like these, I can’t afford to make enemies.”
I rolled my eyes.
“So that’s it? You would sacrifice our marriage, everything we mean to each other, for diplomacy?”
“No…” He sighed, looking exhausted. “This has nothing to do with what we have.”
I stepped closer, leaving only inches between us.
“It has everything to do with it. Zander, I am your wife! But I don’t even know if you see me that way anymore.”
He reached for my hands, but I pulled away before he could touch me.
“Sarina, I don’t want to lose you.”
“Then prove it.”
His eyes shone like the moon as he looked at me so seriously.
“I’m trying.”
“Are you?” I crossed my arms. “Because to me, it just looks like you’re making excuses.”
He ran his tongue over his lips, clearly struggling to find the right words.
“I’m fighting this. Believe me, I really am. The mate bond isn’t something you can just ignore.”
My stomach twisted.
“So that’s it?” My voice came out weaker than I wanted. “You… feel something for her.”
Zander hesitated for a moment.
“My wolf does.”
I closed my eyes.
“And you?”
He didn’t answer.
The silence was the worst answer he could have given me.
. . .
That same afternoon, I had the misfortune of hearing exactly what I didn’t want to.
I was descending the stairs of the main hall when I heard Lillian’s voice echoing through the space.
“Zander, you can’t keep avoiding me!”
I froze on the last step. Just hearing her made my body tense.
“I’m your mate,” she continued, her voice tearful. “You should be by my side, not hers.”
My blood boiled.
I walked silently closer, hiding behind one of the columns.
Zander stood in front of Lillian, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression closed off.
“Sarina is my wife.” His tone was firm, but there was something in his posture that unsettled me.
Lillian stepped closer slowly, as if dealing with a wild animal.
“But your wolf doesn’t agree.”
I saw the muscles in my husband’s back tense.
Lillian noticed.
“I can feel it.” Her voice was a whisper. “You feel it too, don’t you?”
My heart clenched. He didn’t answer immediately.
“That doesn’t change anything.” He finally spoke, but his voice sounded… less certain than it should have.
Lillian smiled.
“Oh, Zander…” She lifted a hand to touch his face, but this time, he stepped back.
“Stop this.”
Lillian blinked, feigning confusion.
“I just want you to stop forcing yourself into something you clearly don’t want.”
My stomach twisted.
Was that what she thought? That he was forcing himself to be with me?
Zander took a deep breath.
“Don’t talk as if you know what I want.”
She tilted her head, assessing him.
“If it weren’t for the marriage, would you have chosen me?”
My lungs filled with air, but I felt suffocated.
Zander closed his eyes for a moment before whispering:
“I don’t know.”
My world stopped.
I had to grip the pillar beside me to keep myself standing.
Lillian smiled.
“You don’t know…” she repeated softly. “That says a lot.”
And then she turned and walked away.
I stood there, stunned, watching as my husband—or ex-husband—remained still, as if trying to process what had just happened.
I was also trying to process it. And honestly, I doubted I ever would. No, this story… I just couldn’t accept it.
But deep inside, I already knew the truth.
I would never be enough for him.
- Writer
