Chapter 113

Agnes & Elijah

Agnes

Before I could react, the man surged forward, his hands connecting with my wrists.

“You,” he huffed in my ear, his breath hot against my face. “You were flirting with me earlier. I saw the way you looked at me. You want me, don’t you?”

My mouth dropped open, but no words came out other than a weak, “N-No.” I tried to pull away, but he was stronger than I expected, and without my wolf, I was utterly powerless.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he slurred, his eyes glazed over with something that made my stomach churn. “You know you want this.”

Finally, I found my voice. “Let me go!” I snapped. “I am your Luna, and you will treat me with respect!” I twisted my arm, trying to break free, but his fingers dug into my skin, holding me in place.

“Luna,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Right. Whoever you are, you smell damn good, and I want a piece of you.”

Suddenly, it hit me; the perfume. I realized with a sinking feeling that it was affecting him. His pupils were dilated just from the scent, as if it were putting some kind of spell on him.

“You smell so delicious,” he murmured, his face now mere inches from mine. “I know I only just met you, but I can’t think straight when you’re around. Be mine, baby.”

Panic surged through me then, and I shoved against his chest with my free hand, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my cheek as he tried to kiss me.

“Enough!” I snarled, shoving harder against him. “You’re not thinking straight!”

But the man didn’t listen. His other hand came up to grip my shoulder, pinning me against the side of the car. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for what was coming, when suddenly, the weight of him was gone.

I opened my eyes to see Mason standing there, his arm wrapped around the man’s throat as he yanked him away from me.

“Back off,” Mason growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The man stumbled, his eyes turning wide and angry. “Who do you think you are—”

“I’m her mate.” Suddenly, Mason turned to me, wrapping his arm around my waist. Then, without warning, he pulled me against his body… and kissed me.

It happened so fast that I didn’t have time to react. One moment the strange, spellbound man was leering at me, and then the next Mason’s lips were on mine, his hands gripping my waist almost possessively.

For a moment, just a moment, I felt as if I were back in college, back during the days when Mason and I used to love each other. Even after all these years, his lips were familiar and warm, like a distant dream I’d forgotten.

When we finally parted, the man looked like he’d just seen a ghost. The arousal seemed to clear from his eyes as he murmured, “I-I didn’t know—I’m sorry.”

Mason just growled at him, low and threatening, and the man staggered away with a terrified look on his face. We watched him go, our chests heaving against one another.

But then reality came crashing back, and along with it came a wave of fury. I didn’t want to kiss Mason—I hadn’t wanted to kiss him in a long, long time. And now I just felt… violated.

I shoved Mason away, my cheeks burning with anger and embarrassment. “What the hell, Mason?!” I hissed, keeping my voice low.

“I had to make him think you were mine,” he said matter-of-factly. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left.”

“You didn’t have to go so far as to kiss me,” I muttered, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

Before Mason could respond, I heard a familiar cry, and my stomach dropped. I turned to see Thea standing nearby, tears streaming down her cheeks. Elijah was there as well, his face dark and his jaw clenched.

“Thea—” I started moving toward them, my voice trembling.

But before I could explain, Thea turned and ran away, her sobs echoing down the street. Elijah gave me one last look—a look filled with hurt and anger—before he chased after her.

…

Elijah

I tried not to get too upset about seeing Agnes with Mason last night at the restaurant. I really did.

Normally, I wouldn’t be bothered by such things. I was never an insecure man, and I trusted Agnes wholeheartedly; she was just talking to her ex, her ex who she had supposedly randomly run into.

And besides, although we had made love once and were in a contract marriage… she wasn’t mine. Not really. Not in the ways that mattered, at least. How could I get jealous over her simply talking to her ex when I had kissed Olivia in front of her on multiple occasions? When I had outright told her more than once that we couldn’t have a real relationship?

But something about her scent last night had turned me into a jealous wreck.

I think it was that strange, heady scent. Whatever it was, something about it turned me into a primal animal, yearning for her like a hungry wolf might drool over a steak.

And so, when I had seen her talking to Mason, jealousy had overtaken me like a sudden storm. I’d wanted to rip the two of them away from one another, maybe even punch Mason right in that stupid, handsome face of his.

She was mine.

But then the scent had dissipated, and most of my fury subsided, leaving behind something strange and uncomfortable. I still felt jealous, but also shameful.

I’d gone to bed early that night, hoping to calm myself down with a good night of sleep, but the image of them together had haunted me all night. And now, as I stood there watching Agnes kiss Mason, and that damn scent had returned, and I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest.

Why would she do that? Did our night together mean nothing to her?

Thea’s cry snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see her running away with tears streaming down her cheeks. My heart broke all over again, and I chased after her, ignoring Agnes’s calls.

I found Thea less than a block away, crouched around the corner of a shop with her face buried in her hands. She didn’t look up when I approached, at least not right away. But when I called out her name, she glanced up, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

“Daddy,” she whimpered, sniffling. “Why did Mommy kiss that man? I thought she loved you.”

I knelt beside her, pulling her into my arms. I didn’t know what to say to that. Love… I’d never thought of Agnes and I as having those sorts of emotions for each other. Affection, yes. Lust, of course. Yearning, definitely.

But love…

“I don’t know, sweetie,” I finally managed. “But it’s going to be okay.”

Thea shook her head, her tears soaking into my shirt. “No, it’s not! She’s never going to fall in love with you, and I’ll never have a mommy!”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d known that Thea had been holding onto the hope that Agnes and I would have a fairytale ending, that we would be a perfect, happy little family, but I hadn’t realized just how deeply she had invested in that dream.

I leaned back, brushing her hair back from her face.

“Thea,” I said softly, “you don’t need a mommy to be happy. You have me, and I love you more than anything.”

But she shook her head again. “I want a mommy. You promised I would have one. I thought Agnes was going to be my mommy.”

Her words broke my heart all over again, and I held her tighter, letting her cry against me. I didn’t know what to say, how to make this better. All I knew was that I couldn’t let my daughter feel this sort of pain. I’d made a vow all those years ago, when I walked in on Olivia verbally abusing her, that I would protect Thea forever.

Maybe I had failed. Maybe, in my attempt to give Thea the life she wanted by choosing a mate during the Mate Trial, I had just made things worse. I had brought a woman into our lives who had no real romantic history with me, all while I was still bound to someone—Olivia—who could manipulate me at the drop of a hat.

I should have known better. I should have tried harder.

Suddenly, an idea came to me. “Thea,” I said, pulling back to look at her tear-streaked face. “How about we go away for a couple of days? Just you and me. We’ll go somewhere fun, just the two of us.”

Thea sniffled, her tears slowing ever so slightly as she looked up at me. “Really?”

I nodded, forcing a smile. “Really. We’ll pack our bags and leave today.” I rose, holding out my hand for her. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”