CHAPTER THREE: BROKEN BONDS

The drive to Seth's apartment felt like an eternity.

My heart pounded all the way, my wolf was restless and agitated.

It wasn't just the betrayal—it was the bond. The pull toward Seth was still there despite everything I'd just learned.

And something else, the mate's scent just a moment ago.

I parked the car in front of the building, unsure of what I would do next.

I hesitated, hoping everything was just a nightmare I would wake up from.

But a knock on my window from the building's security guy, reminded me that I was wide awake in this chaos.

"Here to see someone, sir?" The guy asked peeping into my already rolled down window.

"Yes, yes, just a moment" , I said as I tried to put my thoughts together.

"It's quite late sir", he continued.

"And it's quite urgent!" I snapped, suppressing a growl.

He looked like he was about to protest, but thought better of it.

"OK sir, carry on then"

I stepped out of the car and headed to the elevator, dragging my feet as I went, fearing what answers Seth might have.

When I entered the room, he was there, sitting on the leather couch with a glass of whiskey in hand.

The familiar scent of his room filled my nostrils stirring my wolf all the more.

He looked up as I approached, his amber eyes lighting up with a surprised warmth that made my chest ache.

"Reese," he said, standing to greet me. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me."

I stopped a few feet away, crossing my arms. "We need to talk."

The smile faltered on his face. "Okay... What's wrong?"

He reached for me, but I stepped back, holding up the file Sasha had given me. "Care to explain this?" I asked as I threw it down on the table.

"What is this?" He asked

"You tell me" I snapped

He looked at me, clearly shocked, as I have never raised my voice at him before.

The color drained from his face as soon as he saw the contents of the file and for a moment, he didn't say anything.

That silence was answer enough.

"So it's true," I said bitterly. "You've been working with him this whole time. Feeding him information about my company, my pack."

"Being mated to you wasn't part of the plan, Reese." Seth muttered.

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

My heart ached at the indifference with which he spoke, like he was talking to a complete stranger.

I staggered back, the distance between us growing like a chasm.

His face crumpled, and for the first time, I saw something cold and mean in his eyes.

"Plan?" The word tasted bitter on my tongue. "So it's true. You got close to me because your father told you to."

"I didn't mean to hurt you". He said flatly.

"But you did," I said, my voice breaking. "You didn't just hurt me Seth you destroyed me!"

"Reese," he said, his voice devoid of warmth.

My name on his lips felt like shards of glass scraping against my soul.

"This is beyond my control, my father would strip me of my inheritance if I didn't do it"

His words struck like a whip.

"What about us? Seth? What about what we shared? I could have given you the world if you had asked for it."

My breath hitched, and the weight of the room seemed to crush me.

"Seth… I—I know you feel it too. The bond. You can't ignore it."

He walked across the room and leaned back casually against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as if the conversation bored him.

"Feel it? Sure. But it doesn't mean I have to act on it."

I blinked, the sting of his words reverberating through me.

"What are you saying?"

He shrugged, a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm rejecting the bond, Reese. Whatever connection you think we have"

My knees buckled, but I forced myself to stay upright. The room spun, and I struggled to find words, to find air.

"You… you're rejecting me?" I managed to ask.

"Yes," he said simply, as though he were commenting on the weather. His lack of emotion was the final blow.

"Why?" My voice was barely a whisper, a broken sound that even I didn't recognize.

Seth sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Because I don't want to be tied down. The mate bond might mean everything to you, but it means nothing to me."

"I Seth Kingston reject you Reese Wells as my mate!"

I stood there, frozen, as his words slammed into me like a sledgehammer.

My vision blurred, and for a moment, I thought I might collapse.

The pain that followed couldn't be explained, in all my years of pack wars, I haven't felt pain from battle injuries that hurt like this.

The bond severance was excruciating.

I fell to my knees reeling from the pain with eyes full of tears as I tore at my clothes willing the pain to stop.

But he didn't care. Seth pushed past me without another glance, leaving me sprawled there in the wreckage of my heart.

"Did you ever even loved me a little?" I managed to asked, as he turned his back to me, my voice barely audible.

"I did, but what does it matter now?" He answered still not turning to me.

After what seemed like the end of a full lunar cycle, the pain stopped.

I lay there for a while longer, trying to gather enough strength.

Replaying the scene that just happened, in my head, wondering how it all went wrong.

I couldn't drive, not in this state.

With difficulty I managed to call Sasha to come and pick me up.

She arrived few minutes later and found me in a mess.

"Reese, oh my God what happened to you? Where's Seth?" She asked as she tried to pull me up.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. All my strength seemed to have waned and there was nothing left but an empty shell of my old self.

"That bastard. He'll pay for this." Sasha cursed as she eventually managed to drag me to my feet.

She held me up and led me to the car. After ensuring I was comfortable she drove off.

As I sat numbly I thought this was it. The worst thing that could ever happen to me.

But little did I know, the worst was yet to come.