43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

-Reese-

M y decision hadn’t been simple, but as I had anticipated, mating with Naomi changed everything. It was like suddenly seeing clearly, realizing that something had always been missing with Rosa. I couldn’t quite explain why my wolf had chosen her over Naomi, but after borrowing some clothes that once belonged to Naomi’s father, I returned to the house the next morning to find Rosa.

However, as soon as I entered the bedroom, Rosa was already awake and waiting for me, seated in a comfortable chair with a cup of steaming coffee.

“Morning,” she greeted, her tone sharp.

Taking a deep breath, I approached her. “Listen, Rosa—”

“Remember something important?” she interrupted.

“What?”

“Dinner,” she reminded me, causing my heart to sink.

“Shit,” I murmured, realizing I had promised to have dinner with Rosa in private. Instead, I had been out chasing Naomi through the woods and experiencing the most intense mating I had ever encountered. But the experience had only confirmed what I already knew—Naomi and I belonged together.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized.

“Are you?” she challenged.

I groaned, rubbing my eyes. “Maybe... not. But the thing is, I think there’s been a mistake.”

“A mistake?” she echoed, tapping her finger against the mug.

“I... can’t be with you,” I confessed.

“You’re rejecting me?”

“I know how it sounds, but what I feel for Naomi transcends everything I’ve experienced with you. I can’t explain it, but our wolves must have been confused. That’s the only way I can understand it,” I explained.

Rosa seemed to ponder this, taking a small sip of her coffee as she remained silent. The tension in the air was thick and unpleasant, but my feelings were clear, and they wouldn’t change. Slowly, she lowered the mug and stood up from her chair.

“I understand,” she replied suddenly.

“Sorry?” I uttered.

“What?” she replied. “Did you expect me to resist?”

I shook my head. “No, I just... I suppose I thought you might want to protest a bit, urge me to do more for our bond.”

“No, I’ve felt it too. The way we’ve been drifting apart,” she admitted, approaching me and handing me the coffee.

“You look like you need it,” she teased lightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

I accepted it, taking a sip as she moved away, the pink robe flowing around her.

“Where are you going?” I inquired.

She paused, turning to face me. “To the closet. To pack.”

“You can have the room for a while if you want,” I offered, following her as she disappeared into the closet.

I stopped in the doorway, watching her pack a bag while I savored the coffee.

“No, it’s okay,” she assured me. “I don’t feel right staying if I’m not your mate.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, my gaze falling to the floor.

“Don’t be. Something strange happened, right?”

I nodded, taking another sip of the coffee. Yet after the third sip, I detected an odd taste lingering on my tongue.

“Something wrong?” Rosa asked, noticing my expression.

“I think you used some bad milk in this,” I remarked, returning to the bedroom to set the mug aside.

“Or maybe you just need something else to replace the taste.”

Confused by her words, I turned to find her suddenly standing naked in the room. I tilted my head in bewilderment, unsure why she had undressed. She approached me, advancing closer, and just as I was about to protest, something strange happened. My body responded to her proximity, and when she reached me, she pushed me back into the chair she had occupied. Suddenly, I couldn’t recall why I didn’t want her, and she reached for my pants, sliding her hand inside, eliciting a groan of pleasure from me as she found me hard and ready for her.

“There it is,” she purred against my lips. “You’re mine, Reese.”

It seemed she was right.

-Naomi-

I wandered around with a foolish grin as I got ready slowly. Reese had left early to have a discussion with Rosa about their situation, so I arrived later at the house, still smiling. I struggled to contain my overflowing emotions. Making my way to the kitchen, I put my things away when two other female wolves entered the room, giggling.

“They’re so loud,” one of them chuckled.

“I know. That’s how mates are.”

Confused by their conversation, a dreadful thought suddenly crossed my mind. I tried to convince myself I was being foolish, but I needed confirmation. A voice urged me to check, so I did. Racing up to the floor where Reese’s bedroom was, even before reaching the hallway, I could hear it—her. I wasn’t sure if Rosa did it intentionally, but listening to her cries of pleasure shattered me.

“But he promised…” I whimpered.

I can’t believe this , my wolf said.

“Can you reach him?” I whispered.

No… I can’t. It makes no sense ! she shouted in my head.

“It seems perfectly clear,” I snapped. “He couldn’t do it. He lied to me.”

Naomi, wait , my wolf interjected.

“Why?”

Because something isn’t right.

“I think you’re clinging to false hope,” I accused.

No, I felt something, I know I did. This entire situation is… not right!

“No, we were just fools,” I insisted, tears streaming down my cheeks. “He promised, and we were idiots for listening.”

No, Naomi, I mean it. We need to figure out what happened. I wouldn’t have surrendered to his wolf if I wasn’t absolutely certain.

“Certain about what?”

He belongs to us.

I froze on my way to the staircase, the cries of pleasure still echoing in my ears. Yet something else now occupied my attention more.

“Do you… claim him?” I inquired, wanting to gauge how serious my wolf was.

After a long pause, she replied, Yes.

“Is he our mate?”

He is, she confirmed.