Page 12 of Reclaiming His Lost Mate
It was what one would call an eye-fuck, and holy heavenly Goddess, my body shot to life like a bat flying straight out of hell.
It had to be a taboo, the way I craved Alexis.
He looked perfect in his suit, but I would have preferred to tear the clothing off him if someone hadn’t jumped in my line of sight, snapping our connection into bits.
It was Marissa.
Marissa was bearable, but not when she threw her hands around Alexis’s neck, inching so close that her lips pressed against his cheek, leaving a red stain in its wake. Disgust coiled in my stomach, threatening to send me doubling over with a retch.
Marissa had one hand laced through Alexis’s arm, and the other was plastered on his chest as her face shone in a wide smile. The larger pain I felt was a result of how Alexis’s unforgiving eyes remained on Marissa the entire time, not once sparing me a glance.
“Everyone, may I please have your attention?” Marissa spoke, andthe chatter in the hall immediately died down. In confusion, my eyes tracked the crowd to the other side of the table, where my father stood with a wine glass to his lips, but he only acknowledged me with a double take. Marissa went on, now the center of attention. “It is a thing of joy that our Nightwing Pack has established a bond with Alpha Alexis’s Shadow Moon Pack, and we can all see from the way he cares deeply about our pack’s wellness that he is a good man.”
Murmurs of agreement rose from within the crowd while I tried to discern what Marissa was driving at, but I didn’t have to think for long before she uncovered the reason for me. “It is on that happy note that I would love to announce to you all that Alexis and I will be getting married in two months!”
I gasped, taking a small, unbalanced step back, and I would have told myself that I may have heard wrong if the hall had not broken out into sounds of jubilation—singing, dancing, and congratulating Alexis and Marissa.
Relentless tears stung my eyelids, and it shouldn’t have hurt the way my heart bottomed out, but it did. I tore my eyes from the ongoing scene in defeat, refusing to do so much as look at Alexis anymore. As I backed away with limbs as heavy as lead, my cheeks burned, trembling with silent sobs, but I didn’t let any tears drop.
I walked blindly till I was outside the hall and would have continued like that till I reached my cabin, but someone stopped me.
“Selina, have you had any food to eat this evening?”
My distant, hollow eyes hadn’t even registered the face, but I knew that only one person cared enough to ask me such a question.
I blinked twice, taking Sireen’s wild and disarrayed look in—likely from overseeing the edibles for the banquet—and I shook my head. “I’m just going to call it a night and head back to my cabin, Sireen. Thanks.”
She must have seen through me, stopping me in my tracks with an expression of concern etched on her face. “Did something happen inside there, Selina?” She nudged to the building behind us, and I considered shaking my head, but not knowing if this feeling of despair would eat me alive if I did, I nodded.
“It’s over,” I said in a small, unrecognizable voice. “They announced that their wedding is in two months, and I thought it wouldn’t hurt me since the rejection was long done, and I have come to terms with my position, but it s-still h-h-hurts,” I stammered, tears fast filling my eyes and sliding down my cheeks against my will. “How am I supposed to live with the fact that the man who should love me will shower that affection on some woman while I become ‘the other woman’?” I asked through the tightness in my throat and chest, the tears streaking like a stream now.
Sireen’s eyes softened, hands coming up to guide me by my shoulders a few feet away.
“I am sorry, Selina,” Sireen’s sincere apology came, and I found a bit of solace in the fact that I at least got some sympathy. “I can’t say I know what it feels like to be abandoned by the only person you want, but nobody should have to feel inadequate because of who they are.” Glancing into the cool evening space around us, Sireen spoke. “I may know a way to help.”
My attention piqued, ears shooting up in alert, eyes widening immediately. I sniffed, asking. “You do?”
She replied with a small nod, and I hung onto every word and action that came next like it was my lifeline. “I’ve heard of a witch…not a dark witch…her name is Lyvia, and she knows of a ritual that can sever the bond between fated mates. She can help you get rid of the pull you feel every time you think about your mate, and you can free yourself from the burden.”
My heart truly sprung to life for the first time in weeks, thinking about how much easier things would be if I didn’t have the fated pull hovering over my every thought.
Alexis had no problem staying detached from me, so I was choosing to move on from him, too.
“How do I find her? Where…what do I need as a means of payment?” I asked all at once, unable to mask my thirst.
“No one really knows of her whereabouts, but the last time she was seen was two years ago in a small valley town called Matsuna. That was around the time when the Blood Moons and the Moonlights went to war again. She could still be there, or she could have left,” Sireenexplained. “But whichever one it is, you’ll be able to get information about her in Matsuna.”
I knew what I wanted before I voiced it, so it didn’t bother me when I spoke. “I have to find her. How do I get there?”
“I have a guide,” Sireen said, and I swallowed, hoping that there would be a light at the end of this tunnel.
An hour later, the guide Sireen had given me was tucked in the small pocket of my old traveling bag. I had changed into more comfortable but protective layers of clothes, and the last of my belongings were shoved inside the bag.
I didn’t belong here anyway, so I knew for sure that my absence would not be missed. If anything, the lot would be relieved that I was finally out of their sights.
Just then, a rapid tapping on my cabin door startled me from my thoughts, and my blood ran cold in fear. No one ever came to look for me at my cabin…unless there was a problem.
“Who is it?” I called shakily, but I got no response, and my heart skipped a beat.
