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1572 คำ
LANA
Jude's throat bobbled up and down as his grip tightened around his spoon.
“You have no business with that,” he snarled at Jace.
My eyes moved to their parents, hoping that they'd at least try to settle whatever dispute was between the two men before it turned into something big.
“That's okay, Jace,” their father interrupted them. “You shouldn't be here in the first place. But since you are, try not to cause any trouble,” he added, and my eyes narrowed.
Jace let out a sigh, then smirked when our eyes met. My breath hitched in my throat, and I swallowed hard.
“Excuse me,” I whispered, my fingers trembling as I rose to my feet.
Jude tilted his head up and raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure you are okay?” He asked, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
A knot formed in my chest at his question, and I swear to the Moon Goddess, I wanted nothing more than to hit him hard at that moment. I could no longer pretend like everything was fine anymore when he had cheated on our supposed wedding getaway trip.
I bobbed my head at him without a word as I made my way out of the dining room. I could feel his gaze boring into my back, but I didn't look back or wait.
“He cheated!” I mumble, my fists clenched by my sides as tears rolled down my cheeks again.
The pain of the betrayal was unbearable, despite that we weren't fated, mates. I just couldn't believe that Jude could hurt me this way. He'd told me how much he loved me. He even said he wasn't going to end things with me if he met his fated mate.
What happened to those promises? Had he been lying to me all this time?
“Still crying over him?” I heard a deep baritone voice behind me.
Before I turned around, his scent hit me hard. Jace. My wolf surged forward, and without thinking, I moved closer to him, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him.
Jace kissed me back desperately like he had been deprived of it for a long time. His large palms cupped my jaw, and a tingling sensation coursed through me. Instinctively, my lips parted to give him more access, and I moaned into his mouth as he kissed me with the same urgency that matched mine.
Goddess!
My eyes widened in shock when I realised what I'd just done. I pulled away from him in an instant, my heart pounding heavily in my chest.
“I hate you,” I spat, my tone venomous as I turned around and bolted back into the suite.
The moment I stepped into the suite, I fell back on the bed, wiping my tears as my mind drifted back to the kiss. What was wrong with me?
I was supposed to reject Jace even if he was my fated mate. I was engaged to Jude and couldn't cheat on him…
My chest tightened with rage when I remembered that he had cheated, too. Jude didn't deserve my loyalty, so I shouldn't feel bad for kissing Jace. The only thing I did was to kiss him while he had s*x with a woman who wasn't his mate at the same hotel he had booked for us.
That was humiliating and disrespectful!
The room door swung open, revealing Jude. His eyes narrowed when he saw me. He stepped into the room with an air of indifference, his eyes not leaving mine.
“Why are you crying, Lana? And why did you leave the dining room abruptly in the presence of my parents?” He asked, his tone void of any warmth.
My heart ached deeply at the tone in which he asked his question. He didn't try to hide his displeasure at my actions, which made me wonder if he truly cared for me or if what he cared about was just to get a Luna on his side.
What if he had just decided to choose me as his mate because I was an omega and thought I wouldn't be able to question his infidelity? Omegas were always known to take whatever the high-ranked wolves threw at them. Was this Jude's plan all along?
“Jude,” I called out gently, my tone barely audible.
His eyes flashed with disdain as his charcoal grey eyes bore into me.
I sat upright on the bed. “Where were you this morning, and why didn't you come to pick me up as promised?” I asked again.
For some reason, I just wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. I hoped that at this moment, Jude would tell me the truth and probably apologise for what he had done. I thought he was going to fall on his knees and seek my forgiveness while he confessed what he'd done.
I was certain that I was going to forgive him at that moment. That was how much I loved Jude and wanted our marriage to work out.
An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. “Lana, I told you I was in the pack dealing with an important task. How many times do I have to say it?” He growled at me.
A whirlwind of emotions swirled within me, and even my wolf growled at the disrespect and lies.
“You are a f*****g liar, Jude,” I yelled, my tone trembling with rage and sadness. “You f*****g lied…” The rest of my words lodged in my throat as tears blurred my vision.
Jude's eyebrows twitched as he just stared blankly at me like he didn't understand what I was saying. He was hell-bent on keeping up the fake facade till the end, but I couldn't take it anymore.
“You cheated, Jude… I caught you f*****g that she-wolf in that room,” I pointed at the door, in the direction of the room I'd caught him cheating in.
A flicker of guilt or maybe regret passed over his features, but it was gone as soon as it came. His chest rose and fell as he clenched his fists by his sides and pinned me with a glare.
A part of me thought that he would apologise to me and ask me to forget about everything I saw. But I guess I was stupidly in love with Jude not to realise that he never loved me from the start.
“You found out,” he broke the silence in the room in a cold tone. “That she-wolf you caught me f*****g,” his lips stretched into a wide grin. “is the woman I love, Lana. I do not love you anymore.”
I froze.
His words hit me like a slap to the face. My heart dropped to the floor as my chest tightened painfully at his words.
Tears gushed down my cheeks uncontrollably as I just stared blankly at him, unable to process his words.
He stopped loving me?
Yet he agreed to the getaway trip and didn't plan to cut off the wedding?
Different emotions coursed through my veins as my body trembled with rage. Memories of the day Jude proposed to me flooded my mind. I had never forced myself on him.
He had asked me out first, said I was different, and he loved me. But they were all lies?
Every promise, every love he'd confess to me was nothing but lies?
My chest rose, fell, then rose again, way too fast. The room suddenly became too small for all the air I needed. My eyes met his charcoal grey eyes, but there was no regret in those eyes.
I thought the bond we shared was real. I thought Jude was real with me? My world felt like it was crumbling right in front of me. My heart was shattering into a million pieces, yet there was nothing I could do about it.
“But, you didn't stop the wed…” The words had barely left my lips before a loud sob tore through my throat.
“Yes, I didn’t because I figured out you'd be useful,” he shrugged his shoulders. “You know I don't find you attractive anymore. You stopped exciting me, Lana. I needed more, I needed something different.”
My eyes widened in horror as I listened to his words. I staggered backwards, my hand clutching my chest tightly as if that could stop the pain clawing into my heart.
The urge to slap Jude at that moment was overwhelming, but I knew better than to act on it. He was the Alpha of my pack and I was just an omega who he didn't love again.
Yet, he was willing to go through with the wedding? Was he planning to make my life miserable in the marriage?
There was no hint of emotion in his eyes when I looked at them. This wasn't a joke or a dream. It was real. What would happen now?
The preparations made towards our marriage? What would happen to them now?
“Let's call off the marriage,” The words rolled off my tongue before I could stop them.
Jude's eyes widened in shock as though he'd not expected to hear those words from me.
- ผู้เขียน
