Page 81 of Alpha Theo

I don’t actually know anybody who has rejected the fated mate bond, but I know it’s possible. If Theo and I don’t mark each other before the next full moon, the bond will dissolve away.

Fallon blows out a breath and reaches over to take my hand. I yank it away.

“Listen, I know Theo’s an asshole,” she says. “Mate or not, I still wanna punch him in the dick for leaving you on the side of the road the other night. He’s got a lot of groveling to do to make things right, he still has to prove he’s worthy of you. But thebond, Brooke, it’s…special. You can say you want to reject it, but you don’t know what you’re giving up…”

“It doesn’t feel special, Fallon, ithurts!” I lament, a tear slipping down my cheek.

She reaches out to rub my back, trying to console me. “When the bond snapped in for me, I remember all of my feelings about Gray were amplified. Maybe it’s the same for you, but right now they’re negative emotions…” Fallon trails off, scooching closer to me on the bed. “I’m sure it won’t feel like this forever. If you two can patch things up, accept the bond…”

“The bond isn’t going to change anything!” I spit, shaking my head adamantly. My eyes fly up to meet Fallon’s. “He didn’t just leave me on the side of the road, Fal, He slept with someone else! I saw him coming back to the dorms that night with Sutton…”

My sister’s eyes fly wide.

Tears well up in my own as I draw a ragged breath. “I thought he’d changed. I thought we had something special. But…” I stare down at my hands, turning them over on my lap. They’re still caked in blood. I can feel Fallon staring at me, but for once, she’s speechless.

After a long moment, she clears her throat. “Why don’t you take a shower?” she urges. “I’m gonna call mom and dad and let them know you’re here. Get cleaned up, then we can talk some more.”

I acquiesce, heading to the en-suite bathroom, turning on the shower. While I wait for the water to heat, I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look like hell. My eyes don’t even look like my own- they’re sunken, dull, lifeless.

When the bathroom starts to fill with steam, I slip into the shower, try to wash myself clean. I let out the sorrow, the frustration- my body trembles, wracked with sobs. I’m in disbelief that fate would be this cruel, would get it so wrong. I don’t know if it’s the water from the shower or my own tears streaming down my face- I’m not sure where the water ends and my tears begin.

I do know two things, though.

Theo’s my mate.

And I’m going to reject him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Theo

“You look rough,” Gray mutters, pulling open the door of the packhouse.

“I feel worse,” I groan. I scrub a hand over my face, looking past him. “Is she here?”

Gray nods solemnly.

I don’t even know why I asked. I already know she’s here- I can sense her, feel the pull of the mate bond.

I reach up, tugging at my hair, shuffling my feet. “Can I come in?”

“I don’t know, man,” Gray grumbles, holding his position in the doorway.

“Please?” My voice is hoarse, gravelly. Desperate.

Gray heaves a sigh, stepping aside to allow me entry.

I stride inside, turning to watch Gray close the door behind me.

He spins around, his eyes dark, sullen. “Look, Theo… you really fucked up.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I snap.

I walk over to the nearest couch, sinking down onto it and lowering my head into my hands.

Saying that I fucked up is an understatement. I took a wrecking ball to what I’d worked so hard to build with Brooke, destroyed it all in one fell swoop. If I’d never taken her on that motorcycle ride, things could be so different right now. If I’d just apologized for scaring the shit out of her on my bike, things could be different. If I’d stayed, fixed things…

My throat’s raw, tears stinging behind my eyes. I can’t even remember the last time I cried. I’m not sure I have since my mom died. I force my tears back, try to focus on my breathing.

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