Eight Years Of A Fake Mate Bond Chapter 02

Eight Years Of A Fake Mate Bond Chapter 02

Dancing with Frost Harbor Moonlight Ballet had been my lifelong dream.

At twenty, I’d wasted eight years clinging to a mark that was never mine to claim.

Now I was twenty-eight, and I wasn’t waiting around any more.

My phone pinged once.

It was a text from Maeve, panic seeped through every word on the screen.

Maeve: [Riona, did you see my post?]

Less than a second later, Alaric’s text popped up right underneath hers.

Alaric: [Riona, I hate that I can’t come home to you tonight after the ceremony. You alright alone at the house?]

Their matching texts sat right next to each other. It stung to see how coordinated their hollow probes were.

I sent the same reply to both of them.

Riona: [I’m fine.]

Riona: [When’ll you be home?]

Alaric: [Riona, you know I need a few days to reset. I probably won’t make your birthday this year.] Alaric: [Riona, I’m stuck out of town for work all week. I shipped your gift already, don’t be mad at me, yeah?]

Seven years straight, they’d both bailed on my birthday without fail.

This year was no different.

A memory hit me out of nowhere—Maeve once told me she’d met Alaric on my birthday.

It wasn’t pure luck they were busy on my birthday.

Their meet-cute anniversary meant everything to them. My birthday meant nothing.

I typed back a flat, single word.

Riona: [Okay].

The next morning, a reminder pinged from Alaric.

Alaric: [Don’t forget your follow-up appointment today. I can’t tag along.]

At the exact same time, I scrolled onto Maeve’s new social post.

The photo only showed a tiny scrape on her fingertip.

Her caption: Just a little scratch, and he dragged me all the way to the pack hospital for full lab work. Dumb softie.

The comment section flooded with jealous, sweet well-wishes.

I stared at the screen for minutes, then locked my phone and headed to the hospital alone.

Three months ago, I hiked Greywolf Ridge with Alaric. He took off halfway up the trail, not a single word to explain why.

I’d thought something terrible happened to him. I dragged my sprained ankle through the mountains, searching for him all night long.

Now it clicked. Only Maeve could make him abandon me without a single goodbye.

He never skipped my first two ankle injury checkups.

He didn’t know today’s trip wasn’t just ankle checkup—I also needed to finish cross-border physicals for the ballet company’s residency.

I pulled into the Silverpine Cross-Border Medical Center. Right then, two people stepped out of the Moonkin Hospital next door.

Alaric and Maeve.

They didn’t spot me at first, unrestrained sweetness and delight lighting up their faces.

“Alaric, am I really having a pup? This feels like a dream.”

I froze mid-step, listening to their bright laughter.

Alaric was swept up in emotion, unable to utter a word for a moment.

He raised his arms ready to lift and spin her, until he caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye.

His body locked up instantly. The grin melted clean off his face.

All the color drained from her face the second she laid eyes on me.

“Riona… Have you been standing there this whole time?”