The Mate He Didn’t Deserve Chapter 02

The Mate He Didn’t Deserve Chapter 02

Shattered glass sliced Caleb’s arm.

He didn’t even flinch—his only concern was Nadia.

“Are you hurt?”

In that moment, a flood of memories crashed over me.

On rainy days, his umbrella always tilted toward her.

On walks down the street, he always kept her pressed safely against his side.

Even during a sudden fire, his first instinct had been to shield her and only her.

Afterward, he’d always brushed it off with the same line: “She’s my brother’s widow. And your best friend.”

Every word insisted he’d crossed no lines.

He was just a good younger brother looking out for his sister-in-law.

A devoted husband caring for his wife’s friend.

I’d had my doubts, but I’d refused to believe my mate would betray me with my closest friend.

Especially not when Nadia herself had been the one to set us up.

Nadia and I grew up together.

We’d promised each other we’d marry nearby, never apart.

So when she got together with Alpha Finn Cater, she introduced me to his twin brother, Caleb.

At first, I thought she was joking and kept my distance from him.

Then one night, I ran a high fever and called Nadia. Caleb showed up instead.

He stayed up all night taking care of me. When I woke, the usually polished Alpha had dark circles and messy hair, looking almost ridiculous.

But I fell for him anyway.

After Nadia and Finn sealed their mate bond, Caleb proposed to me out of the blue…

A shadow fell over me, yanking me back to the present.

Caleb held out a mate bond termination document.

“Sign it.”

“I’ll leave you the house and car, half my assets too.”

His arm was still bleeding, but he didn’t care.

His eyes were fixed on Nadia , sitting quietly in a hospital chair, crying softly.

His gaze was warm, devoted, utterly tender.

My chest tightened so sharply I could barely breathe.

Only the night before the surgery, he’d held me, looking at me with that exact same warmth, whispering comfort.

He’d said we’d have another baby someday.

The next day, he’d lied to get me on that table and killed our child with his own hands.

I pressed a hand to my flat stomach, trembling all over.

Four years. For being unable to conceive, I’d endured Mrs. Cater’s contempt and the pack’s sneers.

I’d taken bitter medicine until my stomach churned, endured countless needles, all just to have a child.

And every bit of my suffering had been caused by the man I loved more than anything.

Copper burned in my throat. I coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the world went black.

When I opened my eyes again, Nadia was hovering over my bed.

Her face lit up when she saw me awake.

“Aurora, you’re up!”

She immediately poured me a bowl of chicken soup.

“I added wild moonfruit—really rare, great for healing. Drink up.”

Then she mumbled to herself, almost too quiet to hear.

“Alpha got me several boxes of century-old wild moonfruit a few years ago, said it was for my health. I can’t even finish it all.”

She clamped her mouth shut like she’d said too much.

I froze, my voice raw.

“What moonfruit?”

“Century wild moonfruit. Alpha traded a whole territory to the northern healer for it.”

Blood drained from my face.

Three years ago, my grandfather had been deathly ill, and wild moonfruit was the only thing that could save him.

I’d spent every penny I had trying to buy one stem from the northern healer, but I couldn’t even get past his gates. Desperate, I’d begged Caleb for help.

It was the first time I’d ever asked him for anything.

He’d only said, lightly, “It’s a family heirloom. There’s nothing I can do.”

My grandfather died. I lost the only person who’d ever truly loved me.

For me, Caleb could do nothing.

For Nadia, he gave up an entire territory for a priceless medicinal fruit.

My fingers curled into the sheets until my knuckles whitened. Tears blurred my vision.

I couldn’t understand how she could sleep with my husband hours before and then act like nothing had happened, chattering away as she tried to feed me soup.

“I blew on it, it’s not hot—”

I lifted my head and snapped, finally losing control.

I knocked the bowl away. “Get out!”

A second later, a slap burned across my cheek.