"Thinking about the fact that getting what she deserves means being with someone else makes it hard for me to breathe." -Hardin Scott, After

I watched as she ran through the trees and into the vast forest behind the Oberoi Estate. Alessandra was looking at this place with wonder but I viewed it with suspicion. There was something going on, something deeper than this stupid ball. I'd texted Hiro awhile ago and let him know to look into it for me.

Typically these tasks are for an alpha's beta but Ricardo probably wanted me dead for marking his sister with no warning.

Aye man I didn't have a warning either.

I wait for Alessandra for nearly an hour. Her wolf finally comes back to the main grounds with her tongue out. Her heavy pants fill my ears and I watch as she disappears behind a tree and comes back with a loose shirt and shorts on.

I leave my post once she enters the mansion.

As I'm approaching the marble bench I sense someone behind me. I inhale.

Strong scent. Not an alpha but definitely someone who has power.

"Ah newly mated I assume?"

I turn to see none other than Chandra Oberoi. He's almost as tall as me with some gray hairs but he appears to be 30 when he must be in his fifties. The navy blue suit looks makes him seem professional but the paisley-patterned pocket square tells me something else.

"Excuse me?" I ask.

He gestures to the door.

"Was that your mate young man?"

"Yes," I answer with a clipped tone. Alessandra can gush over these people as much as she wants but it will not change my opinion of them.

"Ah, I remember those days. The intense need to protect her while also making it known that she is yours and yours alone," he says.

I nod in response.

"Well let me tell you something son," he places his hand on my shoulder.

"It never gets easier the need to protect your mate only grows because the longer you spend time with them the harder it gets to imagine a life without them," he says.

My breath catches. The very thing he described is the one thing I never wish to happen. It's why I never committed to another after Isabel, it's why I was simply going to use her as my luna but there would be no love. Never.

Then Alessandra had to come along and ruin everything. If I never saw her I would never be in this situation.

But how do I let her go? How do I rid my brain of the image of those brown eyes that shine when she smiles? How do I forget her scent that drives me wild? I'm sure there's a way.

The power she holds over me makes my chest constrict painfully. I never wanted love. Sex? Sure. Companionship? Maybe. Now all my thoughts are consumed with a brunette. Is she safe? What is she doing right now?

How fucking great would she look riding me?

"Thanks for the insight Mr. Oberoi," I say before walking away. I head up towards my room which is far too opulent for my taste. Everything in here is too fucking bright but the bathroom is dark and contrasts beautifully with the bright white marble of the rest of the room.

I step into the shower and let the hot water pelt against my muscles. The stress from the past week has been locked tight in my back. In such a short span of time, my life has become so complicated. A pack to lead, businesses to maintain, and a mate to handle.

The truth is I've been numb for a while. The pain around me has become a blur that I've become accustomed to. Nothing excites me except the drive to be the best alpha I can be.

Yet when I hear Alessandra's voice when she sasses me or when I smell her vanilla scent my heart decides to come alive again. However, it's not enough. We were doomed from the start, weren't we? I was with her sister for nearly four years and Alessandra has never expressed anything other than hate towards me.

Perhaps I'll use her body and she'll use mine and when this mate bond finally starts to fade we can move on and find other people. We would still be mates, of course, no alpha is strong without his luna, but I think we both deserve to find love. At least she does anyway and who am I stand in her way?

I don't need your opinion right now Rafael.

Excuse me?

I said when the mate bond fades, not now.

Silence.

I make a mental note to talk about this with my mate after the ball.

Selene watched Zane and listened to his thoughts. Sometimes she wishes gods were still allowed to intervene with their creations but alas she could only watch her child make colossal mistakes.

Seriously? She had gone through so much trouble to fix the past and yet this young alpha was acting like it was no big deal to just give up on your mate.

And who said the mate bond fades? If anything it grows stronger over time.

There's nothing like the bond between two werewolves. It's a blessing and a curse because life with a mate is glorious, full of happiness and love.

A life without a mate is something Selene never wishes upon any wolf because at that point there is simply no point in living.