Chapter 186

Kayla

Silence crashed over the Revelry. The drums stopped, the dancing halted, conversations died mid-sentence. Everyone stood frozen, staring at us.

Nicholas tensed beside me, his muscles going rigid beneath my fingers. I looked up at him, seeking reassurance, needing him to laugh this off as some kind of sick joke.

But his eyes were locked on Anna, and they were glowing—that ethereal golden glow that I knew all too well, which meant only one thing.

His wolf was responding.

My stomach dropped. So it was true. They were fated mates.

I always knew it was possible. Fated mates were relatively rare, but when they happened, the connection was undeniable, a bond forged by the Moon Goddess herself. And Nicholas had been a bachelor for so long before meeting me... the odds of him having a fated mate out there somewhere had always been high.

I just never thought I’d have to watch it happen. Right in front of my face. During the fucking Blood Moon Revelry, of all times.

The silence stretched on.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Nicholas tore his gaze from Anna and turned to me. His eyes were wide.

“Kayla, I...” He swallowed hard, his hand tightening on my waist. “I don’t care. I don’t care that she’s supposedly my fated mate. I chose you. I love you.”

His words should have been comforting. Should have been everything I needed to hear. But they weren’t.

Because in that moment, with the Blood Moon hanging heavy and red above us, with dozens of couples finding their fated mates all around us, I was faced with a truth I’d been trying to ignore: I would never be Nicholas’s fated mate. Not without a wolf of my own.

The realization cut deeper than I thought possible, but somehow I forced a smile onto my face. “You should at least talk to her,” I whispered. “She deserves that much.”

Nicholas frowned. “Kayla—”

“Really,” I insisted, stepping back from his embrace. “I’m going to get something to drink. Take some time. Talk to her.”

Before he could argue, I turned and walked away, weaving through the crowd. I could feel dozens of eyes on me, hear the whispers starting as soon as I passed. The Luna, walking away from her mate as another woman claimed him.

Goddess, what a fucking spectacle.

The refreshment table was on the far side of the clearing, well away from where I’d left Nicholas and Anna. I grabbed a glass of punch, downing half of it in one swallow. It was sweet and fruity, and I was just reaching for another when I froze.

“Can you believe it?” A woman’s voice drifted over from nearby. “His fated mate showing up now, of all times.”

“Shh, keep your voice down,” her companion hissed. “The Luna’s right there.”

“I always thought there was something off about their relationship,” the first woman continued, lowering her voice but not enough. “An Alpha should be with his fated mate.”

“Frankly, I always knew Anna was his fated mate. It makes so much sense. I mean, they seem like they were made for each other.”

“Kayla can’t even carry his child properly, anyway.”

“Now I’m positive that Anna’s kid is his.”

I gripped my glass so tightly I was surprised it didn’t shatter. Taking a deep breath, I set it before I could throw it at their smug faces. My hand was shaking. I needed to get away, needed space to breathe, to think.

But before I could move, a hand gripped my arm. I turned, ready to snap at whoever had decided to intrude on my misery, only to find Jade standing there with her face split in a wide grin.

“There you are!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

I blinked, thrown by her obvious joy in the midst of my personal crisis. Had she found her fated mate? Was everyone going to be paired off tonight except for me?

“What is it?” I asked, trying to keep the bitterness from my voice. Jade didn’t deserve my anger, even if I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside.

Her smile widened. “Come with me. There’s someone you need to see.”

She tugged at my arm, pulling me away from the refreshment table and toward the garden entrance. I followed reluctantly, not really in the mood for whatever surprise she had in store. But I went anyway, because anything was better than standing there listening to those women dissect my relationship.

As we rounded a corner, I saw a figure sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed across the lawn by Marcus. Grace was standing nearby, grinning, and the woman in the wheelchair was wearing a freshly-completed bright pink scarf.

“Emma!” I cried, breaking free from Jade’s grip and rushing forward.

It was her—pale and thin, but unmistakably alive and awake. Marcus stood behind her, his hands on the handles of the wheelchair, looking happier than I’d seen him in days.

I practically threw myself at her, forgetting her injuries in my rush to make sure she was real. At the last second, I caught myself, dropping to my knees beside the wheelchair instead—not giving a damn if my white dress got grass stains on it—and taking her hands in mine.

“You’re awake,” I breathed, tears springing to my eyes. “You’re actually awake.”

Emma smiled weakly. “Surprise,” she rasped. “Couldn’t miss the Blood Moon Revelry, could I? Might even find my mate tonight.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

I laughed through my tears, leaning up to press kisses all over her face. “How? When? The doctor said you might not wake up for—”

“She opened her eyes this morning,” Marcus interrupted, his hand resting protectively on his sister’s shoulder. “Right as the sun was rising. Like she knew exactly what day it was.”

“I was talking to her the whole time,” Grace added, beaming. She’d gone to the hospital this morning to knit and sit beside Emma’s bed. “Telling her about the Revelry, how she needed to wake up for it. I think she heard me.”

Emma smiled up at her. “I did hear you. I heard all of you. It was like being underwater... everything was muffled, but I could hear your voices calling me back.”

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. After everything that had happened, here was one pure, beautiful piece of good news.

“The doctors didn’t want to let her come,” Marcus said, “but I convinced them. She’s only allowed to stay for an hour, and she has to remain in the wheelchair, but...”

“But I’m here,” Emma finished for him. “And I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”

I wiped at my tears, not caring that I was probably smearing whatever makeup Jade had carefully applied earlier. “I can’t believe it. I’m so happy you’re okay.”

Marcus looked around, his brow furrowing. “Where’s Nicholas? I thought he’d be with you.”

My face fell, the brief bubble of joy bursting as reality crashed back in. “He’s, uh... something happened.”

“What’s wrong?” Emma asked.

I swallowed hard. “Anna showed up. She’s... she’s Nicholas’s fated mate.”

“What?” Jade exclaimed. “Anna? Are you serious?”

I nodded miserably. “Right in the middle of the Revelry. She just walked up to him and announced it in front of everyone.”

Marcus muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse. Grace sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“What did Nicholas say?” Emma asked softly.

“He said he didn’t care. That he chose me.” I looked down at our joined hands. “I told him he should talk to her. At least hear her out.”

“And?” Grace prompted.

“And I walked away to get some air.” I shrugged, trying to seem casual despite the dull ache in my chest. “I don’t know what they said to each other after that.”

Emma squeezed my hand again. “Well, Nicholas loves you, Kayla. Really loves you, and you have nothing to worry about. You know that, right?”

“I know,” I said, although the words felt hollow. Love wasn’t always enough, was it? Not against the will of the Moon Goddess herself. Not against the pull of a fated mate.

Not when I was already such a disappointment as a Luna—wolfless, struggling to carry his child, unable to even howl during the sacred rituals.

“Where is he now?” Marcus asked.

I turned, scanning the crowd. Nicholas had been standing by the bonfire when I left him, Anna just a few feet away. I pointed toward the spot. “He’s over there, by the—”

The words died in my throat as I realized the space where they had been was empty. Nicholas was gone. And so was Anna.