Suddenly, the air shifted. Tension thickened like fog. But I didn't look around. I didn't care. My world was sitting right beside me.
That is—until Xander tensed.
His arm dropped from my shoulders, and he stood so abruptly that I blinked in confusion. "Xander?" I asked, looking up.
But his eyes weren't on me.
They were fixed on something—someone.
I turned slowly.
Standing beside our table was the one man I hoped I'd never meet.
The Ruthless Alpha of the Herveaux Pack.
Tyler.
His black eyes burned into mine, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
A single word echoed in my mind.
Mate.
No.
No, no, no.
"This can't be," I whispered under my breath, stumbling backward until I was pressed against Xander's side.
Tyler's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "So I finally found you, mate."
The word mate felt like a curse. A cruel twist in a story I thought I understood.
How could the Moon Goddess do this to me?
To us?
"Come to me, mate," Tyler purred, his voice thick with mockery. "I've waited a long time for this night."
"I'm not your mate!" I snapped, trembling. "I already have a mate!" I pointed at Xander beside me, praying—begging—him to say something. To fight for me.
Tyler's dark chuckle slithered through the crowd like poison. His eyes turned to Xander. "I doubt this filthy little guard dares to challenge me for his fake bond."
My chest tightened.
But Xander…
He didn't say a word for several heartbeats.
Then, he turned to Tyler, his voice steady but cold. "No, my Alpha. I wouldn't dare challenge you. Besides, we just met tonight."
We just met tonight.
The words shattered something deep inside me.
Like glass.
Like bones.
I stared at him, mouth open, heart breaking. A thousand unspoken memories between us dissolved into nothing.
"I'm sure you won't anger your Alpha," Tyler said smugly, his eyes gleaming with victory.
Xander nodded once… and walked away.
Just like that.
Without looking back.
Without shame.
The strange kiss.
The apology.
The distance.
It all made sense now.
I stood frozen, shattered, as the world around me spun. The love I had clung to, the dreams I had built—it had all been a lie.
And the worst part?
He never loved me the way I loved him.
Not even close.
When I pointed to Xander—my trembling hand choosing him over the ruthless Alpha—something inside Tyler snapped.
And when Xander denied me?
Tyler didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward, dark and deadly, his voice a final verdict. "You are mine now."
I instinctively began to back away, feet shuffling across the cold grass. The idea of living with Tyler, or being bound to him, made my stomach churn. I wasn't just trying to escape him… I needed to escape everything—Tyler, Xander, this entire nightmare. I needed space. Air. Time to think.
But then I laughed—bitterly. What was the point of thinking about escape when I was already trapped?
Trapped with the most ruthless man the supernatural world had ever known.
He caught up to me with inhuman speed. One arm snaked around my waist—unyielding, colder than betrayal, stronger than steel.
"Don't touch me!" I screamed, struggling against his hold.
But the crowd only watched. Frozen. Stunned. No one dared to intervene. No one dared to challenge him. Tyler wasn't just a man. He was a monster. The devil in Alpha's skin. His wrath was legendary, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of it.
My heart cried out for Xander. Do something. Say something. Please.
But he was already gone.
Swallowed by the crowd.
Swallowed by his cowardice.
Tyler leaned in, his lips grazing my ear. "My mate needs rest."
And then—in the blink of an eye—he vanished, carrying me effortlessly in his arms, bridal-style, his supernatural speed leaving behind only gasps and whispers.
"Welcome home, mate." He whispered.