Page 26 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

“I don’t know much about fated mates, but isn’t there a bond or something? You can’t choose me if you haven’t met him. What if we start a life and he comes along, and you leave me? That will kill me.”?

Haden started pacing around again.?

“I have met him.” I frowned because this was the part I didn’t want him to know. “You saw me sneaking around the village for weeks because I was following him. I didn’t feel any sort of connection to him at all, though. I was trying to figure out why I had a bond to someone I did not feel anything toward. I thought I needed to be near him longer, but the more I was near him, the more I realized I did not want him. But the first time I saw you, I felt what I should have for him.”

“Who is it?”?

“Haden…” I begged.?

“Tell me now.”

“It’s Holden.”?

Haden froze in shock. His entire body went rigid as icy blue took over his features. His magic suddenly exploded out of him, knocking me into the wall. Snow flurried around us as I stood up.

“Please, the heavens made a mistake because the moment I saw you, I finally felt something. You are mine, Haden. I do not want him.”?

“Get out,” he said softly.?

“Please, I don’t want to lose you.”?

“Get out!” he yelled with so much hurt and anger that the walls shook. “Please, I need you to leave.”

I didn’t move, so he walked over to me and grabbed me by the upper arm. Haden pulled me to the front door and gently shoved me out before slamming it behind me. I pounded on the door, begging him not to leave me. Then I heard it, his soft crying coming from inside the home, and my chest felt as if it werecaving in. I did that to him. Haden was hurting because of me, and I didn’t know how to fix it. How was I supposed to reassure him that I chose him and always would?

I sat on the stairs of his home, waiting for him to come out. I physically felt ill that I hurt him. It felt like hours before the door finally opened. Quickly, I stood up, but he didn’t look at me. He slammed his door shut and began walking through the field. I followed desperately, just to be close to him.?

“Can we please talk?” I asked, but he ignored me. Silently, I walked behind him because of his ridiculous pace. Haden didn’t look back at me once as he twisted and turned through the village. I made myself invisible so that no one would see me crying and following him like a crazy lady. Haden stopped at the pastry stand, and the two women smiled at him.?

“No girlfriend today?” The dark-haired one smiled.?

“No,” Haden said quickly. He was going to leave me, and I couldn’t stop it. There was no bond between us; he didn’t need to reject me. He could just walk away from me, and I would have to let him.?

“Well, in that case, do you want to get a drink at the tavern tonight?” she purred.?

Jealousy instantly filled my chest. Haden glanced at me, and I saw the devastation in his eyes. If he said yes to her, he might as well carve my heart out with a knife. I gasped when he closed his eyes, a shiver seeming to run through him. His breath hitched. For a heartbeat, he didn’t move. Then the color bled from his eyes, icy blue giving way to black. The air dropped several degrees around me, and a pressure coiled in my chest like a storm waiting to break. Gods, there was something different about him. It wasn't Haden staring back at me; it was a different version of him.

“Never in a million years,” he said angrily.

“You are such an asshole.” She glared.

He shrugged, and he turned to look right at me. I saw the devastation in his eyes, but there was a harsh anger in them too. Fuck, the darkness of his eyes would haunt me.

“Please, don’t do this,” I whispered. “You are mine.”

Haden grabbed his pastry and left, but as soon as he was out of hearing range of the woman, he stopped with his back to me.

“Apparently, I am not yours, Ardella; I never was.” His shoulders rose and fell quickly. “You should have told me it was Holden.”

“Does it matter who it is?”

This pissed him off as he turned toward me.

“Yes, because they gave the bond to the one man I would never hurt. If it had been anyone else, I would have...” He sighed heavily. “It doesn’t matter because it wasn’t someone else; it washim. Holden is a good man; he would make you happy."

"You make me happy." My voice cracked as emotions tightened my throat.

"Stop following me. I need time to process what is happening. I will call to you if I want to see you."

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