Elena POV:
Kane ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. "I was," he admitted. "Before I t you, before the mate bond changed everything." He looked away, his jaw tightening. "It was a way for to... control sothing in my life. To let off steam, to keep myself from losing it completely."
His words hung heavy in the air, and I struggled to reconcile this side of him with the man I was beginning to know. "So Ashley... and the others," I said, my voice quieter now. "They were your... submissives?"
He nodded, his expression grim. "Yes. But it wasn’t love, Elena. It wasn’t even close. It was... transactional. Rules, boundaries, agreents. Nothing more."
I looked back at the contract in my hands, the neatly typed clauses and stipulations blurring together as my mind raced. "And this contract Ashley brought up last night?" I asked. "She said sothing about a clause."
Kane let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "She thought it still bound to her. That I couldn’t reject her advances because of so stupid clause about fulfilling her ’needs.’" His eyes darkened, a flicker of anger crossing his face. "But that contract beca void the mont I found you. The mate bond trumps everything."
The mate bond. The words were supposed to comfort , to reassure of his loyalty. But they only added to the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside .
"Why didn’t you tell ?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why did I have to find out like this?"
"I didn’t want you to see that way," Kane said, his voice breaking slightly. "I didn’t want you to think less of . And after Ashley pulled that stunt, I didn’t want to burden you with it. I was going to destroy the contract, but... I guess I didn’t do it fast enough."
Silence stretched between us as I tried to make sense of everything. The man I had despised for so long, the man who had been my enemy, my reluctant mate—he was so much more complicated than I had ever realized. And while part of wanted to lash out, to demand why he hadn’t told sooner, another part of knew this was his way of trying to protect and all the ti I was trying to run away from him.
"Is this..." I started, my voice faltering. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Is this contract still intact? Are the six months with Ashley over?" I knew the answer already—had pieced it together from all the little clues—but I needed to hear it from him. No more half-truths or deflections. I needed him to say it out loud.
Kane shifted uncomfortably, his usual confidence replaced by a tension that tightened his jaw and shoulders. He wouldn’t et my eyes as he croaked out a single word. "Yes."
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat growing heavier. "Have you been with her... after we t?" The question slipped out, even though I already knew the answer to that one too. The mory of him returning one day with her scent still lingering on him flashed in my mind like a cruel reminder.
"Yes." His voice was quieter this ti, filled with regret, but he still wouldn’t look at .
Each admission felt like a stab, sharp and deep, but I forced myself to keep going. I couldn’t stop now; I needed to know everything. "Why haven’t you terminated it yet?" My tone was sharp, almost accusing, but I couldn’t help it. I was hurt, frustrated, and desperate for clarity.
This ti, he looked at —really looked at . His eyes were dark, filled with a mix of guilt and determination that made it impossible to look away. "Because I cannot fulfill her request as the contract states," he said, his voice steady but laced with tension.
I blinked, confused. "What request?" My voice wavered, and I wasn’t sure if I truly wanted to know. But I had to. For us to have any kind of future, I needed everything out in the open, no matter how much it hurt. My gaze fell to the floor, unable to et his eyes as I asked, "What is her request?"
The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. For a mont, I thought he wouldn’t answer, that he’d deflect or change the subject like he’d done before. But then he spoke, his voice firm and resolute.
"That I should have a session with her... while you watch," he said, the words slow and deliberate, like he was forcing himself to get them out. "I can’t—and I won’t—do that to you."
The room suddenly felt smaller, the air thicker, as his words hung between us. That I should have a session with her while you watch. My stomach churned, and I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what I’d just heard. I tore my gaze from his, staring at the crumpled contract in my hands as though it held answers to questions I didn’t even know how to ask.
My breath hitched, my heart pounding in my chest. The thought of it made feel sick, a wave of nausea rolling through as I tried to process what he’d just said. Ashley’s request wasn’t just manipulative—it was cruel, designed to humiliate and hurt.
I gripped the edge of the couch, my knuckles turning white as I tried to steady myself. "She... she asked you to do that?" I finally managed to whisper, my voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and anger.
"Yes," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving mine. "It’s her condition for terminating the contract. But, Elena..." He reached out, his hand brushing against mine, a desperate plea in his touch. "I would never do that to you. Never."
Sothing in his tone—his unwavering certainty, the way he said it like it was the most absolute truth—softened the sharp edges of my anger. I looked up at him, searching his face for any sign of deceit, but all I saw was sincerity and... love? He ant it. He truly ant it.
"And you’re willing to stay bound by this contract just to avoid fulfilling her request?" I asked, my voice steadier now.
He nodded. "Yes. If that’s what it takes to protect you from her, then yes. I’ll stay bound by it." He let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "But I promise you, Elena, I’m doing everything I can to find another way out of it. She’s using that clause to hold power over , and I won’t let her win. Not when it cos to you."
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