Ayden's pov
I play with my pups, chuckling as the four of them wrestled around with each other. The only thing that dampened my happiness was Zander not being by my side. I had wondered why he had smiled so sadly when he promised that he'd never leave me, until I smelled his scent on Kareen . . . why would he leave his mate to seek me?
"It is time for you to rest, Ayden."
I nodded and stood up as Kareen scooped up my pups, laughing quietly as they tried to lick his face.
"You and Zander will have some of your own."
"What?"
I turned to face Kareen who stood frozen, staring at me in shock.
"I'm sorry . . . if I would have known he was your mate, I never would have________."
"No. He is the one at fault here. He is the one that threw away what we had because he was in love with someone else."
"He's not in love with me, Kareen, he never was."
"What? But__________."
"The truth is the only reason he mated with me was because he's jealous of my brother. It had nothing to do with love at all."
"But are you not ______?"
"In love with him? No, the only reason I agreed to mate with him was to make the pain stop."
"Pain?"
"Yeah. In a way, I envy you. At least he rejected you before mating someone else."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"When you found out we were mated, I know you were hurt, but did you feel any physical pain?"
"No."
"When my mate chose someone else, he refused to remove our bond . . . it felt like I was dying every time he was with her . . . he even forced me to be in the room while he mated with her."
"How cruel."
"I didn't plan to mate with Zander, but I was so lonely and then my mate finished the mating ceremony and I was suffering so much and Zander said he could break our mating bond. I'm so sorry."
Kareen placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and shook his head.
"I do not blame you . . . you were not the first. He wanted more than I could give him and would seek it with others. You are the one he mated and pupped, but he broke my heart many times before he knew of you."
"I don't get it, what did he want that you couldn't give him?"
"Pups. I am sterile."
"A-And I said . . . I'm so sorry."
"You did not do it, it was the Moon Goddess's design."
I nodded, leading the way to the nursery, where Zander was waiting. As soon as he noticed me, I looked away, not wanting to see him.
"Ayden."
"Oh, so now you remember who I am? I guess I should be honored, or something."
"Stop."
"Kareen, I'm going to lay down for a while."
"I need to talk to you, Ayden."
"You need to talk to your mate and from what I've just learned, that's not me."
I walked away before he could say anything else to me. I feel so stupid, why did I believe that I wouldn't end up alone? The tears started without warning and I let them slide down my face instead of wiping them away.
