Page 36 of His Forsaken Alpha

“I know all those things you said were a lie—you didn’t love him. You didn’t even like him, did you?”

Wynter struggled to answer the questions. He didn’t want to admit he’d lied, but he knew he needed to. “I washisfirst. There was nothing we could’ve done to change that.”

“I’m not going to argue this point again. We hashed it out over thirty years ago, and we’re clearly not going to agree any more now than we did then. What Icantell you is I won’t call that man your mate. At best, he was your husband.Iam your alpha.”

Wynter held Cav’s gaze, noting the roiling anger in the depths. He sensed jealousy, too. Was that possessiveness simply caused by nature or was it more? Either way, the man spoke the truth. Hedidbelong to Cavanaugh. The whole world had gotten in their way. “Yes. You are.”

Cavanaugh nearly staggered as he moved back a couple of steps. “You’re actually admitting it now? Too bad I didn’t have a recorder taping that for posterity.”

Wynter didn’t want to argue, but since that was always what they seemed to do best, the words tumbled from his lips before his brain had a chance to catch up. “I only said that to push you away, but when we’d been together? I admitted then that we were bound. Thatyouwere my fated mate.”

Cav’s chest rose and fell rapidly, rage shining bright in his eyes, but Wynter could see the pain in there, too. Pain he’d caused, in part. “Whydid you push me away when I finally found you again? Make me understand it.”

“I’m sorry for my part in this. For hurting you… but I?—”

“Hurting me? You’resorryfor hurting me. That’s not good enough!” Cav roared, interrupting his apology. “You abandoned up… apparently pregnant with our child, and you went backto him.”

Wynter fought the tremble in his lower jaw and feared he failed. “Ihadto.”

“No, you didn’t. I offered you a way out.” Cavanaugh searched his face. “I wanted to give you everything, Wynter, but a man without the means your husband had access to clearly wasn’t good enough for you.My lovewasn’t good enough for you.”

It was. It meant everything.“Please don’t say that.”

“Why not? It’s the truth. Otherwise, you’d have stayed with me, and we would’ve raised our sontogether.”Cavanaugh’s volume rose with each word. “You preferred your mansion and your servants and your fancy fucking clothes. The galas… the fundraisers. Your place in high society.” Cavanaugh paused, struggling for air. “That all meant more thanI did.”

“Noneof that mattered.” Wynter drew in a shaky breath. “Only you…”

His alpha glared at him, disbelief in his eyes. “You proved to me that itdidmatter. You faked your own fucking death to get away from me, Wynter.”

Wynter cringed, a tear slipping down his cheek.

“I nearly lost my mind when I thought you’d died,” Cavanaugh murmured. He paused, searching Wynter’s face. “It tore me apart. The pain?” He shook his head. “It wasn’t simply emotional. What you did to me… I don’t know that I can ever forgive you for that.”

“Idon’t forgive me for what I did to you.”

Cavanaugh didn’t acknowledge hearing him. He looked toward the French doors, eyes glazed over as if he was lost to the pain. “Seeing the ghost of my dead mate wasn’t easy either. Five yearsI’d lived, assuming you dead. Learning what you’d done?” He turned to glare once more. “Howcouldyou?”

“I was trying tosaveyou.”

“Save me? From that weak alpha you were chained to?Please.There’s nothing he could’ve done to me.”

Not him.“You don’t understand. Money is all the power anyone needs.”

“Bullshit,” Cavanaugh spat.

“You don’t understand!”Wynter roared, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Thenmake meunderstand!” Cavanaugh roared back.

Wynter stumbled back, his knees buckling as he neared the bench at the end of the bed. The memories came rushing back again, and instead of forcing them away, he drank them in, tears burning his eyes. “I can’t do this, Cav. Not tonight.” He struggled for air in his lungs. Another tear escaped, sliding down his face. His entire body shuddered, the tears he couldn’t find for Warden slamming into him for what they could have had. Wynter did everything in his power to hold it back, but it came crashing down on him—and he shattered.

“There’s always some excuse.”

“I didn’t want to leave you! I never did! I was forced…” Wynter dropped his face in his hands. The sobs came powerful and all-consuming. He was barely able to breathe through them. “I-I-I…” He dragged in a painful breath. “I wanted to go with you. To follow our plan. The detachment, the travel… all of it. When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to raise our sonwith you,not him.”

Cavanaugh dropped to one knee in front of him, collecting his face in two, big strong hands. He forced Wynter’s gaze up and held it, searching.

“I love you,” Wynter barely got out over his sobs. “I havealwaysloved you.”

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