Page 159 of Bonding with the Beta

“Because you’re not true soulmates,” Genevieve pitches in. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s the truth. You’ll find your soulmate one day, Harley. But it’s not Kayden.”

“I’ve been waiting a long time,” she huffs, covering her lips with a saddened smile.

I frown at the pain on her face. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “But I promise there will be someone out there for you who will give you everything you deserve in this world and more.”

Harley rubs her chest as if to relieve a deep ache. “I know I deserve more.” She straightens her spine. “I deserve a man who will be all for me—nothing less.”

“Completely.” I bow my head. “It’s just not me.”

“It’s going to take a while to get over this.” She clutches her hands together in her lap. “I’m just really glad I didn’t get to know you, other than the fact you’re a terrible driver.”

I bark out a laugh, and she curls her lips at this. “Thanks for the compliment.”

“Trust me, it’s not a compliment.” Her brows reach her hairline. “The burst tyre says it all.”

My head twists back to Genevieve. “Thank you for your time and answering our questions.”

“My pleasure.” She beams. “Thank you for coming by.”

52

KAYDEN

Soulmate.Soulmate.

That word buzzed around my head the entire journey back to the district. It’s well into the early hours when we get anywhere near home.

Harley was fairly silent.

We both needed some time for the information to sink in.

“I think we should reject each other,” Harley says when I pull up outside her new pack house. “Because Genevieve was right. The pull towards you is almost non-existent and doesn’t feel good.”

I nod. “Yeah. I think so, too.”

Harley frowns. “Just because it doesn’t feel good, doesn’t mean it feels right.”

“I know,” I rasp. “But the Moon Goddess will point you to where it matters most. She did it for me. She’ll do it for you, too.”

“Yeah…maybe,” she sighs. “It’s crazy how I can go from fixating on finding you for most of my life for it to end like this. I feel so lost.”

“I’m sorry you’re hurting,” I whisper. “And I’m sorry it ended like this.”

Harley shrugs. “It probably would hurt much more if I were your real mate.”

“And I probably wouldn’t have met Kayleigh if I was your real mate, but I did.”

“I know.” She smiles sadly. “She’s your soulmate.”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, let’s get this over with so I can attempt to move on.” She rolls her shoulders back. “I, Harley Woodgreen, reject you, Kayden, as my mate.”

I blink and wait for the wave of gruelling rejection to hit my wolf, but nothing happens. I narrow my eyes a little and clear my throat. “Uh. I, Kayden Hartley, reject you, Harley, as my mate.”

My heart thumps heavily in my chest, and I brace for a bellowing of pain, but instead, she hums in surprise and leans back into the chair. “Well, that was anticlimactic,” she murmurs under her breath, and I nod in agreement. “And besides, your surname is Hartley? This would never have worked out.”

A laugh echoes from my chest. “Harley Hartley? Yeah, the fates were definitely not on our side with that one.”

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