02Butterscotch

“You want to know about the mate bond we share?” His words stopped me midway as I turned around to face him. I didn’t say a word as I felt my heart palpitate in anticipation. 

“Beta Perez, I…” Before I could speak, he continued. 

“I have decided to never let a woman into my life, Miss. James. I have learned long back that they only serve as a distraction. Why would I need a mate if I could have any women I want? Am I right, Miss. James?” He asked me as I felt my eyes burn, but I held back my tears. 

“A mate is your better half, Beta Perez.” I choked out the words when he let out a humorless laugh. 

“According to me, you need a mate to satisfy your needs and maybe an heir in the long run. I think I can buy that with some money, Miss. James.” 

“Don’t you feel the mate bond, Beta Perez?” I asked him, but he didn’t answer.

“I would have at least considered mating with you if you held a rank, Miss. James. But I don’t think I want a woman who is a nobody with a lonely mother and a runaway father.” I felt my chest rise and fall in anger while something broke within me. A tense silence engulfed us as we stared at one another. 

Join us in this journey where Aurora and Zander find love again as sparks ignite between them and desire crackles in the air, the tension builds, pushing them closer together. Will Zander’s feelings toward the mate bond transform as he grapples with the chemistry between them, or will fear of another heartbreak drive him to reject her? The future is uncertain, but one thing is clear: their destinies are intertwined in ways they never anticipated.

Beta Zander Perez

I looked down at the baby when I saw that he was already staring at me. A nonchalant smile adorned my face the longer I looked at him. I moved my finger and lightly traced his soft skin, which made him squirm and yawn as he snuggled into his blanket and closed his eyes.

I had never held a baby before, but holding him in my arms now evoked emotions that I had never felt before. "Aurora?" I looked away from the baby when I saw Amanda walk into the living room with a wooden box in her hand.

She placed it on the coffee table in front of me, walked towards the window, and closed the curtains. "What is that?" I asked her when she took a seat next to me and gestured for the baby. I gently passed him to her as I took the box in my hand.

I lightly traced the craving in the wooden box when I looked at her for an explanation. "He was after this," he muttered.

chapter 59