Page 9 of Shattered Soulmates

Chapter 3 – FAFO

Miles

The Next Morning

The Day of the Bonding Ceremony

In the early morning hours of dawn, after several rounds of passion with Marissa, the motel room is quiet except for her soft breathing. She lies across my chest, her hair splayed softly around her like a halo. I caress her gently, but a raw pang of guilt strikes me deep.

Paisley. Soft, sweet Paisley.

It hits me in this moment that I love two very different females at the same time. Paisley is soft, vulnerable, caring, generous, and so much more. She makes me feel like she needs my protection. Marissa is passionate and full of life's gusto. When she wants something, she goes for it, needing no protection at all. She’s vibrant, independent, and all-encompassing.

I sigh. Being with Marissa while mated to Paisley is wrong. I’m so confused. I can't go through with the bonding ceremony right now. I need to clear my thoughts and figure out what I want and where to go from here. And Paisley deserves to hear this from me.

I ease myself out from under Marissa, careful not to wake her, and slip out of bed. I grab my clothes and sneak into the bathroom. Once dressed, I leave the motel room and head to the pack house. I dread this conversation. Guilt gnaws at me, but not enough to stop me before I fully grasp the magnitude of the consequences.

Maybe Paisley can forgive me for this indiscretion. But at this point, I’m not entirely sure if I still want to mate with her now that Marissa’s finally back. I need time to process this and then make a choice.

If I choose Paisley, I’ll have to cut off Marissa, and my feelings for her run deep. She’s the air in my lungs, the blood in my veins. A large part of my heart that had ceased to function now beats out of my chest, and I feel whole again.

But choosing Marissa means utter devastation because I’ll be losing my soulmate, my port in the storm, my sunshine, and my only chance at true happiness.

What do I do?

It takes about an hour to get back home to the pack house, and it’s eerily quiet. The remains of Paisley’s bachelorette party are scattered about. Ripped streamers hang from the ceiling, and garbage, cans, and bottles litter the tables. As the Beta female, it seems odd that she’d leave the pack house in such a mess. I quietly ascend the stairs to the third floor, where she and I reside.

Opening the door, I see nothing out of place in our living room and kitchen area. Paisley keeps the place immaculate. When I open the bedroom door, the bed is undisturbed. Her side table drawer lies beside the bed with its contents strewn across the floor.Weird.I pick up the mess and put the drawer back.

Her clothes are in the closet. I check the bathroom, but it’s empty. Her scent lingers faintly in the air. But she’s nowhere to be found.

She must be in a snit because I didn’t come home last night.I think haughtily.

I head into the hallway and over to Alpha's office. I knock and hear a muffled growl. "Come in, Miles." As wolf shifters, our senses are enhanced so we’re able to determine who is nearby, mostly by scent, even if we can’t see them.

I plop down in the chair and meet Alpha's stern gaze with a sigh. He doesn't say a word. His unflinching glare seems to take my measure and find me lacking.

"I… I'm calling off the bonding ceremony."

"You already did."

My eyes snap up to him. I nod. "Fair assessment."

"Do you have anything else you want to say to me?"

"I want to tell Paisley myself. She deserves a face-to-face conversation." I admit.

Alpha nods. "I think she already knows, but I agree that a talk with her is warranted when you see her again. She is worthy of that and more."

He eyes me disdainfully. "Like faithfulness. Don't seek her out. Let her come to you."

I lower my eyes. “Someone already told her?” I ask, my voice tinged with shame.

"Anything else you want to say?" he repeats, ignoring me and my pathetic pity party.

Alpha Blake

Meeting with Beta Miles Continued

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