Chapter 490
Haiden:
But up close, her scent felt different from before. It was familiar, yet not something I could clearly place. It pulled at me in a way that made my chest feel tight, like something inside me was reaching for a connection that kept slipping away.
I told myself it was nothing and forced myself to keep going.
In the mirror, I caught her expression. Her eyes were half closed, her breathing slower and deeper. It was obvious she felt the contact too.
I leaned closer to reach the clasp, my face near her shoulder, my focus on the tiny hook that suddenly seemed impossible to fasten.
As I breathed near her skin, I heard her breath leave her lips and caught the scent of her hair. It made my head feel light, like my instincts were trying to move before my thoughts could stop them.
“Do you feel that too?” she asked quietly.
I snapped my head up.
“Do you feel that agitation whenever you are near me p>
Her voice was unsteady, and it sent another unwanted reaction through me.
The clasp finally clicked into place.
I stepped back at once, putting space between us as if distance could fix whatever had just passed through my body.
She turned to face me, placing a hand over her chest as though trying to steady her breathing.
“I feel it too, Haiden,” she said softly. “I do not know what this is, but it makes me very anxious around you p>
She searched my face for an answer, but I had none. I stood there with my fists tight at my sides, trying to convince myself that whatever this was, it did not mean anything at all.
“And did you not feel it?” she asked again as she stepped toward me with hopeful eyes.
“No,” I replied. I lied loudly enough for her to step back and cover her mouth.
“Oh,” she murmured, looking hurt and shocked. “I don’t p>
I then pushed my confidence further as I looked her in the eye and wrinkled my nose.
“Not even a little bit?” she wondered.
As she asked that question, I noticed tears forming in her eyes.
“No, Fauna, I feel nothing,” I snapped in annoyance.
She buried her face in her hands before looking up again, and this time it did not seem like she was going to accept my lie.
“You’re lying,” she shouted.
“Well, whatever helps you sleep better at night,” I remarked with a shrug.
Seeing pain in her eyes made me happy. It meant I was doing everything right, hurting her, the woman whose father had stolen everything from me.
The man whom I strongly suspected might have been involved in my father’s death.
“I just want to know why. Why are you lying? I just want to know why you hate me,” she pleaded.
She could not understand that me not giving her more explanation was for her own good.
Otherwise, I would insult her so badly that she would not even be able to look at herself again. But if she wanted to be humiliated, then I would gladly do it.
“You want to know?” I said, smiling as I stepped toward her.
She did not step away. It was her way of showing me that she was ready for whatever I was going to throw at her.
“And that is because you are the daughter of a horrible man,” I began. “You are the daughter of the man who is worse than my worst enemy p>
As I continued, I watched her lower her head and begin to nod to herself, as if she were telling herself that she already knew this would be my answer.
“Do you want to hear more?” I asked with a smile. “You are nothing like my mate. You are just the daughter of a disgusting man. If you think you could ever be with me, then you are wrong. You are just desperate. It is time you wake up because no, Fauna, I do not feel anything for you. I will never feel anything for you. Now leave. Go and live your pathetic life somewhere else and be obsessed with someone else p>
As I finished, I watched a tear roll down her eye. I wanted to smile because seeing her in pain made me happy. But somewhere along the way, I could not.
I kept watching her as she hugged herself and closed her eyes. Another tear rolled down her face, and I quickly turned my head away.
What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this way? It was true what she said. I was feeling something for her.
“Thank you for being honest with me,” she began. I forced a cocky grin onto my face.
“At least now I know there will never be an us,” she continued, then looked up at me. A broken smile rested on her lips. “And I cannot say anything to you because I know you are not wrong. You have every right to be upset. After all, my family took everything from you p>
In a soft tone, she made me feel guilty for my words.
“But just so you know, if you are expecting me to hate you for it,” she paused, then added, “you are wrong. I will not bother you, but I am not going to hate you.” She sniffled and gestured toward the door. “We should go. Dinner will be starting p>
With that, she did not wait for me. She walked past me and left the room.
I stayed behind in her room.
“Way to go, Alpha Haiden, the best man in the world, breaking an innocent woman’s heart p>
My wolf waking up at that point and taunting me was not something I had expected.
“What is wrong with you? Don’t you hate her too?” I growled, stepping toward the exit.
“If you are satisfied with yourself, of course you should be, but do not speak for me. I will say this much. It is true that I felt something for her. I do not know what that was, but it seemed like p>
As my wolf began to speak, I growled loudly to silence him. He understood and went quiet.
“There was only one person that I loved, and if she is not in my life, I will just wait for her,” I muttered, walking out of the room and heading down the hallway to attend dinner.
“I loved her too. But let’s be honest, Haiden. The minute she rejects us, it will be hard for us to live without a mate. Everybody needs someone. What we felt with Fauna seems like it could be our future. You can hate her for what her father did to our father and to us, but you cannot expect me to hate her. That is my truth. Now let’s go eat,” he replied quickly, leaving me baffled.
I did not know that returning home would put me through so much stress.