Denied by Destiny: Trapped in the Shadows of the Mate Bond

- Cleo -

"Oh yeah, then explain to me why you smell like my brother." He snarls at me, his nose sniffing again at the crease of my neck.

My body goes into panic mode, an instant threat nearby that needed to be avoided. Jaxon isn't a threat but him finding out the truth is. "What? No I don't." I take a sidestep, moving myself away from him...trying to laugh off his claim. Making him think he was barking up the wrong tree. "Yes you do...in fact...you reek of him. You saw him..."

"That's not possible. No, I haven't even seen him, she was there...." Bitterness takes over me as the image of her in her lingerie flashes through my mind.

I catch myself as soon as the words leave my lips, slamming my eyes shut. I shouldn't have just said that. I allowed my emotions to get the better of me.

"Who was there...Callie?" He shakes his head in confusion.

"Callie..." I repeat her name on my lips, swallowing hard as hot bile rises up to the back of my throat.

I feel sick just saying her name.

But she hasn't done anything wrong, I am the one in the wrong. She is his fated mate after all.

She's the one that should hate me, not the other way around.

She is the innocent party in all of this. A one night stand I shared with her own mate before she found him.

I've tarnished their mate bond before they have even marked one another. I'll be forever seen by her as his dirty little secret.

"You saw her, why were you even there?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Clearly it does."

"Jaxon, drop it." I seethe out, a warning in my voice.

"Cleo!" He ignores my warning, taking a step closer again as he releases his alpha aura into the room. He can't command me, I'm not a pack member but that doesn't make the air around me any easier to breathe, the oppressive sensation he was causing with the atmosphere any more bearable.

"He texted me, saying he was back...that I should come over." I sigh out, wanting this nightmare to be over with. I need him to leave, before I say something that can't take back. en

"He texted you? Why?" Dark burning eyes lock on to mine, mine unable to tear themselves away.

"It was just in response to my text. It's really no issue, I was passing anyway..."

"The two of you have been speaking, whilst he's been away?" He asks, his brows furrowing. My heart breaks as a hurt expression forms upon his face.

Swnov

He was hurt at the possibility that not only had I known of Jace's whereabouts, but that I hadn't told him about it.

"No...I've tried him, like everyone...but he only replied to say he was back."

"Back from where?"

I was losing control of my words, the truth threatening to come out. He may be a friend but

above all Jaxon was an alpha wolf, a

predator...the proof of this as his ets Ds to burn with a need to find

truth.

A truth he must know I am hiding from him. The coldness now oozing out of him is telling me so.

"Have you known where he has been this entire time?"

"No." I turn my back on him, not wanting to continue this conversation. I just wanted to be left

alone right now.

I needed him to leave me alone, I couldn't trust myself right now.

Without my wolf on full alert, his aura was overpowering me.

"Cleo? Have you known where he has been?"

He seethes out, his hands gripping my upper armsnoveldrama

as he spins me around.

"Leave me alone." I growl out at him, my response resulting in him snatching his hands back as if my skin was hot to touch.