Page 23 of Shattered Soulmates

Her nervousness turns to anger as she snarls and jumps from her seat, growling.

I pull her back to her seat. "What do you expect, Marissa? You’ve played games with my emotions for years. Now I’m torn. But thanks to what you and I have done, I no longer have my true mate. I probably don't even stand a chance with her anymore." I lower my head. At this point, I don't care about the consequences; I need to speak my truth.

Sighing, I face a livid Marissa and continue. "I love you, Marissa, and I’ve loved you my entire life with all my heart and soul. Your inconsistent behaviors have kept me on edge—leaving and then coming back..."

She has the decency to look slightly guilty at that moment, but remains silent. She has no grounds to defend herself; there’s no justification for her actions.

"The only way I’ll take you back is if you commit to me," I demand. "We’ll have our bonding ceremonytomorrow evening, and we’ll mate and claim each other. You’ll not only wear my wedding ring, but you will bear my mate mark."

"Miles, you know how I feel about that. It's just a representation, a piece of paper, a ring; all symbols that mean nothing," she protests.

“Symbols that I require if we are to go any further in this relationship. Everything that Paisley was willing to take and give me from the moment I met her, but because of the mind-screw you put me through, I hesitated. Maybe for the best, seeing how I ended up devastating her.”

"Oh, poor, perfect Paisley," she spits. "I’m sick to death of hearing her name, Miles." She stands and walks toward the door.

"Before you leave, Marissa, know that there’s no coming back this time. These are my conditions, take them or not." I meet her eyes. "If you accept them, I promise to focus on us and put all this behind us, never to mention Paisley again. But in return, you have to be a faithful, present wife, a co-leader to this pack, and eventually, a mother."

Marissa pauses, as if weighing her choices. "I do love you, Miles. I know I’m restless. But you’re my home." She approaches and wraps her arms around mywaist. I agree to your terms, and I promise." She smiles at me, her eyes shining too brightly. "I promise," she repeats in a whisper, leaning in to kiss me.

I desperately want to believe her. It feels off, contrived, but I ignore the nagging in my gut and let myself fall for her promises. I bury my unease and cling to hope.

Yet again, unknown to me, her fingers are hidden from view and crossed behind her back.

Alpha Stone coughs, interrupting the kiss. "Miles, you know I believe in free will in this pack. For that reason, I’ll allow your bonding with Marissa, but with two conditions. First, you both stay away from Paisley. Second, if Marissa leaves again, as she’s done in the past, she’ll be exiled and permanently banned from this pack. I don’t need troublemakers. Understood?"

"Yes, Alpha," I agree and look to Marissa for confirmation.

“I-I agree,” Marissa stammers, as if unsure of her answer.

Alright, the bonding ceremony is tonight. You can opt to mate and mark either before or after. We’ll manage the pack admission beforehand.

"Thanks, Alpha." I dip my head as Marissa precedes me out the door.

"And, Miles?"

"Yes, Alpha?" I turn back to him.

"I meant what I said. Leave Paisley alone. Stop stalking her. Your stench is suffocating the area around her cabin." Alpha Blake’s voice drops, low and warning.

I lower my head. "Yes, sir."

Marissa stiffens beside me, her features carved in cold fury.

Paisley

It feels like my life is endless rounds of torment. On my way to school this morning, I’m waylaid by Marissa. It seems she’s back, and she wants to make sure I know.

"Paisley, right?" I nod in response. "I'm Marissa."

"I know who you are," I say calmly.

"Of course, you do," she smirks. "I want you to stay away from Miles. He and I are getting married this evening. We have already mated." She tilts her head to the side and pulls her hair back from her neck. My wolf, Juneau, mourns for the loss of her mate, and my heart aches as I wonder why I was never good enough for Miles. She’s wearing his claim, something he denied me, his true mate. That should have been the first red flag.

At least I can find some comfort in the fact that I won't have to worry about CMS anymore. He has claimed Marissa, and she’s claimed him. Even though I rejected Miles, there’s always pain, dulled by the Amra I take. Those feelings should go away completely now, and I won't need the medication.

I take in Marissa's appearance. Physically, Marissa and I are opposites. I'm petite and curvy, standing around 5'1", with brown eyes and long blonde hair, while Marissa is willowy and tall at about 5'9". She, too, is blonde but with green eyes. She’s undeniably beautiful on the outside, but there’s a putrid undertone of creosote lingering in her scent, as if her soul is tainted.

"Do you understand me?" she hisses. "Miles. Is. Mine." She jabs a finger into my chest to punctuate each word.

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