CHAPTER SEVEN
1112 Words
KAIDEN'S POV
I should’ve waited.
I should’ve done what Sterling said—drag it out, pretend, play the long game.
But I couldn’t.
Not after last night. Not after the way she looked at me when she realized the bond had snapped into place. Like I was the last person she ever wanted to be tied to—and the first person who could destroy her.
And I would, if I let this go on.
The truth was simple:
If I didn’t cut the bond now, I’d fall for her.
I already was.
Every second, I stayed near her. Every time her scent wrapped around me, it got harder to breathe. It's harder to lie. It's harder to pretend like she wasn’t everything my wolf wanted.
Even when others talked bad about her, how she threw herself at me the moment she shifted, I wanted to scream that she was my mate and they had no right to talk to her that way.
But my hands were literally tied.
Sterling knew all my secrets. Even my father's debts and how I have been repaying it, he knew everything.
Now he used that against me.
I couldn’t trust myself. Not around her.
So I went looking for her.
She wasn’t in the training field. Not in her room. Not even in the eastern gardens, where she usually walked when she was angry.
She couldn't show her face again because of the shame I brought upon her.
But the library—that’s where I found her.
Tucked near the far window, surrounded by stacks of old history books and paper scrolls, wearing thin silver-rimmed glasses that made her look… ethereal.
Her legs were folded beneath her. Her hair tied up in a lazy bun, one strand falling near her cheek. The late afternoon light filtered through the stained glass, painting colours across her face.
Beautiful.
She was so damn beautiful.
I always knew she was so beautiful.
And I never hated her.
Goddess, no, i didn't hate her, I never did.
In fact, I admired her secretly.
How she carried herself, how she did everything right and so meticulous and detailed.
She was an embodiment of power, and she deserved the Alpha title.
But my loyalty and life laid with Sterling.
The Beta position could also give me the funds to pay off my father’s debts and finally be free.
I was tired of giving starving women their needs in secret.
But Silver was everything a man could ask for.
And I hated that it made me hesitate.
She looked up as soon as she sensed me.
Her eyes narrowed instantly, suspicion flashing through those moonlit irises.
“What are you doing here?”
I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come. My tongue felt like sand. My throat dry.
“I—”
Nothing.
Silver set her book down slowly, eyes never leaving mine.
“Actually… since you’re here, there’s something urgent I need to discuss with you.”
She stood up, walking toward me, calm, composed—far more composed than I expected.
“I’ve been thinking a lot these past three days since I have been confided in the house.” she said carefully.
“And… I’ve decided.”
“Decided what?” I asked, confused.
She looked at me with something unreadable.
“I don’t care if you’re Sterling’s best friend. You’re my mate, Kaiden. And whether you like it or not, that comes with certain priorities.”
I swallowed.
“Silver—”
“No, listen,” she cut in.
“Everyone thinks I’ve been compromised because of you. My reputation, my title, everything I’ve trained for—it’s all hanging by a thread. You caused this, and as my mate, you will fix it. I don't care if Sterling gets hurt or feels betrayed. You two planned this and will suffer the consequences of the vile prank you pulled on me.”
She stepped closer.
“But there’s still a way to fix it.”
I didn’t move. My heartbeat was deafening.
“You accept me publicly,” she said, voice cool, controlled.
“Claim me. We complete the bond and get married—just for show. That way, my title is safe. My father will have no reason to remove me as heir. And after that, you can do whatever you want. Be with whoever you want. I won’t care.”
I stared at her.
She wasn’t begging. She wasn’t crying.
She was offering herself as a solution.
As if she wasn’t the one my wolf ached for every damn second.
“I can’t do that,” I said quietly.
She blinked.
“What?”
“I’m sorry, Silver.”
I felt her confusion shift into anger.
“What do you mean, you can’t?”
I took a deep breath.
And then I said the words that burned my tongue.
“I, Kaiden Accus, reject you, Silver Night, as my mate.”
She froze.
Her breath hitched. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
And I—
I didn’t wait.
I turned around and walked out.
I didn’t give her the time to respond.
I didn’t give her the chance to accept or reject me back.
Because if I stood there even one second longer, I would’ve fallen to my knees and begged her to forgive me.
But I couldn’t do that.
I had to protect myself.
I had to protect the plan.
My future.
I had to pretend like her eyes didn’t make my ribs ache.
By the time I reached my room, my chest was tight, like something was clawing inside of it—desperate to escape.
I pressed a hand to my sternum, gasping as the bond began to sever, thread by thread.
Pain licked through me like fire.
But I knew it was worse for her.
She was the receiver.
And I didn’t even give her the dignity of a warning.
I clenched my jaw, digging my nails into my palm as the pain bloomed, deep and punishing.
This was what I asked for.
This was what Sterling wanted.
I didn’t want to drag the rejection, and I knew Sterling would be furious as to why his plans again were suddenly changed.
In truth, I wasn’t as hard hearted as Sterling.
Every moment I would spend with Silver would make me fall deeper and deeper in love with her, and eventually, I would never have the heart to reject her.
Sterling would ruin me.
I did the right thing by rejecting her now.
So why did it feel like I’d just broken the only part of me that ever felt real?
- Writer
