'Ruby is not my mate!' Zane yelped in his mind. At the same time, his wolf also howled in anger and frustration.
Buzz…
His ears started buzzing, crippling his brain once again.
He had just gotten rejected, and his best friend was telling him that his mate was not his mate. Was there anything more terrible left to happen?
"How can you say that?" Zane roared. "I can feel the bond."
Lucas shook his head and asserted, "You would not have been attracted to Eleanor if you had truly felt a mate bond with Ruby. There is something wrong. You have to figure it out. The mate bond is very strong. It connects two souls. I knew Cecilia was my mate the moment she walked in front of me. It didn't take me two years to figure that out. But you couldn't feel it even though Ruby was here all the time until you were kidnapped."
"Are you saying Ruby is not my mate, but Eleanor?" Zane asked with astonishment.
He felt as if his entire world had been turned upside down. If Lucas was telling the truth, the mate bond he felt for Ruby was not the actual one.
What was the pull he felt for Ruby? Infatuation?
Zane pulled his eyebrows, puzzled.
"I can't tell that," Lucas responded, sounding less confident as if he was skeptical. "You have to figure it out on your own. No one will know better than you. Take your time to think about who matters to you more… Ruby or Eleanor. All I know is that falling in love with another woman while you still have a mate is unusual."
He stood up to leave but paused and added, "Let me warn you. Be careful while Ruby is around. Let's go. It is getting dark." He picked up the bags and made his way to the packhouse.
Zane remained seated there, thinking about what he had said. "Unusual to fall in love with another woman," he murmured in a trance.
When he had first sensed Ruby was his mate, he had become intoxicated with her sweet, floral scent. He remembered how his heart had raced after detecting her scent, which was irresistible. Her smell still had the same effect on him.
Things started changing when Eleanor bumped into him. There was something about her that he couldn't resist.
He had tried to stay away from her, but something magical drew him to her. He couldn't take his mind off of her.
The most annoying part was that he was jealous every time he saw her with Connor. The thought of her with Connor almost drove him insane.
"Ugh…" he groaned and racked his hair with frustration. His faith in the mate bond began to crumble. "How can it be possible? I have a mate. How can I fall for someone else? If Ruby is not my mate, why can't I resist her smell? Why does she always attract me sexually? Why?"
He held his head, his elbows on his knees. "Isn't it what the mate bond feels like?"
"Are you coming or not?"
When Zane heard Lucas yell, he came back to reality.
"The party is tomorrow, if you remember," Lucas continued to yell. "There is so much to do."
"I am coming," Zane grimaced and got to his feet. "Stop yelling at me." He followed him, grabbing the carrying bags.
***********************************************************************
Eleanor returned home despondently. When she stepped into the house, she saw Cecilia dressed in a purple sleeveless gown, twirling in delight, humming her favorite tune.
She came to a halt on the threshold, gaping at her.
The dress was snug-fit up to her waist, elegantly accentuating her breasts. Below the waist, it widened and had a gathering style. The dress reached to her knees and was longer in the back.
Cecilia looked stunning. The purple made her fair skin appear even brighter.
"Uh…" Cecilia stopped twirling when her gaze landed on the dumbfounded Eleanor.
"Eleanor…" She giggled and rushed over to her. She held her arms on either side and exclaimed, "Guess what?"
'What to guess?'
Eleanor had never seen her so thrilled after purchasing a new dress. The dress was undeniably lovely and looked great on Cecilia. But she couldn't point out anything special in it that made her this excited.
She observed her up and down. "You look… gorgeous… as always." She smiled and put her hand on her cheek. "My beautiful sister."
"Uhh…" Cecilia let out a disgruntled groan, swatting her hand away. "I know I am pretty. But there is something that makes me delighted." She flapped her eyelashes frequently, her smile resuming.
"I met Lucas in the market," she mumbled, looking ahead in a trance. "And he bought me this dress." Her voice rose a few octaves higher in excitement.
"That's cool!" Eleanor grinned. Sometimes she envied Cecilia. In spite of all the difficulties faced by the family, Cecilia always found a reason to smile. "He is a nice guy. I am glad that he is taking care of you."
"He wants to celebrate my birthday with his family. I miss Mamma and Papa and wish they could return to celebrate my birthday." A gleam of sorrow flashed in her eyes. Her smile reappeared the next moment. "It's okay. Her treatment is more important than celebrating my birthday. We will throw a big party the next year with Lucas and his family."
At this point, she noticed a large paper bag with 'Sleek Fashions' printed on it in her hand. This clothing brand was not available on the market.
"What is it?" she asked and nodded to the bag, perplexed as to where Eleanor had gotten it.
Eleanor nervously glanced down at the bag. "Nothing." She held the bag tightly and pushed it into her back, trying to hide it.
Her attempt failed terribly when Cecilia snatched it from her grip.
"Let me look into it... Oh…" Cecilia paused in the middle of her sentence, her mouth forming a big 'O'. She pulled out the dress. "Wow!" Her eyes dazzled as she spread the dress out and marveled at it.
It was a pure white gown with thread work throuout the skirt. The chest part remained plain with a fancy sweetheart neckline. The fabric was silky and soft to the touch.
Eleanor was equally amazed. She was shocked, to be more precise. Her pupils enlarged as she looked at the exquisite gown.
She couldn't fathom how costly the dress would be. She wondered why he bought such an expensive dress for her.
"It's marvelous. Where did you get this dress?" Cecilia directed her gaze at her.
"Connor gave me," Eleanor replied in a reverie, yet to come out of shock.
"Who? Did you say Connor?" Cecilia's crisp voice jarred her back to reality.
She blinked, dumbstruck. Then she snatched back the dress and stuffed it inside the bag.
"He wants me to wear it at the party." She tried hard to sound nonchalant, but her pale face and trembling hands told the whole story of how nervous she was. She tried to walk to her room, but Cecilia stepped in front of her and blocked her path.
"Hold on. Are you seeing each other?"
Eleanor's throat went dry under her suspicious gaze. She looked aside, saying, "No…"
"Don't fool me around. Why would he buy you such an expensive dress if he has no feelings for you?"
"It is nothing like what you are thinking," Eleanor shot back, seemingly frustrated. "All he wants to do is introduce me to his friends. And I believe it will be beneficial to me as well."
She walked around her and up the stairs.
"I don't know what you are thinking." Cecilia's words compelled her to cease her steps. She glanced down at her across from her shoulder.
"Connor is not suitable for you. Don't fall into his trap. You will get hurt in the end."
Eleanor sneered inwardly. Her heart was already aching from an unhealed wound. Nothing could hurt her more than that.
"I will be careful." Having said that, she walked into her room.