Page 33 of Betrayed Alpha Mate

Nicholas exhales slowly. “Meaning?”

“Meaning…” Delilah explains carefully. “...that what we’re seeing isn’t a reaction to the spell. The spell couldn’t have worked between the two of them, because they’re werewolves.”

“Then how do you explain how she reacts to him?” Tyler asks, and then mouths a silent “oh” when he looks to Arianna for an answer.

“There is an active bond,” Arianna explains. “It’s just not because of the spell.”

Emily shakes her head slowly, backing away from me. “No. No, that’s not—” Her voice cuts off because the truth is too hard to speak.

It’s lodged in my throat, too, stuck in my chest.

“I’m sorry,” Delilah apologizes sincerely, dropping her head and her shoulders, as if in defeat, as if she’s betraying Emily. “It’s a bond. A real one. The realest one any werewolf can experience.”

The words land like a gunshot—not surprising, but still unexpected, exposing both Emily and me to our friends.

The fated mate bond.

We’d been so determined to deny the bond that we’d been hiding behind the mask of the lunar binding spell. But it was always there, underneath the surface of denial, underneath the pains of the past.

And there’s no more hiding from it.

Emily’s eyes become ablaze with horror. She turns that horror on me, fury radiating off her in waves so intense it nearly knocks me backward with the daggers she throws at me.

“You…” she snarls, grinding her teeth. “This is your fault.”

I open my mouth to defend myself, but she’s already storming toward the door.

“Emily, wait—” I try calling out to her, but when she spins on me, it’s not out of compliance or understanding.

Her finger is pointed like a weapon. “Do not follow me. Do not touch me. And do not think for one second that you get to use this bond to crawl back into my life.”

The door slams behind her, and the room stays frozen for a beat. Just long enough for everyone to digest what they’ve just learned. It’s a lot to take in, but one beat is enough for them to put the puzzle pieces together and make a clear picture.

Then Nicholas speaks gently, quiet understanding in his voice. “You can’t ignore a bond like that, Sean.”

I swallow hard, staring at the door as if I’m too afraid to face my friends. Maybe I am. Maybe shame has gripped me too tightly. “I’m not trying to use it. You heard what she said.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Dominic says. “It’s an active, fated mate bond. Which means whatever happened between you two before? It’s not over.”

I don’t respond. I can’t. Not because I’m fully exposed, but because all I can think about is the look on Emily’s face—betrayal layered over fear, anger sharp enough to cut when she warned me not to go after her.

I follow her anyway, finally moving and leaving behind a roomful of our friends with questioning expressions. The truth is out in the open, and there’s no hiding from it anymore.

Emily is already halfway down the hall when I catch up. She whirls around when she hears my footsteps, her eyes cold, fiery pits of condemnation.

“I warned you!”

“I know,” I sigh as I stop a few feet away. “But I don’t understand why you’re this angry. How is any of this my fault?”

Emily throws her head back and laughs, a sharp, broken sound filling the hallway. “You don’t get to act like you didn’t already break me once. Why would I give you a chance to do it all again?”

The words hit harder than any punch.

I stare at her, my chest tight. “This is out of my control, Em. Out of yours, too,” I say softly. “Tell me how to fix it. Whatever I broke, I will fix it now.”

Her lips tremble for half a second before she schools her expression back into steel.

“No,” she says coldly, shaking her head with determination. “You don’t get to fix this.”