Chapter 46
*Jiselle*
The air outside Max’s room felt colder than I remembered. Maybe it was just me. Maybe it was the weight of what I’d just agreed to. My feet carried me down the hallway, but it felt like I was walking through fog–thick, silent, suffocating.
My hands trembled at my sides, the echo of Max’s voice still clawing at the back of my mind
“You have to reject him, Jiselle. It’s my only condition.”
It echoed. Over and over again. Like it had been burned into the inside of my skull. I had told him I loved him. I meant it. Every word. But those words had never felt heavier than they did now,
Because to keep Max. I had to sever the one thread I wasn’t sure I had the strength to cut.
Nate.
I should have walked faster. Should have marched with determination. But every step toward the door–toward his room-
felt like dragging iron chains behind me. It was only a few doors away yet felt like an entire mile.
My wolf stirred uneasily, torn and restless. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to reject her mate.
But I wasn’t doing this for her.
I was doing this for me. For Max
For the fragile, bruised relationship that was barely holding itself together after everything we’d been through.
I stopped in front of his door as my heart hammered against my ribs. My fingers clenched into fists.
“Just knock,” I whispered to myself. “Get it over with.”
I took a deep breath and raised my hand.
My knuckles rapped gently against the wood, and I hated how I hoped he wouldn’t answer. That maybe he was asleep. That maybe I’d be forced to come back later, and I’d have more time to build my strength.
But fate had other plans.
The door opened after a few seconds.
And there he was.
Nate.
Shirtless, damp from what looked like a recent shower, his hair tousled like he’d run his hands through it one too many times. A pair of loose, dark joggers hung low on his hips, and his expression–his sleepy, confused expression–shifted the moment he saw me.
His eyes sharpened instantly,
“Jiselle?” His voice was rough from sleep. “What are you
“I need to talk to you,” I said quickly, trying to keep my tone firm. But it cracked on the last word, and I hated that he noticed. He stepped aside and let me in, quietly closing the door behind me. The room was warm, cozy, dimly lit by the early morning light seeping through the blinds.
I stood near the center of the space, arms folded across my chest, trying to stop myself from shaking.
He walked past me, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, if this is about Laker |–
“It’s not,” I interrupted. “Not… really”
He turned slowly, brows furrowing. “Then what is it?”
I swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes. “It’s about the bond.”
The silence that fell between us was deafening.
I didn’t have to look up to feel his entire body tense. When I finally did glance at him, his expression had shuttered completely
1 see,” he said, voice tight.
“I need to break it, I whispered “I’m here to rej
The words were out before I could second que.
And they felt like poison on my tongue.
Successfully unlocked!
ern back
Nate didn’t speak for a long moment. He just stared at me. And for the first time in weeks–maybe even longer–I saw something shatter in his eyes. Something raw and real.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, stepping closer. “And Maximus put you up to this, didn’t he?”
I flinched. “He didn’t–force me”
“No. He just gave you a condition. Nate said flatly “And you, being you, agreed.”
I looked away
“He’s scared,” I whispered. “He’s been through enough.”
“So have we” Nate said, softer now.
He took another step forward. And another. Until there was barely a breath between us.
Tve been through hell too, Jiselle. Watching you fall in love with someone else. Watching you come back to me and then pull away again. You don’t think that destroyed me?”
My breath hitched.
Tm sorry” I said, voice trembling. “I never wanted to hurt you. But I need to move on.”
“No, you don’t” he snapped, “You just think you do.”
He lifted his hand and cupped my cheek, and my knees almost buckled,
His touch was warm. Steady. Familiar in a way that nothing else had ever been.
“You’re trying to erase this, he whispered. “But you can’t. You can’t erase a mate bond, Jiselle. Not by loving someone else. Not even by rejecting me.”
I blinked back tears. “I don’t want to love you.”
“Too bad,” he murmured. “Because you do.”
I shook my head, my vision blurring.
“This is the only way,” I insisted. “I have to do this.”
Nate studied me for a long moment.
And then he did something I didn’t expect
He laughed.
A bitter, broken laugh that sounded nothing like him.
“You think this ends with you saying a few words?” he asked. “You think the moon goddess just goes, “Oh, never mind. Forget what I carved into your soul“?”
“Nate”
“You’re in love with him. I get it. But don’t stand here and pretend this is what you
u want.”
“I came here to reject you,” I said, more forcefully this time. “So let me do it.”
Then do it,” he challenged, stepping even closer. “Say the words, Jiselle. Look me in the eye and say them. Reject me.” 1 opened my mouth.
But nothing came out.
He wasted
I tried again.
Still nothing.
And that’s when I realized-
I couldn’t
I couldn’t do it
I couldn’t say the words because something deep inside me–something ancient and primal and stubborn–refused to let them pass my lips
Nate’s eyes softened
He took another step, closing the gap entirely, until his chest brushed mine
“You feel that? he whispered. That’s the bond”
I squeezed my eyes shut “Please don’t”
feel nothing. I‘
Til walk away if you really want me to,” he said, voice low and hoarse. “If you tell me really tell me that you fo
walk out that door right now.”
“It’s your room,” I pointed out
Chapter 46
“I don’t care.”
I shook my head “Don’t make me choose.”
“I’m not. I’m just asking for the truth.”
I looked up at him, heart breaking all over again.
And I didn’t know how it happened.
Maybe it was the bond pulling us together. Maybe it was my heart finally admitting what my mind refused to accept.
Maybe it was just… inevitable.
But before I could stop myself-
I kissed him.
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