Page 57 of Protected By Artemis

He couldn’t answer her.

“Cade, please.” Her voice trembled. “Tell me there was more to this. That this meant more than just sex. Because this was more than sex to me. I want to be with you, Cade. I want a life with you, in whatever shape or form that life may be.”

Her eyes pleaded at him, her expression so sincere and shining with emotion that he nearly buckled right there. It was then he decided simply telling her things were over wasn’t enough because all she had to do was turn those pretty blue eyes at him, he would come crawling back to her.

He would really have to make sure she would never even want to see him again, so he decided to twist that knife further.

“No, you don’t want a life with me. You’re confused, Artemis. And I’m afraid I just don’t feel the same way.” He shrugged. “I mean, if you want, we can have one last fuck.”

“One lastwhat?”

“You heard what I said.” He traced a finger up her arm, over her collarbones, and tipped her chin up. “What do you say? One last time, get it out of our systems? Let me have that sweet little body one more time? I’ll fuck you so good, you’ll forget your name.”

She took a sharp inhale of breath. “Don’t touch me.” She slapped his hand away. “Ti malakas!You…asshole!”

How he wished she’d slapped his face instead. It would have hurt less. “Never claimed to be otherwise, sweetheart.”

For a brief moment, he saw her expression break, and he wanted to crawl down onto his knees and beg for her forgiveness. But just as fast, a cool mask slipped over her face. “You’re right.” She smoothed her hands down her dress. “It was fun. Bye, Cade.”

He could only watch as she slowly vanished, her defiant blue eyes blazing right before disappearing completely. The smell of her unshed tears was so strong, but he was damned proud of her for refusing to cry in front of him.

It wouldn’t have worked out anyway. His wolf may have chosen her, but he couldn’t make the same mistake twice. It had been foolish to get mixed up with her in the first place, but now he was fixing his mistakes. He would find another mate, or maybe he could arrange a marriage to some well-connected she-wolf. Mating wasn’t a prerequisite for children among their kind. Hell, Xavier was capable and strong and well-respected, Cade could name him heir.

The image of Artemis’s eyes flashed back into his mind, defiant and strong. The image was burned into his brain, and the pit in his stomach grew into a cavernous hole.

This was for the best,he told himself, though he remained rooted to the spot where he stood and watched her disappear out of his life forever.

Chapter 11

Cade

Cade stood in front of the window, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, but he wasn’t really seeing anything. The kids playing in the field or the barn being rebuilt in the distance—all of it blurred into the background, irrelevant compared to the storm in his mind.

He was trying to convince himself that breaking up with Artemis was the right decision, that it was necessary.

It had to be.

She was a goddess, and he was just a wolf shifter. Their worlds weren’t meant to collide like this, not in any lasting way. His jaw clenched at the thought of how close they’d gotten, how natural it had felt when they were together. But that was exactly why he had to end it—before things spiraled out of control.

His wolf stirred restlessly inside him, and he took a deep breath, trying to push the feeling down. The memory of her face lingered in his mind, her eyes wide with shock, then hurt, when he’d told her it was over. The way she had stood there, frozen for a moment before pulling herself together, like she hadn’t wanted him to see just how much his words had cut her.

He shook his head, trying to clear the image. She would be fine. She was strong and independent. She didn’t need him,and he couldn’t let himself get attached to someone who could disappear from his life just as easily as she’d entered it. He’d been through that before—with Eleni. He couldn’t go through it again.

But despite his reasoning, something still felt wrong. His wolf was agitated, pacing in his mind, and no matter how many times he told himself he’d done the right thing, the ache in his chest refused to fade, and the pit in his stomach grew with each passing day.

He swallowed hard, his throat tight, and forced his gaze back to the window. The world outside was carrying on as usual, as if nothing had changed. But inside him, everything had.

The silence of the office was suffocating, his thoughts louder than any sound. He slammed a fist against the window frame, frustration boiling over. “It was the right thing to do,” he muttered to himself, but even as the words left his lips, they felt hollow.

The longer he stood there, the more he realized it wasn’t just his wolf that was restless. It was him. She had made him feel things he hadn’t let himself feel in years. She’d broken through walls he didn’t even know were still up.

His reflection caught his eye, and for a fleeting moment, he saw his eyes glowing faintly. His wolf was still thinking about her, still wanting her.

And, if he was being honest with himself, so was he.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. But he ignored it and kept staring out the window, trying to center himself. The knock came again, more insistent this time.

“Come in,” he finally said.

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