Page 32 of Carter

“Where’s Carter?”

I demand as I walk past them and towards the kitchen, checking there first. “Leandra!” Liam yells after me, but I’m already storming away, determined to find him. “Leandra, wait!” Isabella says. But it’s too late. The second I step foot into the kitchen, my eyes rest on Carter, who is holding his mate’s face between his hands; their foreheads pressing against each other.

I could see the mate bond between them. That force I was afraid of. The same forcefield between Liam and Isabella. That real connection. I laugh mentally as my presence doesn’t phase them as I watch them. They both enjoy each other thoroughly. My heart shatters in my chest. An ache I have never felt before spreads throughout my body. A single tear slips down my cheek. His mate has long red hair, she's slightly taller than me, and is curvy in all the right places. She’s beautiful.

Quickly wiping my tears away, his mate turns her attention to me. She smiles and pulls away from Carter. “Hi,” she says sweetly as she steps closer to me.

“I’m Sienna. Carter’s mate.”

Chapter twenty-eight

Leandra

I make a run for it in a flash. Endless tears are streaming down my face. Hurt is taking over and consuming every inch of my body. I couldn’t bear to look at them anymore, afraid of what I would have done or said in a moment of hurt and anger. Isabella and Liam were arguing with each other in the hallway when I stormed by.

They became silent. “Leandra,” Isabella reaches out for me, but I open the front door before she can touch me. “Leandra!” She yells again, following me out the door.

I turn around to look at her. Pointing at her as if I’m accusing her of something. “You know what a mate bond feels like. What having a mate does to you!” I yell. “You should have warned me. Fuck Isabella! You could have told me what was going to happen. I cried and told you my worries. You could have told me.” I say, defeated, remembering that night of her engagement when I cried on her shoulder, letting her know my fears and insecurities. Her face crumbles.

“I’m sorry, Leandra. Please just calm down. You’re upset, and I don’t want you driving in that state.” Her voice laces with concern, but I don’t care. I laugh without any humor. Shaking my head in disbelief, I return to my car. When I’m almost in my car, I hear Carter’s deep voice behind me. “Leandra!” He yells. “Peach, wait.” His voice pleads with me. I’m full-on crying now. Trying my best to choke back my tears.

“Please hear me out,” he begs, but I don’t turn around.

His hand reaches for my wrist, and I retract my hand back like he was poison. "Don’t fucking touch me.” I grit out, turning around. His eyes watch me intently. A flash of sadness covers them when I pull away from his touch. But I don’t believe anything he says anymore. “It’s not what it looks like. I swear!” He yells. I shake my head. “Do you think I’m fucking stupid?” My voice is laced with anger.

Carter watches me as a sigh leaves his lips. He runs a hand through his hair. “God! You must have enjoyed playing me, huh? How stupid could I have been to fall for your lies.” All I feel is anger towards him. He lied, and he promised me I was enough. “I just need a few days to figure everything out.” He murmurs. “I need my wol—” I don’t let him finish his sentence because I know what he’s going to say. Lies!

“Need a few days to figure shit out? You mean to decide who you prefer?” I spit out at him. My voice is laced with pure venom. “If you want to be with her or me? I won’t be second best to anyone and I won’t be your goddamn mistress.”

“You will never be second best. Let alone, my goddamn mistress.” He exclaims.

I let out a dry laugh. “So, what Carter, you expect me to sit at home while I know you’re with her? You want me to wait while you fuck her brains out and take her on dates until you figure out who fucks you better.”

“It’s not like that at all,” Carter says slowly.

I can’t hold the tears off any longer as they roll down my cheeks. “You promised me, Carter, that if she came, you wouldn’t do this to me. You promised me that I was enough. You said you loved me.” I state harshly. “I do love you, Leandra. Fuck! Peach, you know I do.” He attempts to step closer to me, but I hold a hand out for him to stop coming closer to me. “I don’t think you do.” I challenge him. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t choose her over me.” Carter buries his head in his hands. I can see the tears in his eyes when he finally looks up at me again.

“What I don’t understand is why? If you had the slightest doubt that you would choose your mate, you should have told me!” I yell. “You shouldn’t have led me on or assured me this connection was real and reciprocated. You made me fall in love with you, and for what? Huh, Carter. So that I can keep you satisfied in the meantime!”

Carter’s eyes turn angry. “I never used you for anything.” His jaw tightens as he tries to calm himself down. “I don’t expect you to understand what my wolf and I are feeling right now.” That statement alone has me seeing red. How could he say I don’t understand what he’s feeling? I sure as hell know, he doesn’t understand what I’m feeling. “No, you’re right. I don’t understand what you or your wolf are feeling. But I know if you couldn’t keep your word, you should have just said nothing.” I spit before opening my car door. Carter immediately rushes towards me, closing the door and preventing me from getting in. “Please, Peach, let's talk about this.”

I stare at him in disbelief. “Talk about what?” I grit with venom. I stare up at him. His eyes flick between mine as I watch tears roll down his cheek. “You’ve chosen her. There’s no point in talking.” I try to open my door again, but his hand holds it down. “I haven’t,” he pleads with me to believe him.

“Stop. Just fuckin' stop!” I yell. “Stop fucking with my head and feelings. You can’t tell me you haven’t chosen her when you’ve been begging me for a few days!” I’ve had enough of his lies. I’m done. I can’t bear to look at him any longer.

“Leandra.”

I wipe the tears away with my hand. Looking up at him and holding his gaze. “I hate you,” I cry out. “I hate that you could do this to me.” Carter’s face falls, his expression showing hurt. He lets out a shaky breath. “You don’t mean that.” He says with sadness in his voice. I swallow hard. “I do, Carter. Look into my eyes and tell me what you see in them.” I challenged him, and I knew he could because, at that very moment, he saw my hate towards him. Placing my hands on his shirt, I push him away from my car and quickly get in before he can stop me. Carter pleads and begs me not to do this. “Peach, please don’t do this.”

Laughing to myself, I turned to look at him. “You’ve done it. We’re done.” I say before speeding out of there. I feel like I couldn’t breathe. Everything was getting too much.

I hate this!

I pull over after driving for only a mile too frantic and scared of getting into a car accident and killing myself or others. I take out my phone and with shaky fingers, I dial Ashton’s number. He answers in the second ring.

“Hello,” he says. I couldn’t even respond. All I could do was cry. The pain I was feeling was unbearable when I was finally able to talk. I could only let out a few words before I sob again. “It hurts, Ash. Please come get me.” I barely let out.

“Leandra, listen to me, sweetheart. You need to calm down. Tell me where you are, and I promise I'll come get you.” I calm myself just enough to let him know where I am, and not even ten minutes later; I see his dark SUV pull up. Ashton gets out of the car and runs towards me, pulling me into his chest and allowing me to cry again. We just stand there as tears are running down my face. He tries his best to comfort me. Rubbing my back up and down and whispering that everything will be okay.

---