Josie
Kiel’s lips trailed soft, teasing kisses along my neck as I laughed breathlessly, trying to push him away. His hands were warm against my waist, his fingers drawing lazy circles that sent shivers down my skin. "Kiel," I whispered between giggles, "stop, you’re—tickling —"
"Tickling you?" he murmured against my ear, his voice low and playful. "Then I’ll just have to find a better way to keep you quiet."
I gasped when he nipped at my jaw, his laughter mixing with mine. Everything felt light, like the tension from the past days had lifted—until I heard a faint sound. A sharp click, like a heel on the marble floor.
I stiffened.
Kiel didn’t notice at first; he was too busy tugging gently toward the staircase that led to my room. But I froze, my pulse skipping. "Wait," I whispered, pressing my palm against his chest.
He frowned. "What is it?"
"I heard sothing."
We both turned, and there—descending the stairs with that sa smug, self-assured grace—was her. Iggy. The woman who had spent the entire previous night glued to Varen’s side.
My chest tightened instantly. The sight of her here, in our ho, was like a slap to the face.
"What the hell—" I started, already stepping forward.
But before I could take another step, Varen appeared.
He looked... awful. His hair was a ss, his eyes bloodshot, the skin beneath them bruised from sleeplessness. The raw exhaustion carved into his features hit like a punch to the gut. My anger faltered for half a second—until I rembered why.
I turned sharply to Iggy. "What are you doing here?" My voice shook, not from fear, but fury barely held together. "You shouldn’t be in this house."
Iggy blinked, all false sweetness. "I ca to speak with Varen. It was important."
"Important?" I stepped closer, glaring. "Then you can speak to him outside. You don’t belong here."
"Josie," Varen muttered hoarsely, "go inside."
That made freeze. Slowly, I turned to him. "Excuse ?"
"Go inside," he repeated, this ti firr. "Kiel, take her upstairs."
My jaw dropped slightly. "You’re telling to leave? While she’s standing here in my ho, talking to you about God knows what?"
"Josie," he said, his tone clipped, "this isn’t the ti."
"Then make it the ti!" I snapped. "Because I’m not leaving until you explain what’s going on."
The tension in the air was suffocating. Kiel stepped forward as though to intervene, but Iggy suddenly broke the silence with a light, tinkling laugh. "Relax, Josie. It’s nothing scandalous. I just needed to discuss sothing private with him."
"Private?" I repeated, my voice rising. "Then why in the world were you walking down that hallway?" I pointed toward the corridor leading to the bedrooms. "His office is in the opposite direction."
For a mont, the air went dead still.
Iggy faltered, her smile stiffening. "I—must’ve taken the wrong—"
"Don’t lie to ," I snapped.
Kiel’s eyes narrowed slightly. "That’s not the direction of his office," he confird, his voice hard.
The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on. No one moved. No one spoke. My hands trembled, but I refused to let them see it.
Finally, I exhaled, shaking my head as tears stung the backs of my eyes. "You know what? I don’t care. I’m done."
And before anyone could stop , I turned and stord off, my heels clicking furiously against the floor.
By the ti I reached my room, I couldn’t hold back anymore. The tears ca hot and fast as I slamd the door behind . I ripped at my dress, pulling it off, tearing it down to my underwear as if the fabric itself was suffocating . My reflection in the mirror looked broken—eyes red, skin blotchy, lips trembling.
I pressed a hand to my chest. The ache there was unbearable, a sharp, twisting pain that no deep breath could soothe. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the door, waiting—hoping—that maybe he would co. That maybe Varen would walk in and tell I was wrong, that he would hold and say she ant nothing.
But he didn’t.
The house stayed silent.
And eventually, exhaustion dragged under.
The next morning, sunlight spilled through my window, golden and cruelly bright. I dressed slowly, still numb, and made my way to the dining room. The scent of brewed coffee and warm pastries filled the air, but the table was nearly empty—except for Thorne, sitting casually at the head of it.
"Morning," he said smoothly, his lips curving into that infuriating smirk of his.
Beside him sat a box, wrapped neatly in white and gold.
Curiosity tugged at despite my mood. "What’s that?"
He gestured for to co closer. "Why don’t you find out?"
I walked over, and before I could even reach for the box, Thorne’s hand shot out, gripping my waist and pulling into his lap.
"Thorne," I gasped, blushing.
He chuckled, low and deep. "You didn’t think I’d just let you snatch it without a proper good morning, did you?"
His tone was teasing, but his eyes held that unmistakable dominance, the kind that always made my pulse stutter. I leaned forward, intending to kiss his cheek, but he caught my chin mid-motion and pressed his lips to mine instead—slow, claiming, deliberate.
When he finally let breathe, I laughed softly, a little dazed. "You’re impossible."
"Guilty," he murmured.
He nodded toward the box. "Now open it."
I did—and gasped. Inside lay a pure diamond necklace, glittering so brightly it looked almost unreal. Beside it sat an invitation card adorned with silver embossing: Luna Celebration — in Honor of Josie.
I blinked at it, stunned. "Thorne... is this—"
He grinned. "Yours. The event’s next week."
For the first ti in what felt like forever, joy flickered through . "It’s beautiful."
Before I could say more, he kissed again—rougher this ti—and I lted against him, the coldness of last night fading under his warmth.
"Looks good on you already," he murmured against my lips.
A cough interrupted us.
We both turned. Varen stood at the doorway, his expression unreadable—but his voice was sharp when he spoke. "Didn’t realize breakfast ca with a show."
The warmth in evaporated instantly.
Before I could respond, Kiel appeared behind him and slapped his back hard. "That’s enough, Varen. Sit down."
Varen’s jaw tightened. "I’m not hungry."
"Sit," Kiel repeated.
I stared at the table, unable to look at him. Every ti I tried, all I saw was Iggy’s smug smile.
Thorne leaned back, his expression darkening. "Soone fill in. What the hell happened last night?"
Kiel didn’t hesitate. "Your brother decided it was appropriate to entertain Iggy at midnight. Alone."
Thorne’s eyes snapped to Varen, and his voice dropped dangerously. "You did what?"
"She needed help," Varen said flatly.
"In your room?" Kiel interjected coldly.
The air thickened.
"Enough," Thorne said sharply, his tone cutting through the tension. "You need to get your act together, Varen. Whatever this is—jealousy, guilt, pride—you’d better fix it before you tear everything apart."
Varen’s gaze darkened. "Don’t talk to like I’m one of your subordinates."
"Then stop acting like one," Thorne snapped.
Varen pushed back from the table. "I’m done with this."
I rose quickly. "Varen, please don’t go." My voice cracked. "We can talk. I don’t want to fight anymore."
He turned, his expression twisted in frustration. "You’ll never change, Josie. You don’t even try to understand ."
Kiel scoffed. "Maybe try making it easy for once. Stop acting like a spoiled brat, and we might actually get sowhere."
That did it. Varen slamd his hands against the table, the sound echoing through the room. "I’m tired of sharing! I never realized that being mated to the sa woman would be a nightmare."
My breath hitched. "What did you just say?"
"You heard ." His voice cracked, full of bitterness. "You were supposed to be mine, Josie. You said you’d fall, and I promised to catch you—but you never even reached for . Every ti you’re hurt, you go to them. You never call for . And I’m tired. I’m tired of pretending I’m not invisible."
His words sliced straight through .
"Varen..." I whispered, shaking my head. "You don’t an that."
"I do," he shouted. "I’m tired of this. Tired of you pretending to care while you give everything to them."
Kiel rose from his seat. "Enough."
Varen ignored him. His gaze burned into mine. "I reject you, Josie. As my mate."
The room spun.
The words hit like a physical blow, and before I could even react, pain exploded in my chest. My knees buckled, a sharp, unbearable ache tearing through the bond like fire through paper.
I heard soone shout my na—Kiel, maybe Thorne—but everything blurred. My vision dimd, my heartbeat thundered painfully in my ears, and then there was only the agony of his rejection echoing inside .
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