Chapter 0022
Agnes
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As soon as Olivia’s lips touched Elijah’s, my heart clenched, and I turned away. I couldn’t watch. It wasn’t like I hadn’t known this
was coming–their bond, as fated mates, was unbreakable.
I knew that from the beginning. It was a harsh reality I couldn’t avoid. But knowing didn’t make it hurt any less.
What was 1, really? Just a contract mate, a placeholder with no real standing to object to any of this. How could I, when the bond between Elijah and Olivia was written in the stars?
during the
My heart ached, but I pushed the pain down, doing my best to appear calm for Thea’s sake. She’d hidden behind me during
entire exchange, still absolutely terrified of Oliva. She looked at me with wide eyes.
“Daddy won’t agree! I’ll tell him not to go with her!” Thea’s little voice piped up beside me, her small arms clinging tightly to my waist. I glanced down at her, trying to give her a reassuring smile.
I stroked her hair gently. “It’s okay, Thea. Your dad going with her to one charity party won’t change anything, if that’s what he
decides to do.”
My words were meant to comfort her, but they did little to case the knot of anxiety growing in my chest. Olivia’s sudden
reappearance was unnerving
Would Elijah forgive her?
After all, they were fated mates. Their bond was something deeper, something powerful, a force I could never compete with
I swallowed hard, trying to push the thought away. The irrational fear that if Olivia truly came back into Elijah’s life, I might be
forced to leave Thea gnawed at me. Even though the DNA test had confirmed she wasn’t my biological daughter, that didn’t
change the fact that I loved her deeply.
The idea of being separated from her felt like a death sentence. Even though I’d only known her for a little while, Thea was now my heart, my reason to wake up each day.
But what could I do? If I tried to interfere, I could push Elijah further away. He had his own struggles, his own emotions to sort
through.
And yet, the thought of Olivia taking my place, taking Thea away from me, filled me with a jealousy that I couldn’t shake. It slithered into my heart, an ugly, dark feeling I hadn’t known I was capable of. She had stolen something–something precious, something that should have been mine.
That irrational thought twisted inside me until it felt almost unbearable.
And then, as if summoned from the depth of my emotions, I heard a voice.
“He was supposed to be ours…”
1/3
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1 froze. Was that…?
The voice was soft, fleeting, but it was unmistakable.
It was the voice of my wolf.
My heart raced as the words echoed in my mind. Elijah was supposed to be ours? What did that mean?
Was my wolf trying to tell me something I couldn’t understand yet? Was Elijah… mine?
No. That couldn’t be right.
Could it?
The voice faded, leaving me standing there, questioning everything I knew. For years, my wolf had been silent, dormant even. But
now, that whisper… Could it be that I was falling for Elijah
The thought made my chest tighten, and I shook my head, trying to clear it.
My mind was clearly just trying to pretend my wolf was still here with me, claiming that he was ours, as a way to justify the fact that I did really like him. That, or being in the woods for this long had gotten to me and made me slightly delusional.
I sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, my mind racing, while Thea lay with her head resting in my lap. Her presence was a
comfort, a reminder that no matter what happened with Elijah, I still had her. But even that couldn’t fully push away the storm of
emotions swirling inside me.
“Mommy?” Thea’s voice broke through my thoughts. She looked up at me, her innocent eyes filled with concern. “I had a
surprise for you. But now Olivia ruined it, and you’re sad.”
Her words tugged at my heart. I pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.
“What surprise, sweetie?”
She looked at me with a wide smile.
“You’ll see when we get home!”
She saw one of her friends about to leave so she rushed over to give them a hug. While she was distracted, Elijah came up
me with the tent now dissembled and slung over his shoulder in a bag
“Ready to go?” He asked. I nodded.
“Did Olivia leave?” I asked, trying to avoid his eyes. I still couldn’t get the sight of them kissing out of my head.
behind
“Yes. I told her to. I’m sorry you both had to see that. My wolf…it sometimes overpowers me when it comes to her. The urges-
“I’m perfectly fine with not hearing about your urges towards Olivia,” I interjected. “Just try to avoid them around Thea, okay? It
scares her.”
I shouldn’t have been that confrontational about the subject with him, the alpha. But he just sighed and nodded his head in
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Chapter 0022
agreement.
+15 BONUS
The bus ride back to our cars felt shorter than our journey there, I kept myself focused on Thea and my eyes away from the prying ones of the rest of the pack. I could feel my stepmother scowling at me but was able to ignore her presence for the majority of the
ride.
As soon as we hit the threshold of the front door of Elijah’s house, Thea clapped her hands enthusiastically.
“Now for the surprise!” She shrieked, giddy.
Excitedly, she jumped up and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward one of the larger rooms in the house. When she opened the door, I gasped. The room was filled with dresses, fabrics, accessories, and sewing tools–a whirlwind of elegance and creativity. It
was like stepping into the studio of a top fashion designer.
Thea grinned and pointed to one of the dresses, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Try it on, Mommy! It’s your birthday dress!”
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I was ready for any sort of celebration, but Thea’s joy was contagious. For her sake, I would
try. I smiled and nodded, letting her help me into the dress
As the fabric slid over my skin, I caught my reflection in the mirror and paused. The woman staring back at me felt like a stranger.
The dress was stunning–far more beautiful than anything I’d worn in years. It was a stunning jewel–toned blue–green,
shimmering like a mix of sapphire and emerald, with flowing fabric that hugged my figure and cascaded elegantly to the floor. I barely recognized myself.
For a moment, I allowed myself to imagine that this was my life
That I truly belonged here.
Just then, I heard footsteps behind me. I looked up and saw Elijah entering the room, his presence commanding as always. He stepped up behind me, his eyes softening as they met mine in the mirror. Without saying a word, he lifted a necklace and gently
fastened it around my neck.
The cold metal pressed against my skin, a quiet reminder of the weight of everything between us.
“Happy birthday, Agnes,” he said, his voice warm yet steady.
