And then, it hits.
The fated mate bond slams into me like a freight train, stealing the breath from my lungs. My wolf, usually quiet and controlled, surges forward with a desperate urgency I’ve never felt before. It echoes through every cell in my body, through my bones, through the very essence of what I am.
This is him. This is the one the Moon Goddess chose for me.
I see the exact moment it hits him, too. His eyes widen fractionally, his grip on my shoulders tightening with the obvious need to claim me. His nostrils flare like he’s scenting me, confirming what we both already know with absolute certainty.
For one perfect, frozen moment, we just stare at each other. The air between us feels charged, alive with possibility and recognition and something that feels like coming home and falling off a cliff all at once.
Then, his expression shutters completely, and he shoves me away. Not gently or carefully—he actually pushes me backward, his hands leaving my shoulders as if I’m burning him.
I stumble, catching myself against the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs and my liquored-up brain struggling to compute.
“Watch where you’re going,” he says, his voice cold and hard.
I stare at him, unable to process what just happened. Unable to reconcile the devastating perfection of finding my mate with the ice in his tone.
He brushes past me, his shoulder deliberately knocking against mine as he strides down the hallway toward the stairs.
I stand frozen against the wall, my pulse pounding so hard, I can hear it in my ears. My hands are shaking. My wolf is howling inside me, confused and hurt and angry. The mate bond is still there, pulled tight like a string between us even as he walks away. I can feel him moving, feel the distance growing with each step he takes.
He felt it, too. I know he did. The realization in his eyes was unmistakable. The feeling I experienced wasn’t one-sided.
So, why is he ignoring me?
He didn’t speak the words that would sever the bond, but I can’t help feeling unwanted and rejected with the way he looked at me, the way he pushed me away like I was distasteful.
The shock starts to wear off, replaced by a hotter, sharper emotion.
I push off the wall and head for the stairs, my earlier tipsiness completely burned away by adrenaline. My feet move quickly, high heels clicking against the hardwood as I head in the same direction he went.
I reach the top of the stairs just in time to see a dark-suited figure disappearing around a corner. But when I get to the main hallway, it’s empty. Just a long corridor stretching in front of me, more halls branching off on either side, no sign of him anywhere.
I take a few steps forward, glancing into each hallway, then stop when I don’t see him.
I stand there in the vacant corridor, breathing hard, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
Did that actually just happen? I met my fated mate, and he was an asshole to me.
My wolf is still agitated, pacing restlessly inside me. She’s perplexed. Our mate rejected us. Pushed us away. Why?
The shock is gone now, replaced entirely by anger.
Who the hell does he think he is?
Chapter Two
Sienna
I look like hell.
The bathroom mirror doesn’t lie, and right now it’s telling me that three hours of sleep after a night spent alternating between champagne, confusion, and fury does not make for a good look. There are dark circles under my eyes that would make a raccoon proud, and my hair looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket.
I stare at my reflection, and my reflection blinks back at me.
Who pushes away their mate? What kind of person feels that bond, that perfect recognition, and simply walks away?
My wolf is still restless, pacing and snarling inside me. She wants answers. She wants to find him, demand an explanation, make him acknowledge what he so clearly felt.
