Still… the casual way she said it, like I meant nothing… that hurt more than I expected.

She was everything I had ever wanted in a woman–beautiful, innocent, a pure heart that radiated warmth. But I knew better. Those things… they never stayed the same. They would change. People always changed.

Yes… I had told her I didn’t want a mate. And it was true–I don’t believe in the mate bond. She was my second chance mate, but I’d already convinced myself that mates only brought weakness, distraction, and pain.

She was mine.

Her expression softened with something close to pity, but she said nothing. She let me talk.

“Olivia… you are-” she couldn’t complete her words.

I inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to let my instincts win. “Thanks,” I muttered, my tone polite. My voice came out rough, like gravel, betraying the strain I was under. “So… is that why you don’t want Nora? Because of what your first mate did to you?”

Olivia studied me for a moment longer, then with a faint, troubled sigh, she nodded and quietly walked out.

The thought of her with another man lit a fire in my chest so fierce I could barely think. My wolf snarled violently in my head, demanding I put her in her place.

I looked away, my jaw tightening.

“What is going on, brother?” she asked, folding her arms, her tone demanding answers. Nora stepped in quietly, balancing a tray of juice I had requested earlier. Her eyes flicked to mine for the briefest second, and my wolf practically roared again, demanding I claim her.

My frown deepened.

I tore my lips from hers and looked up sharply, my chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. My eyes locked with the wide, shocked gaze of my sister standing frozen in the doorway.

Her lips parted in shock. “What? How?”

And in that moment, I didn’t care what I’d said before.

I had to grip the armrest of my chair to stop myself from reaching out.

I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to stay even. “You can leave now,” I said, not trusting myself to look at her for too long.

My voice darkened. “What I didn’t know… was that she was sleeping with my best friend the whole time. I never even touched her, Olivia. Not once.”

“Shit!” Nora gasped and jumped out of my lap.

I clenched my jaw and forced myself to keep my composure, ignoring the rush of heat in my chest. I wasn’t about to let my emotions take over.

She folded her arms tighter, meeting my gaze without flinching. “So I can explore other men,” she replied flatly.

“Then one day,” I continued, my voice almost a growl, “she came to me, asking me to forgive her. She wanted us to reject each other quietly because she was pregnant with his child. So I did it. I rejected her… and she left without looking back.”

She gave me a polite smile, setting the tray down on the table beside me. But every movement she made–every shift of her body–only drove my wolf wilder.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at Nora, then she stared back at me with a raised brow.

Still… in that moment, I couldn’t stop myself. My lips moved over hers like I was trying to memorize the taste, my fingers gripping her waist tightly as if she might disappear if I let go.

She stepped a little closer. “Nora is not like that, Calvin. She’s nothing like your first mate.”

“Mate!” he growled in my head–loud and possessive–pacing like a caged beast ready to pounce. His voice vibrated through me, tasting her scent like it was the finest thing in existence.

A sharp, ugly pang of jealousy shot through me. Other men?

She struggled against me at first, her hands pressing lightly against my chest as if to push me away. But the more I kissed her, the more that resistance began to melt.

I clenched the armrests, fighting the burn in my chest.

The door burst open.

“Mine.” His voice was raw, insistent. “Touch her. Take her.”

In a flash, my hand shot out and I pulled her onto my lap, my grip firm around her waist. She gasped softly, glaring at me as if daring me to let go.

I leaned back in my chair, my gaze going cold as I thought back. “She’d been in love with my best friend for years. I didn’t know. When she turned eighteen, we found out we were mates. But she never let me mark her–always saying she wanted the mate mark on our wedding night. I said fine, let’s marry. She refused, saying she was too young. She wanted to wait until she was twenty.”

I didn’t answer right away. My gaze dropped to the floor. “I’m… scared, Olivia. I don’t believe in the mate bond anymore. Not after that. I’ve seen what it can turn into. How it can destroy you.”

Her lips curved in the faintest smirk. “That’s none of your business, Alpha Calvin. You made it clear you don’t want me. So I can fuck anyone I want to.”

I deepened the kiss, pouring into it everything I shouldn’t be feeling. Pain. Longing. Desire I’d been denying since the moment I saw her.

I exhaled slowly, running a hand over my face. There was no point in lying. “Nora… is my mate.”

I sighed and sat upright. “Nora… please excuse us.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Probably with my best friend right now… maybe even having their second child together.”

Her brows shot up even higher. “You have? Where is she now?”

But she didn’t move. Instead, she crossed her arms, her chin tilting slightly as she studied me. “Since you don’t want me as your mate,” she said calmly, “why don’t we just reject each other quietly? No one has to know.”

“Why are you so desperate for it?” I asked, my voice low.

Without another word, I crashed my lips against hers in a hard, possessive kiss. There was nothing gentle about it–I claimed her mouth like I owned it, like I had every right to.

“Why?” she pressed. “Is it because of her status? Calvin, you know Nora is a nice lady. You shouldn’t care about status when it comes to mates.”

Then-

I shook my head firmly. “It’s never been about her status, Olivia. The truth is… Nora is my second chance mate. I’ve had a mate before.”

Nora hesitated like she wanted to argue, but after a second, she turned and walked out, unable to meet Olivia’s gaze.

Olivia’s eyes softened a little as she studied me.

That… did it.

I shook my head firmly. “No. I don’t want it. I can’t… go through that again.” My voice dropped lower. “Please, Olivia… just leave it alone.”

Her eyes widened instantly. “Your mate? And you didn’t think to tell me?”

She opened her mouth to say something more, but I turned my face away, my tone final. “Please… leave.”

The door to my room pushed open, and even before the person stepped inside, her intoxicating scent hit my nose, making my wolf lose his damn mind.

Olivia’s sharp gaze stayed on me even after Nora had slipped out, the air still tense from what she’d just walked in on.

“Other men?” I repeated, my voice filled with jealousy. “So you’re already seeing someone?”

Calvin’s POV