Nicholas’s POV
I let Celeste kiss me, but my enthusiasm was lacking. Her lips moved over mine in that throaty, demanding way she always kissed me, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus.
We had just had sex, yet the satisfaction I expected never came. Normally, I would be lost in the post-pleasure haze, feeling satisfied, content,even if only for a while.
But tonight? I felt nothing. Not even the faintest shred of the usual relief.
Celeste deepened the kiss, her nails scraping lightly against my chest, but my body remained unresponsive. My mind was elsewhere, lost in the lingering memories of last night.
Danica.
My jaw clenched. I had thought sleeping with Celeste would erase her from my thoughts, but it had done the opposite.
It’s worse.
I could still feel Danica’s lips on mine, hot, needy, perfect. My fingers twitched at the memory of how her body had felt beneath mine, how she had fit against me so naturally.
I knew it had been the alcohol that led us there. But was it? Had it really just been that? Because right now, with Celeste naked in my bed, I felt nothing but an overwhelming need to relive last night with Danica.
Celeste finally pulled back, a frown tugging at her lips. “Nicholas, what’s wrong?”
I exhaled sharply. “You can leave,” I said, not bothering to soften my tone. “I have something important to attend to.”
She studied me, her sharp brown eyes narrowing slightly. Celeste wasn’t a fool. She knew when I was serious.
We had started off as nothing more than sexmates, no strings, no emotions. But then my father found out about us. He had taken it upon himself to suggest speaking to Celeste’s father about making our arrangement more official.
I had shut that down immediately.
I had no interest in making Celeste my Luna. Hell, I had no interest in having a Luna at all.
Celeste knew that. Which was why she didn’t argue. She simply slipped out of my bed, dressed swiftly, and left my room without another word.
The moment the door clicked shut behind her, I exhaled, running a hand through my hair.
My thoughts were chaos.
I didn’t recognize Danica at first last night. But after remembering Leah, the girl she was always with, the memories came flooding back.
I barely had time to process what the hell I was supposed to do with all the images of our naked body entwined before a sharp knock echoed against my door.
I frowned. Celeste couldn’t have returned already.
“Who is it?” I called out, my voice harsher than necessary.
“It’s me,” a familiar voice answered. “Leah.”
I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face before responding. “Come in.”
The door swung open, and Leah entered. Unlike most pack members who approached me with cautious reverence, Leah walked in boldly. She bowed slightly, just enough to acknowledge my rank, but the fire in her eyes told me she wasn’t here to play submissive.
Leah wasn’t just any pack member. She was one of the best cooks in the pack, yes, but more importantly, she was Danica’s closest friend. The two were practically inseparable, except when duty called them apart.
Which meant if Leah was here now, something had happened.
“What is it?” I asked, my tone sharper than intended.
Leah lifted her chin. “It’s about Danica.”
My stomach tightened. “What about her?”
“She collapsed,” Leah said, her voice clipped. “She’s at the pack’s clinic right now.”
I froze.
For the first time in a long time, pure, undiluted guilt surged through me. I didn’t need to ask why Danica had collapsed.
I already knew it was the bond.
I had tried to break it, by sleeping with Celeste, by pushing Danica away and now she was suffering because of it.
Leah took a step closer, her gaze filled with accusation. “Do you know what caused it, Alpha?”
I swallowed hard. “I have a guess.”
Her eyes blazed. “Then you also know what you need to do.”
I didn’t respond.
Leah clenched her fists. “You have two choices, Alpha. Either accept Danica as your mate… or reject her.”
The words hit me like a blow.
I stared at Leah, my mind racing.
Accept her? Make her my Luna?
The idea made something deep inside me stir, something that felt too much like acceptance. Too much like want.
But I couldn’t afford that.
Danica didn’t want a mate. She had made that clear long before this bond had revealed itself.
And I? I didn’t either.
I had spent my whole life knowing what was expected of me. Knowing that one day, I would have to take a Luna, rule beside her, lead the pack together.
I had never wanted that.
Leah’s voice was sharp as she pressed, “You need to choose, Alpha. Danica’s life depends on it.”
I looked away. My jaw clenched. My fingers curled into fists. And then, I made my decision. The words came out quieter than I expected. I ignored the way my chest tightened. I ignored the way my stomach twisted. This was the right choice.
“I, Alpha Nicholas,” I muttered, each word dragging like lead from my lips, “reject Danica William as my mate.”
Leah inhaled sharply, eyes widening in shock.