The rest of the day was hazy, the weight of Xander's claim pressing on me like a storm cloud that refused to break. I tried to focus, to carry on as if my world just hadn't shattered, but my mind was an endless spiral. The bond, his command, the way my wolf had recognized him as hers-it was suffocating. No escaping the fact: Xander Stormclaw, the dreaded Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, was my mate.
But I couldn't let anyone know. Not yet. Not my parents, at any rate. They'd view it as a betrayal-mating with the enemy, the Alpha of the pack with which we'd been at odds for years. My stomach twisted at the mere thought. It wasn't just about me anymore; it was about the Silver Ridge Pack, our history, and our future. I needed to tread carefully and think this over before anyone else knew.
But something nagged at the back of my mind, like a buzzing that just wouldn't quit. It wasn't Xander, and it wasn't the bond; it was more than that. It was something familiar.
I finally released my breath as the final bell rang and slipped out of the school, my body tense with the need for escape, to get to a place where I could breathe without feeling the pull of the bond tighten around my heart. The air outside felt crisp, like it might clear my head, but even then, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.
"Aiden!" I yelled, spotting him near the car park. The instant his eyes locked with mine, his face lit up, his smile calming me for a second-a brief reprieve from the tempest brewing inside me.
"There you are," he said, running over to meet me. "You've been off all day. What's going on?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. How was I to tell him? To explain that the Alpha of our rival pack had just claimed me as his mate? Aiden would be furious, not just because of Xander's reputation, but because he'd want to protect me. He'd fight for me.
But then, like a crack of lightning through the sky, I felt it. The pull.
It was sudden, fierce-different from Xander's raw, feral power but no less intense. My wolf stirred, a low rumble of recognition echoing through me. My breath hitched. No, it couldn't be. Not again. Not **him**.
I stared at Aiden, my heart pounding in my chest as incredulousness washed over me. This had to be some kind of sick joke. But the bond had already snapped into place, pulling me in and refusing to let go. Undeniable. All too real. My wolf recognized him before I could even make sense of it. **Aiden. My best friend. My other mate.**
Aiden's eyes searched mine, concern flickering across his features. "Lena? What's wrong?"
I was speechless. Completely still. How was this possible? My wolf knew him-the connection pulled at my heart just as hard as it had with Xander. But this wasn't the same. This was safe, comfortable-everything I'd come to associate with Aiden. My best friend, who'd always been there to watch my back, was tied to me in a way I'd never seen coming.
Aiden," I whispered, trembling. "I-I don't know how to say this."
His face shifted, and I saw it-the moment he also realized what was happening. His eyes widened, shock and confusion battling for supremacy. "Lena, what are you saying?"
My heart was racing, and I could barely find the courage to say it. "It's you. You're my mate.
Time froze for one brief, shining moment. Aiden's eyes locked on mine and his breath very audibly caught in the back of his throat. It all scrolled across his face-the shock, the hope, the fear. I saw how he shifted, weight changing on his feet as the bond began to settle between us, his wolf recognizing me.
"You can feel it, can't you?" I asked, low, desperation creeping into my voice.
Aiden remained quiet for a moment, but the war on his face said it all. He nodded slowly. "Yeah… yeah, I can feel it."
The bond was real. As strong as it was with Xander, and it terrified me.
I turned away, my hands trembling as I tried to wrap my head around it. How was this happening? How could I be mated with them both? It was unheard of-impossible. Yet here I was standing between two bonds, two wolves, and no way to choose.
"Aiden…" My voice barely above a whisper. "I don't understand. How can this be happening?"
He leaned in closer, his hand brushing my arm, the touch sending a wave of heat jolting through me and silencing my racing heart-for just one second. "Lena, talk to me. What's really going on? This isn't just about the mate bond, is it?
I swallowed hard, my chest tight with the weight of my secret. How could I tell him about Xander? How could I explain that I was somehow bound to two wolves-an Alpha and a Beta-and that neither of them knew about the other? The truth was too impossible, too dangerous.
"I need time," I finally managed, my voice shaking from the force of all that was left unsaid. "I just… I need time to get my head around it."
Aiden nodded, though it wasn't hard to see the concern in his eyes. "Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere, Lena. You know that."
His words were to soothe me, comfort me, but only dug this pit of dread growing in my stomach. Aiden would wait for me, but Xander wouldn't. Xander was the kind of Alpha who didn't rest until he had what belonged to him. And now, I did belong to him.
I forced a smile, though my heart felt like it was shattering. "Thank you, Aiden."
He squeezed my hand softly, the warmth of his remaining on my skin, as if to anchor me, but did nothing except bring into poignancy the impossible decision yet to come. Two wolves. Two bonds. And no way to keep them both.
As the feeling of Aiden's touch ebbed away, and with the secret that threatened to suffocate me weighing heavier with each passing moment, one thing was for dead certain. The moment Xander discovered Aiden's existence, everything that I knew would be torn asunder.
The truth would be coming for me, and when that happened, nothing would ever be the same again.