Page 111 of Bonding with the Beta

Kayden walks across the room and cups my face in his hands. His touch hurts, making my heart sore and my body ready to fall limp. “Regardless of whether I meet my mate or not, what you and I have is special. We have something between us that I know I won’t be able to find anywhere else.”

“How can you say something like that?” My expression morphs into a look of horror. “What if you change your mind?”

“I won’t,” he says instantly.

I stare at him for a long moment. “But what if yo?—”

“I won’t, Kayleigh.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I promise you, I won’t.”

I shut my eyes and let a few more tears free.

“I might never meet her, but I hope she’s out there having met someone she thinks is suited for her, exactly how I feel with you.”

I flick my gaze to him, my cheeks damp. “Don’t you want to know what it feels like?” I whisper, my voice breaking. “To experience those crazy feelings for someone? Do you ever lookat Jaxon and Ava and wonder what that would be like? Because that is pure magic.”

Kayden’s face slumps. “This is pure magic. Having you with me is worth a million times more. I don’t want anything else.”

His words make my heart clench, but I can’t enjoy them.

“You make me so happy,” he carries on. “Beyond belief.”

My eyes dart down as he removes his hands from my face. I can’t take this. My head feels like a firework has been let off, and I’m about to explode.

“What can I do to prove I want to be with you?”

I shrug. “Nothing.”

We’d never know until his mate showed up,ifshe showed up.

Trust is a sore subject. I want to believe him, but my heart has been wounded before, and I wouldn’t survive it this time. It would tear me apart.

“Please, trust me,” he pleads. “I know what I want, and I want you. Ineedyou.”

I slump backwards, and he reaches out for me. Those words make me want to sob my heart out until I’m nothing but a blubbering mess.

“This has taken it out of you, hasn’t it?”

My head moves once, barely able to function.

“Come on,” he whispers before taking my wrist and tugging me towards his bed. “Let’s rest. Give yourself some time to process this.”

We lie down, and I rest my head on his chest, inhaling his scent that comforts me in ways I cannot understand.

I say nothing more. I can’t.

My eyes prick with tears, but I hold them in.

I’m never going to be able to compete with what Jaxon and Ava have.

I’m never going to be good enough, yet I can’t find it in me to walk away.

35

KAYLEIGH

When I wake up, I feel like I’ve been mummified and kept asleep for years.

Kayden is still asleep beside me, his messy brown hair covering his forehead. I exhale a silent sigh and reach for my phone.

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