Twice Fated

Chapter 7:Rick's POV

Rick's POV

My feet carried me to the living room, my breath coming in harsh, ragged gasps. The walls seemed to close in around me, the weight of my fury pressing down like a storm I couldn’t contain. I needed something to drown this rage, to burn away the sickening thoughts swirling in my head. Without thinking, I headed for the bar, my hands trembling as I grabbed the whiskey bottle.

The amber liquid swirled in the glass as I poured, my grip unsteady. The first sip seared my throat, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing could dull the inferno roaring inside me. I poured another, and this time, my hand shook so badly I spilled some. I didn’t care. The burn of the whiskey was nothing compared to the fire raging in my chest.

How dare he? How dare he lay his hands on her? On what was mine?

The thought of him,of the man who had touched her, claimed her, left his mark on her,filled me with a seething, blinding rage. All these years, I had waited for my mate. I had endured the gnawing emptiness, the soul-crushing loneliness, telling myself that when I finally found her, it would all be worth it. The bond would be worth it. And now… this? To find her carrying another man’s child?

I gripped the edge of the bar, my knuckles white. The glass in my hand cracked under the pressure, and a sharp sting in my palm told me I had cut myself. Blood trickled down my fingers, but I barely registered the pain. Nothing could compare to the agony tearing through me. I had imagined our future, dreamed of it even before I knew her face. She was supposed to be mine. And yet, she was already someone else’s.

“Rick.”

The sound of my name broke through the haze of my thoughts. I turned sharply, my jaw tightening as I faced Mark, my beta. He stood a few feet away, his eyes filled with concern. He studied me for a long moment, his brow furrowed, before speaking in a low, careful voice.

“What happened?”

I let out a heavy sigh, the weight of the truth settling like a stone in my chest. “She’s pregnant,” I said, the words bitter on my tongue.

Mark’s expression shifted from concern to shock. His brows shot up, and his lips parted as though he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

“Pregnant? But you two just met. That means… it’s not yours.”

His words weren’t a question. They were a confirmation of the reality I had just spoken aloud. But hearing it from him made the truth cut even deeper.

“No,” I said, my voice hollow, void of emotion. “It’s not mine.”

Mark’s shock gave way to anger. His jaw tightened, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. “What are you going to do about it?” he demanded, his voice sharp. “She should be thrown out of the pack for this betrayal!”

His words struck a chord within me. The logical part of me agreed. She had betrayed me,betrayed the mate bond, the sacred connection we were supposed to share. She had given herself to another, probably willingly. The rage inside me flared again, hotter and more violent than before.

But there was another part of me, a part I hated, that refused to let her go. The bond between us was too strong, too consuming. Even now, with everything I knew, I couldn’t sever it. The pull toward her was relentless, like a force I couldn’t escape no matter how much I wanted to.

I straightened, forcing the fury in my chest to simmer beneath the surface. My voice was cold and unyielding as I said, “I will deal with Bella as I see fit.”

Mark opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the faint sound of footsteps drew our attention. We both turned to see Lyla lingering in the shadows of the corridor. Her figure was barely visible in the dim light, but I saw the hesitation in her posture. For a moment, she hovered, as though she were debating whether to stay or retreat. Then, without a word, she disappeared into the darkness.

Mark’s frown deepened as he stared after her. “Did Lyla spy on us?” he asked, his tone casual, though I could hear the underlying disapproval.

I shot him a warning look. “It’s nothing, Mark. She’s just an easy lay—you know that.”

Mark’s eyes narrowed, his disapproval palpable. “Are you sure? What if she heard what we were talking about? What if she tells the council?”

I clenched my jaw, the tension building inside me like a coiled spring. “She wouldn’t dare,” I snapped.

But even as I said it, doubt crept into my mind. Lyla was the niece of the head omega,Lily. And while she had always been willing to fulfill my needs, she wasn’t someone I trusted. She had known the terms from the start. I wasn’t the kind of man who got attached, and she knew that. But lately… lately she had been lingering more, watching me with those hopeful eyes that made my skin crawl.

Mark shook his head, his frustration clear. “You’re playing with fire, Rick. If she overheard us…”

“She didn’t,” I interrupted, my voice sharp. “And even if she did, Lyla knows better than to cross me.”

Mark didn’t look convinced, but he let it drop. His gaze shifted back to the bar, and I took another long sip of whiskey. The burn did little to quiet the storm inside me.

My thoughts spiraled, tangled and chaotic. Bella. The child. The betrayal. The bond. It was too much. The woman I had waited my entire life for, the one who was supposed to complete me, was bound to another. How was I supposed to move forward? How was I supposed to lead this pack with this shadow looming over me?

And if Lyla had overheard us… what then? Could I afford another betrayal? Another threat to my position? To my already fragile claim on Bella?

I slammed the glass down on the bar, the sound reverberating through the room. Mark flinched but said nothing, his silent presence grounding me even as my world threatened to spiral out of control. I needed a plan. I needed to think. But for now, all I had was the overwhelming weight of everything that had gone wrong.

I would deal with Bella. I would deal with Layla. I would deal with all of it.

But first, I needed to decide what kind of man I wanted to be and what I was willing to sacrifice for her.