Chapter 146
“Somewhere, things began to blur. The things you’d say and do, at times, it seemed like it was all real. But it wasn’t. Not really. You were so convincing that you even fooled me.”
I felt as though I was just muttering whatever little thought came to mind. But Kane hadn’t interrupted me once.
“What broke this delusional state of mind was after you sent Bianca away. You brought up the contract, and it was as if reality came rushing back. I forced myself to walk away; otherwise, there was no telling what I would have said.”
A profound look flickered across his eyes. “That’s why Alexander was comforting you,” he acknowledged.
“I was devastated and so brutally shaken,” I told him. “No matter how hard I tried to move on and forget about them, those feelings just wouldn’t go away. So, yeah. I decided it would be best to keep each other at a distance. Just being around each other was nothing but a painful reminder of the true nature behind all of this.”
I turned my head, not wanting him to see my emotions get the better of me.
The room once more fell into an unbearable silence.
“Marriage was never something that was highly regarded in my family,” Kane said. I glanced back at him out of the corner of my eye. “It was generally seen as just another obligation. My parents, their parents, and surely their parents before them, were paired together for alliance purposes. Things like ‘romance’ and ‘love’, they weren’t ever expected.”
“That sounds terrible,” I commented. “Surely, they would have carried some sort of feeling for their spouses. Even if they were mates?”
“That’s just it, sweetheart. As far as I’m aware, none of them were ever married to their fated mates,” he said.
Just hearing that silly pet name made my heart thump heavily as another tear fell.
The realization dawned on me. “But that would mean…”
A small, honest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I got lucky. I never thought I’d even have the chance to come across my fated mate, much less be set up to marry her.”
“I guess, I don’t know, I thought it would count for something,” I mumbled.
Kane shook his head. “To be honest, I had no idea what to do. Not with you, or our arrangement-none of it. And at the time, you were so weak. Your wolf was hardly present in your life, for a time, I thought fate was punishing me for pairing me with such a weak mate.”
“But you kept proving me and everyone else wrong. Despite our unsavory first encounter, you persisted. And now, I find myself in a rather similar situation to yours.”
“Forgive me if I find that a bit hard to believe,” I said.
My eyes were becoming too difficult to keep open. As much as I wanted to keep this conversation going, I knew that I was only a few minutes away from falling unconscious yet again.
Kane must have noticed my exhaustion and got up to dim the lights. “If I were to fully give in to this relationship, you would become one of my greatest weaknesses. My enemies would use this to their advantage.”
“I still don’t see how it would matter either way,” I hummed. “Even if something were to happen to me, you would still be able to put your plans first. You’d never let your top priority slip.”
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Chapter 146
“Yeah…But they wouldn’t be my only top priority then.”
+25 Bonus
Sleep was creeping in. In just a few breaths, I felt myself falling under the uncaring weight of my tired state.
“Why?” I whispered. “Why can’t we share in a real relationship?… Fuck the contract.”
