CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTEEN
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTEEN
Nolan’s POV
I didn’t know why I was offended.
I didn’t expect Talia to come here to get herbs to suppress our mate bond. I shouldn’t have cared, but I did. My heart ached that she didn’t feel our bond, but who could blame her?
Talia stood in front of me. Even without her wolf, I could feel her anger. She glared at me with her arms crossed. Even while angry, she was still beautiful.
“Alright. Let’s talk, Alpha Nolan,” she said.
I tried to think of a reason, any excuse that would explain why I had come for the herbs, but nothing sounded convincing. “I came because…” I started.
“Don’t bother lying,” Talia said, cutting me off. “I already know you ordered Marco to give me the Nightveil herb.”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My wolf’s voice roared in my head. ‘I told you it was a terrible idea. She must hate us now!’ “Talia,” I said finally, “you don’t understand what happened.”
“I understand perfectly. You told Marco to suppress my wolf. He admitted it. So tell me what was your reason for doing this?” Talia demanded.
I clenched my jaw, trying to control the rising frustration. Marco had been careless. He didn’t even warn me that Talia found out. ‘You cannot blame him for this,’ my wolf said.
“The hell if I can’t,’ I responded.
I had trusted Marco to act with restraint, to behave like my Beta. He made a mistake and gave her a stronger dose than necessary. Marco was not supposed to expose the truth before I was ready to explain.
“Marco wasn’t supposed to tell you,” I muttered, not looking at her.
‘You should’ve never ordered him to do it. She’s right to be angry with us. You need to apologize to our mate,’ my wolf scolded
She gave a bitter laugh before moving to force me to look at her. “That’s all you have to say? That he wasn’t supposed to tell me?” Talia demanded.
I finally met her gaze. She was no longer angry. She looked disappointed which was worse.
I tried again. “I never meant to hurt you. I…”
“No, you don’t get to feel sorry for yourself,” Talia said, cutting me off. “You hurt me. You took my wolf away. You left me helpless. If you hadn’t found me in that dungeon, I would be dead. Why, Nolan? Were you that afraid of me?”
“No, that’s not it,” I said.
“Then what was it?”
I stayed silent. There was no answer that would make her understand.
Talia sighed and threw her hands up in frustration. “You could have told me the truth from the beginning. But you didn’t. And now, you can’t even say why.”
Her calm tone only made it worse. I wanted her to scream, cry, or even hit me. I wanted her to do anything but stare at me with such disappointment in her eyes. I could deal with her anger, but not this.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TIGHTEEN
+25 Bonus
Then, Talia asked softly, “Are you ever going to mark me?”
I didn’t look at her when I answered. “No.”
For a moment, neither of us said anything. I didn’t look at her. I didn’t want to see her expression. I focused on the faint rustle of the trees nearby.
“Fine,” she finally said. “Then let’s complete the rejection now. Let’s end both of our suffering.”
Hearing her wanting to reject me made me snap. “You think the full moon hurts?” I asked harshly. “You don’t know pain, Talia. You don’t know what it’s like to watch your father die right in front of you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re being hypocritical.”
“Am I? Do you think losing Jason could even compare to losing a parent?” I demanded.
“I lost my mother, so don’t try that,” Talia countered.
“From illness! Your mother wasn’t framed and murdered!” I snapped.
“You’re trying to distract me. This has nothing to do with our mate bond,” Talia said firmly.
“It has everything to do with this,” I shot back. “You want to end the bond because you’re hurt? Fine. But don’t stand there pretending you understand what loss feels like.”
“So you want me to stay bonded to you out of pity? You think that’ll make either of us stronger?” Talia demanded.
I took a step closer. “You’re not rejecting me. I’ll be the one to end this when the time comes. You don’t get to decide when or how.”
Talia didn’t cower from me. She glared right back at me. “You’ll reject me later? Fine. I look forward to it,” Talia responded.
Something about the way she calmly said it only fueled the anger burning in me. I wanted her to match my anger, but she didn’t.
Instead, Talia turned her back to me and said, “Then we’re done here.” She began walking away.
“Talia…”
She stopped but didn’t look back. “No. I gave you a chance.”
I stood there, watching her disappear down the path until she was gone.
‘You’re an idiot,’ my wolf growled inside me. ‘You could have told her everything. You could have fixed this.’
“She wouldn’t have listened,” I said.
‘You don’t know that,’ my wolf argued. ‘She was listening right now. All you had to do was tell her the truth.’
I shook my head. “If she hates me, she’ll stay safe. The moment she cares, she’s in danger,”
My wolf’s anger rose again, and he growled, ‘You’re lying to yourself. You hurt her to protect yourself.’
“That’s enough,” I snapped out loud.
‘You know I’m right,’ my wolf huffed.
“Maybe,” I muttered. “But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
‘Go after her. Apologize. She’ll accept it. She wants you to run after her,’ my wolf demanded.
The urge to follow her was almost unbearable. The bond pulled at me, demanding I go to her, explain everything, and tell her
she was wrong about me. But I couldn’t. I made a promise, and I needed to clear my father’s name.
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