Page 11 of Owning His Mate

“Please trust me. We can’t be together, Kye.”

“Our wolves recognized each other. We’re mates. End of story.”

It’s the wrong thing to say. It’s like pouring gasoline onto a lit flame. I’m hit with a ball of magic that drives me to my knees. Pain flares through my body, agonizing heat spreading through every synapse until I’m dizzy.

I don’t know how I end up face down in the grass, breathing like I’ve run a marathon, but when my vision clears, that’s where I am. I can taste blood on my tongue and my head throbs.

Panic flares through our bond and I instinctively seek out Apryle. She’s standing close by, her hands covering her mouth as if she’s trying not to puke. The flash of vulnerability in her awakens something to me that I haven’t felt in a long time—an ugly feeling of guilt. I should have given her space, time to work this out in her head.

I hate that Beck was right.

“Please leave me alone,” she whispers as she backs away from me before she flees once more toward the bustle of the compound.

I try to get up, but my body feels like water. Collapsing back onto the grass, I have no choice but to watch her go. Even though every part of me wants to follow her it’s good that this choice is taken from me. I can sense how fragile her emotions are through our bond, and as much as I want to push my little mate, I don’t want her to unravel either.

If she needs a little time to get her head around this, around us, I’ll give her that, but she has to know I won’t wait forever.

Chapter 3

Apryle

Irun. My thoughts are muddled and frantic as I make my way to the only place I know is safe here. I can sense Kye in every part of me, and it just increases my apprehension. He is so intense, so big, and he is a nightmare I can never escape. Just knowing how easily he can overpower me is terrifying.

As I approach our building, I wipe my sweaty hands on my pants, trying to steady my breath. My chest feels so tight I can hardly draw in air, and my heart is fluttering in my throat, making me feel panicked.

I crash through the front door, bouncing off the woodwork as my head spins. I lean a hand against the wall, my legs threatening to buckle beneath me as I try to drag in a breath.

“Apryle?” The voice filters through my raging panic, but all I can do is press both hands against the wall and try to suck in oxygen. “What happened? Get Halle!”

I try to focus on Roux’s voice, but everything is swimming around me. I let my head dip down to my chest, which somehow seems to allow for deeper inhalations.

“Apryle… I’m here. You’re okay.”

I shake my head. I am not okay, and I don’t see how I will ever be. I can’t have a mate. I sure as hell can’t have one as big as him.

Fingers wrap around my wrists, the glint of a blade filling my vision?—

It’s not real.

They are not here.

I blink rapidly, and the sensation disappears. The only person touching me is one of the few friends I have in this life. Roux is watching me with so much concern it makes tears brim in my eyes. It has been so long since anyone cared about me that I can’t stop the sob that erupts from my mouth.

“You’re scaring me. What happened?”

I try to straighten from the wall, attempting to pull myself back together. I can’t afford to fall apart. I need a plan to get out of here.

My wolf, who chooses to show her face at the worst possible time, doesn’t like the suggestion. She bares her teeth at me, letting me know in no uncertain terms that we are not to leave our mate.

Fuck her. She should understand why we can’t trust anyone ever again.

I turn around to face Roux. She hovers close by, as if she wants to touch me but is scared to.

“When you rejected Sawyer, did you take him back because you wanted to?”

It’s an unfair question to ask. She and Sawyer went through hell to get to where they are now. I shouldn’t bring up that traumatic part of their history, but I need to know if it is possible for me to walk away.

Her expression contorts into one of pain, and I feel even worse for putting that on her face.

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