The Alpha's Reborn Mate

Selene's POV The pasta had gone cold. Selene stared down at the paper bag in her hands as she stepped off the last bus, wondering if Ryan would complain about that too. He always found something. The food wasn't hot enough. She worked too much. She didn't wear enough makeup. She wasn't affectionate enough. She wasn't adventurous enough. There was always something she could have done better. Still, she kept trying. Maybe because, somewhere along the way, Selene had started believing that loving someone meant constantly proving she deserved to be loved back. She adjusted the strap of her purse and looked toward the tall glass building ahead. Ashford Holdings. The company's headquarters was still brightly lit despite the late hour. Most of the offices were probably empty, but Ryan's floor stayed busy whenever he had deadlines. She checked her phone. 8:47 p.m. Ryan had barely replied to her messages all day. She had sent him one around noon asking if he wanted dinner. He had responded three hours later. Busy. That was it. She had almost cancelled the surprise. Almost. Instead, she had bought his favorite pasta from the restaurant near her workplace and spent the entire bus ride convincing herself that tonight might be different. Maybe they would finally talk. Maybe he would tell her what had been bothering him lately. Maybe they could finally discuss the apartment they had been talking about for months. She wanted something simple. A place of their own. A kitchen where she could cook for him. A small living room. Nothing extravagant. Just somewhere they could build a life together. Selene caught her reflection in the glass doors before entering the building. Her black dress was simple but elegant. It fit her comfortably and reached just below her knees. Ryan had once told her it was his favorite. She smoothed the fabric anyway. "Tonight," she whispered. She didn't know why she said it aloud. Maybe she needed to hear herself believe it. The receptionist looked up when Selene entered. Her expression immediately brightened. "Good evening, Miss Voss." "Good evening." "You're here to see Mr. Ashford?" Selene lifted the paper bag slightly. "I thought I'd surprise him." The receptionist smiled. "He's still upstairs." "Thank you." The elevator doors opened. Selene stepped inside and pressed the button for the executive floor. As the doors closed, she caught herself smiling. It was ridiculous. She was twenty-two years old, working two jobs, exhausted almost every day, and somehow she was still nervous about surprising her own boyfriend. But maybe that was because she still cared. The elevator climbed. When the doors opened, the executive floor was almost silent. Only a few office lights remained on. Selene stepped out. She could hear the faint hum of the air-conditioning. Her heels clicked softly against the polished floor. Ryan's office was at the far end. She took a few steps. Then stopped. A woman's laughter drifted through the hallway. Selene frowned. She recognized it. Her first thought was that someone was still working with Ryan. Then she heard his voice. Low. Breathless. Too close. Selene's smile disappeared. She stood still. Another laugh. This time she knew exactly who it belonged to. Her stomach tightened. "No." She whispered the word without realizing it. She walked toward the office. Slowly. With every step, the voices became clearer. A desk moved. Something struck the wall. Someone gasped. Then a woman's voice said, "Oh, Ryan..." Selene stopped breathing. She knew that voice. Carver. Her supervisor. The woman who had listened to Selene complain about her relationship. The woman who had told her several times that she deserved better. The woman who had once said, If a man really loves you, he won't make you question where you stand. Selene's fingers tightened around the paper bag. She walked closer. The office door wasn't completely closed. There was a narrow gap. She looked through it. Her mind refused to understand what her eyes were seeing. Ryan was with Ms. Carver. His shirt was partly undone. Her jacket was on the floor. They were too close. Far too comfortable. Selene stared at them. Neither noticed her. For several seconds, she couldn't move. Then the bag slipped from her hand. The container hit the floor. The lid came off. Pasta spilled across the polished tiles. Ryan turned. His expression changed immediately. Surprise. Then irritation. "Oh." Selene stared at him. That was all he had to say. "Oh." Not Selene? Not I'm sorry. Not even This isn't what you think. Just... "Oh." Ms. Carver quickly straightened her clothes. "Selene..." "Don't." Selene's voice came out quieter than she expected. She looked at Ryan. "How long?" Ryan said nothing. She swallowed. "How long has this been happening?" "You shouldn't have come here." The answer made her laugh. It wasn't a happy laugh. It was the kind of laugh that came when something hurt so badly that crying felt impossible. "I shouldn't have come here?" Ryan sighed. "Selene, you're making this bigger than it needs to be." She stared at him. "You're cheating on me." "We're going to talk about this." "We are talking." "Not like this." She looked at Ms. Carver. The woman wouldn't meet her eyes. That somehow hurt more. Selene had trusted her. She had spoken to her about Ryan. She had told her about their arguments. She had told her how lonely she felt. And this woman had listened. All that time, she had been sleeping with Ryan. Selene looked back at him. "How long?" Ryan rubbed his forehead. "A few months." Her chest tightened. "A few months?" "It wasn't serious." Selene stared at him. "You've been sleeping with her for months, and it wasn't serious?" "You were never around." Her mouth fell open. "I work two jobs." "Exactly." "So this is my fault?" "I didn't say that." "You didn't have to." Ryan looked annoyed. "You're always tired. You're always working. Whenever I want to go somewhere, you have an excuse." "Because I need money." "We both need money." "I know." "Then you should have made more effort." Selene stared at him. She couldn't believe the conversation had turned into this. She had come here carrying his favorite food. She had spent the entire day thinking about him. And now he was explaining why he had cheated. She looked down at the pasta scattered across the floor. Something inside her finally went quiet. "You're right." Ryan frowned. "What?" Selene bent down and picked up the empty paper bag. "You're right." She stood. "I should have made more effort." Ryan seemed relieved. "Selene" "But not for you." His expression changed. She looked at Ms. Carver. "I hope it was worth it." The woman finally looked at her. "Selene, I" "I don't want an explanation." She turned toward the elevator. Ryan stepped after her. "Where are you going?" "Home." "We're not finished." Selene pressed the elevator button. "I think we are." The doors opened. Ryan caught them before they closed. "You're overreacting." She looked at him. "You cheated on me." "I made a mistake." "No." Her voice was steady now. "You made a choice." The elevator doors closed. Ryan's face disappeared. Selene stood alone. She expected tears. They didn't come. Not yet. Her phone began vibrating before she reached the ground floor. Ryan. She rejected the call. Another call came. She rejected it too. Then a message. Don't overreact. Let's talk like adults. A second message appeared. You embarrassed me tonight. Selene stared at the screen. She read it twice. Then she switched off her phone. For once, she didn't care what he wanted. She pushed through the building's glass doors. Rain hit her face immediately. It was heavy and cold. Within seconds, her dress was damp. She stood beneath the building's entrance for a moment, watching cars move through the wet streets. She could call a taxi. She could call Nadia. She could go home. Instead, she started walking. She didn't know where she was going. She only knew she didn't want to go back yet. For two years, Ryan had been part of almost every decision she made. Where she went. When she went out. What she wore. How much time she spent working. How often she called. She had spent so much time trying to keep the relationship together that she had forgotten what it felt like to make a decision simply because she wanted to. Tonight, she wanted to disappear for a few hours. She walked until the streets became unfamiliar. The rain blurred the city lights. Then she noticed the bright sign ahead. A nightclub. Music spilled through the entrance each time the doors opened. People stood outside laughing. Selene stopped. She had never been inside a nightclub. Ryan hated places like this. He always said they were full of trouble. She looked at the entrance. Then at the rain behind her. She took a breath. "Not tonight." She walked inside. Warm air hit her face. Music filled the room. Lights moved across the crowded dance floor. People laughed, danced and shouted over the music. Nobody knew her. Nobody knew Ryan. Nobody knew Victor Voss. Nobody knew anything about her. For the first time in a long time, that felt good. She walked toward the bar. The bartender looked at her. "First time?" Selene glanced around. "Is it that obvious?" He smiled. "A little." She almost smiled back. "What can I get you?" She looked at the bottles behind him. "I don't know." "Something light?" "No." She paused. "Something strong." He raised an eyebrow. "Strong enough to forget a bad day?" Selene looked down at the counter. "Strong enough to forget two years." The bartender studied her for a moment before pouring an amber drink into a glass. "Take it slowly." She nodded. Her first sip made her cough. The bartender laughed. "It gets easier." "I hope so." She rested her elbows on the counter. The alcohol warmed her throat. The pain didn't disappear. But it became quieter. Her phone remained switched off inside her purse. She wasn't going to turn it back on. Not tonight. She took another sip. Maybe tomorrow she would cry. Maybe tomorrow she would ask herself why she wasn't enough. But tonight she didn't want answers. She just wanted silence. She didn't notice the man standing several floors above her. Kael Dravon stood behind the glass wall of the club's private penthouse, looking down at the city. The club belonged to him. So did the building. So did several businesses surrounding it. None of that mattered tonight. Something was wrong. He had felt it since sunset. His wolf had been restless for hours. Lucien stood several feet behind him, holding a tablet. "Three Alpha councils have requested meetings." Kael didn't respond. "Two investors are waiting for your decision." Silence. "And the royal delegation arrived twenty minutes ago." "Cancel everything." Lucien sighed. "They won't appreciate that." "I don't care." Kael's eyes remained on the city. Then pain suddenly moved through his chest. His jaw tightened. A faint black mark appeared beneath the skin near his collarbone. Lucien noticed. "The curse?" Kael looked down. The mark faded. "No." "Then what?" Kael didn't answer. The feeling was unfamiliar. Not exactly pain. Not exactly fear. It felt like something had reached across a distance and touched him. His wolf became suddenly alert. Kael turned toward the windows overlooking the club. His gaze moved across the crowd. Then stopped. A woman stood at the bar. Dark auburn hair. Storm-grey eyes. His entire body went still. His wolf surged. Mate. Kael's breathing stopped. "No." Lucien looked toward him. "My Alpha?" Kael didn't answer. The woman below lifted her glass. She looked tired. Sad. But there was something else beneath it. Something familiar. Something impossible. Kael had seen that face before. Four hundred years ago. On a battlefield. Covered in blood. Looking at him with tears in her eyes. Then a blade had entered his chest. His hand tightened around the balcony railing. The steel bent beneath his fingers. Lucien stared. "Kael?" Kael couldn't hear him. His wolf was already demanding that he go downstairs. Go to her. Protect her. Claim her. Kael fought the instinct. "No." He had spent centuries burying that part of himself. He would not allow fate to drag it back to the surface. But the woman below suddenly looked up. Their eyes met. The noise of the nightclub continued around them. Kael heard none of it. Selene felt something strange in her chest. She didn't know why she had looked up. She didn't know who the man was. But the moment their eyes met, she felt as though she had seen him before. Not recently. Not in a dream. Somewhere deeper. A memory she couldn't reach. The man stood completely still. Tall. Dark-haired. Dressed in black. There was nothing friendly about him. Yet she couldn't look away. His eyes seemed almost black from where she stood. Then, for the briefest moment, something golden flashed through them. Selene blinked. The color was gone. She lowered her glass. Who was he? Kael stepped away from the railing. His breathing had become heavier. Lucien moved closer. "My Alpha?" "Find out who she is." Lucien glanced down. "The woman at the bar?" Kael's expression hardened. "Yes." "And if she's human?" Kael looked at him. His voice was quiet. "She isn't." Before Lucien could ask another question, Kael turned toward the private elevator. His wolf continued to howl inside his mind. Mate. Kael closed his eyes. He had lost his mate once. He had watched her die. He had spent centuries believing fate had punished him enough. Now she was standing below him. Alive. Young. And apparently unaware of who he was. He didn't know whether fate had returned her to him as a gift... or as another punishment. Downstairs, Selene finished her drink. The room had begun to feel too warm. She stood and reached for her purse. She needed air. As she walked toward the exit, she glanced once more toward the balcony. The man was gone. She frowned. For some reason, disappointment settled in her chest. She didn't understand it. She didn't know his name. She didn't know why he had been staring at her. She certainly didn't know why a complete stranger had made her heart beat differently. She pushed open the club doors. Cold rain touched her face. Across the street, a black sedan waited at the curb. Inside it, Kael watched her through the rain-covered window. He had told himself he wouldn't follow. He had told himself he would leave her alone. Yet he remained there. Watching. Trying to understand why the woman he had buried four centuries ago was alive. And why his wolf had recognized her before he did. Selene stepped into the rain and started walking. Neither of them knew it yet. But the night had already changed both their lives. And whatever had brought them together had no intention of letting them walk away.