*Lucas*
Sasha’s eyes sparkled and I saw her hand twitch. For a mont, it looked like she was going to reach out to .
She had to feel the mate bond still, regardless of what her mories told her was real in this tiline, right?
Sasha bit her lower lip and pulled back.
“Sasha, my love, what’s going on?”
Donovan appeared, stepping between us. He gave a quick look and turned to Sasha, taking her hands in his.
My blood boiled and my wolf snarled, ready to launch at him and scratch his eyes out.
I clenched my fists at my sides, but my anger cooled the mont I saw the look of relief in Sasha’s eyes.
She gazed at Donovan with sothing like affection, adoration.
My heart clenched as ice crept down my spine.
“Do you need my help with this... creep?” Donovan tossed another sharp look.
Sasha nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, please!”
My stomach twisted as I heard the pleading in her voice. She was begging Donovan to rescue her... from ....
My wolf bristled and snarled, ready to pounce on Donovan, but I held him back. I studied Sasha’s face. Her eyes flicked to and I saw the discomfort she was in. I’d caused that. She really wanted nothing to do with .
Donovan turned to with a smug grin.
“Well, well, it looks like you’ve crashed my fiancée’s bachelorette party. I can’t allow that, now, can I?” He crossed his arms, muscles bulging.
I planted my feet and glared, ready to fight him right here. It didn’t matter if Sasha loved this guy in this reality. He was a complete ass, and I wasn’t going to let him stand there with that stupid shit-eating grin on his face.
Donovan chuckled, and I noticed several other muscled shifters moving closer to him from around the bar. They cracked their knuckles and gave gleeful looks, like they couldn’t wait to beat the crap out of .
“Why don’t we take this outside so that you and I can have a chat, man to man?” Donovan suggested.
I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes at him.
“I’d rather stay here. I’d like Sasha to see the real Donovan.”
Donovan sniffed. “She knows . You don’t need to worry about that. But if you’d like to resist, we can always make a scene. Although, I’d prefer not to, since this is my fiancée’s special night.”
I glanced at Sasha again. She gave a nervous look and inched closer to Donovan.
As much as I wanted to keep Sasha in my sight, I didn’t think Donovan was giving a choice. He was willing to make a scene, regardless of Sasha’s feelings on the matter or how important this night was for her.
I was the one who had to consider Sasha’s feelings.
“Fine, I’ll et you out back,” I growled, my fists shaking at my sides.
Donovan was lucky that I still cared about Sasha’s feelings. Even if this wedding and bachelorette party were a complete mistake, I wasn’t going to ruin it for her, not as long as she didn’t think it was a mistake.
I headed into the alley out back with Donovan and his entourage close behind . As soon as we were out there, I whipped around and glared at him.
“You don’t deserve her,” I snapped, pointing accusingly at him.
Donovan shrugged and slapped my hand away. “Whatever. She chose , and that’s not for to question. If she loves and wants to spend the rest of her life with , who am I to argue?”
My jaw dropped. “Do you even love her back or want to spend the rest of your life with her?”
Donovan frowned. If he was even a half-decent guy, he would imdiately shoot back that of course he did and he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.
Instead, he just looked at , that dumb frown plastered on his face.
“Well, it’s not really about what I want. This is what’s best for her.”
“You’re as much of an ass here as you are in my reality,” I muttered, shaking my head.
Donovan creased his brow. “What the hell are you muttering about?”
“I know soone else just like you. He wanted to play ‘the long ga’ with Sasha just to get in her pants. You wouldn’t be willing to marry soone just to sleep with them, would you?”
“Is that any of your business?”
“Yes! Sasha deserves more than that.”
“Do you even know her?” he asked. “From what I could tell, you’re just so bully from her childhood. Why do you even care?”
“Because she might not rember, but I know her better than she thinks. She doesn’t like this kind of grandeur that is going into her wedding, and she certainly wouldn’t ever degrade herself by marrying soone as deplorable as you!”
Donovan threw his head back and laughed. “You must not know this Sasha. I’ve heard rumors of alternate tilines flying around lately. Maybe the Sasha you know is from another tiline.”
“No! Sasha is still Sasha. She’s a wonderful person with a big heart. She’s smart and clever and would never resign herself to a miserable life as a housewife with a creep like you.”
Donovan snarled, and his muscley friends grumbled and flexed their arms.
Even if Donovan knew of alternate tilines and realities, I doubted he understood it enough for to convince him I was really a different Lucas. He probably used it as an excuse to brush off and didn’t really believe it.
“Sasha and I have shared a lot more than you’ll ever know. We’re connected deeply, and that bond never goes away, even if she makes the misguided decision to marry you.”
Donovan stared at for a mont. Suddenly, he started laughing again. He tossed his head back and clutched his chest. His whole body trembled as he laughed.
The sound echoed off the alley walls and a shudder went through .
“Oh, no. Please tell you don’t think that Sasha is your mate!”
“Well, she’s not yours, is she?” I challenged.
Donovan stroked his chin as he continued to chuckle lightly. “No, she isn’t my mate. But that’s not going to stop from benefiting from her choices.”
“You bastard!”
“Look, you might think that Sasha is your mate, but I’m telling you, she’s not. Whoever you think you knew, it isn’t her. She’s soone different. Whoever you knew... she doesn’t exist.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “No!”
My wolf echoed my protest in the back of my mind, growling. I felt him rise in my eyes, ready to show himself to Donovan.
“Heh, you can’t intimidate . Even if you shift, you’ll never be able to take on all of us.” Donovan swept his arm out over his followers.
I glared at them as they flexed their muscles and made punching motions at . As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Donovan had a point. With him and ten others, I might be able to win, but at what cost?
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my strength or my wolf’s strength, but I was very outnumbered. If my life depended on it, I could do it. But was fighting for Sasha, who didn’t even recognize as her mate, the right ti to endanger myself?
No. I had to remain steady and cool-headed or I’d never get us out of this wrong world.
“So, why don’t you just walk away?” Donovan put his hand on my shoulder and gave a fake-friendly smile. “I’ll take care of Sasha. You don’t need to worry about that. She doesn’t even like you, anyway. Why fight for soone who doesn’t want you?”
“Take your fucking hand off !”
Donovan pulled away and rubbed his fingers together as if I’d just bit him.
“You are a piece of work, aren’t you? Why go through all this trouble? She chose .”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to let my mate make the worst mistake of her life! How and why she would ever choose scum like you is beyond . I can’t stand by and watch her throw her life away.”
Donovan chuckled, his eyes gleaming in the nearby street lights.
“Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? The Sasha you think you know would never choose . You said it yourself. So, why do you still think my Sasha is the sa as yours?”
I bristled when Donovan called her “my Sasha.”
Clenching my fists, I shook in anger, exerting all my control over myself and my wolf to keep from attacking this smug asshat.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. She might not rember, but I know she’s still in there. I know she is MY Sasha!” I pointed to my own chest.
“Oh, really? Then tell , why can’t she feel your mate bond? If she did, don’t you think she would have been more interested in you? Instead, she asked to take care of you.” Donovan smirked and put his hands on his hips.
He puffed his chest out triumphantly as if he’d just won so huge award.
I shook my head, refusing to believe it. Still, he had a point. Sasha had her wolf in this reality. It wasn’t like our ages had changed. Even if she only rembered as a bully, her wolf should have recognized as her mate.
“You still think she’s your mate? Still think she’s the sa Sasha? You know there’s nothing I could do to trick or confuse her wolf. And yet, she didn’t recognize you or feel any mate bond toward you.”
My hands eased at my sides and I stared at the wall behind Donovan’s head. My wolf gave a mournful howl. All the anger left and I bowed my head slightly.
I couldn’t deny the truth in Donovan’s words. Was my Sasha really gone? Why could I rember everything from the other tiline but she couldn’t? Did that an that she hadn’t co with ?
But how could the Moon Goddess fate us to be mates in one reality and not another? It made no sense. I wasn’t quite ready to give up on Sasha yet.
She was wearing the erald I got her. It ant sothing to her. I could tell by the way she kept touching it. Regardless of what Donovan said, Sasha had to be in there sowhere. I just needed to get her out.
“Oh, poor, poor Lucas,” Donovan taunted. He ‘tsdk’d’ and shook his head.
I snapped my eyes to him again and glared. “What are you talking about?”
“How much it must suck to be you right now.” He grinned, his lips parting over white teeth, his eyes glinting gleefully.
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