I Married The Beast Commander, Not His Match Chapter 12

I Married The Beast Commander, Not His Match Chapter 12

A week later, the Registry’s final report arrived.

When Gideon got the results, I was out on the property watering the crops.

He stood at the edge of the rows, staring at the document. He didn’t speak for a long time.

I walked over.

“What does it say?”

Gideon looked at me.

“The data was wrong.”

“You’re not my true mate.”

I’d known for a while.

It still hurt to hear.

“So let’s end this.”

“No.”

Gideon folded the report and put it away.

“Gideon, we’re not true mates.”

“So what?”

He looked me in the eye.

“I married you. Not a number.”

[THE ML ATE WITH THAT LINE.]

[But what about his family, though??]

[Who cares if his family doesn’t agree!]

Before I could respond, a black sedan pulled up at the edge of the property.

The door opened and a middle-aged man stepped out.

He had wolf ears, silver-gray hair, and a presence that pressed the air out of the space around him.

It was Gideon’s father.

Gideon’s face turned to stone.

“Father.”

Gideon’s father looked at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

“Audrey, the results are in. You’re not Gideon’s true mate. This marriage is over.”

“I never said I wanted to stay.”

Gideon caught my hand.

“I do.”

His father’s expression darkened.

“Do you understand what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

“The family won’t accept you staying married to a human. Especially one who isn’t even your true

mate.”

“I don’t care.”

Gideon’s voice was steady.

“I didn’t marry her because of a compatibility score.”

His father stared him down.

Gideon held his ground.

Neither of them moved.

His father was the first to look away. “You have one month to fix this mess.”

“I don’t need a month. My answer won’t change.”

His father scoffed and turned back toward the car.

Just before the door shut, he looked at me one last time.

That look cut deeper than anything he could’ve said.

[The ML really stood his ground!]

[He actually went against his family for her.]

{But his dad isn’t gonna just drop it, right??]

Gideon turned to me.

“I told you. I’ll handle it.”

I looked at him.

Something I couldn’t name shifted in my chest.

“Gideon.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you marry me?”

Gideon paused.

“It wasn’t because of the Registry.”

“Then why?”

He was quiet for a long time.

“I saw you on the street, long before any of this.”

“…What?”

“Before the Registry ever contacted me, I saw you.

Gideon’s voice dropped low.

“You were selling flowers on a corner. A shifter kid tripped, and you helped him up and gave him a

flower.”

“When you smiled, your whole face lit up.”

“Then the Registry called and said they’d found my true mate. I went to see who it was, and it was

you.”

“I thought, of course it’s her.”

“After you moved in, you were so careful all the time. Walking on eggshells. I thought you hated it

here, so I kept my distance.”

He looked at me.

“I never thought you’d actually leave.”

i stood there, eyes stinging.

“Gideon, you’re an idiot.”

“Yeah.”

“The biggest idiot I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah.”

He pulled me into his arms.

This time, I didn’t push him away.

[AHHH, so the ML was already in love with her from the start??]

[This wasn’t arranged-marriage-to-love. This was a secret crush all along!!]

[I’m literally crying. This is too good.]

In the pens, the lambs bleated. The crops on the property had grown taller, and the breeze carried

the warm smell of earth.

Gideon rested his chin on top of my head. He held me like he was afraid I’d disappear.

“Audrey, don’t leave again.”

I didn’t speak.

But my arms went around his waist.

Opening day brought in a crowd.

Julian had brought in dozens of high-profile guests from the city.

Families, influencers, food writers. They packed the place from end to end.

Kids were out in the U-Pick section, pulling strawberries off the vine. The grill station smelled incredible. The campsite tents were already up.

Over by the pens, a group of kids shrieked with laughter as they fed the lambs.

Julian moved through the crowd like he was born for it.

He spotted me and smiled.

“Not a bad turnout.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Gideon materialized at my side, his jaw tight.

“Why is he here?”

“He’s my business partner. Of course he’s here.”

Gideon stared after Julian, his wolf ears bristling.

[The ML is jealous AGAIN Imao. This man is a walking red flag.]

[It’s literally her grand opening. Can the ML please smile for ONCE??]