Love's Cruel Fate
1889 Words
Jade Nightshade
"You can’t stay in bed forever, Jade."
"I can," I muttered, pulling the blanket tighter around me and turning my back to her. "I’m the Alpha’s daughter. I can decide to do nothing forever if I want."
My mother sighed, a sound full of sympathy and frustration. It made me hate myself—no, it made me hate him more. “You can’t keep hiding like this. If you’re going to avoid everything, you might as well go stay with your grandmother for a while.”
“No.” I sat up suddenly, my voice sharp. “Why should I run away? I’m the victim here. I’m the one who got betrayed! It’s Rowon who should be hiding his face in shame, not me.”
My mother crossed her arms, looking at me with that familiar piercing gaze. “But you are hiding, Jade. You haven’t stepped out of your room in days. You’re wasting away here.”
“I’ll stay here forever if I have to,” I shot back, glaring at the door. I couldn’t deal with the world outside—not yet.
“This is pissing your father off, you know,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “He won’t tolerate you being locked up like this much longer.”
Before I could respond, a knock sounded on the door. A warrior stepped inside, bowing slightly. “Your father requests your presence urgently, Jade.”
My mother smiled knowingly. “Speaking of the devil.”
I groaned, flinging the blanket off and swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. “Of course. Now I have to face him.”
There was no way I could ignore my father’s command; he was the Alpha, for moon’s sake.
I reluctantly freshened up, quickly throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt on my tired body while silently praying that I wouldn’t run into Rowon. I didn’t have anything to say to him—there was nothing left between us, and seeing his face was the last thing I wanted. He was still the Beta, after all. He had responsibilities in the pack house, but I didn’t want him anywhere near me.
As I stepped out of the house and headed toward the pack building where my father’s office was located, the air felt heavier, like it was pressing down on me. Each step felt like a battle with myself, forcing me to keep going. I rounded the corner and walked down the hall toward my father’s office, trying not to let the anxiety take over.
Suddenly, a strong cold hand gripped my arm from behind, and before I could scream, another hand clamped over my mouth, dragging me into a nearby room.
My heart raced, panic surging through me, but not from fear of being attacked or worst killed, but from the familiar scent that hit me.
I knew who it was. The last person I wanted to see, but I didn’t want to believe it. Not him.
I was pulled into the pack’s library, and when I was finally released and spun around, there he stood—Rowon. His eyes were pleading, filled with guilt and desperation. His presence felt like a dagger in my chest, twisting deeper with every second.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed, stepping back in fury.
“Jade, please,” he said softly, his voice raw. “I need to talk to you.”
I stared at him, unable to comprehend the nerve it took for him to even touch me, let alone drag me into this room. “You need to talk to me?” My voice dripped with venom. “You’ve got some nerve, Rowon. After everything you did, you dare put your hands on me?”
His face crumpled, but I wasn’t going to let his guilt soften me.
“Please, Jade. I’m sorry. I just... I didn’t know how else to get you to listen.” His voice cracked, but I didn’t care.
“Listen?” I barked, my eyes narrowing. “To what? More lies? More excuses? I’ve heard enough, Rowon.” My chest tightened as I remembered all the promises, all the moments we had shared, and the dangerous oath we took. And how it had all crumbled. “You betrayed me. You got another woman pregnant, and now you want to talk?”
He stepped closer, his hand twitching as if he wanted to reach for me again, but he held back. “I never meant for any of this to happen. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“Wasn’t it?” I spat, crossing my arms, refusing to give him an inch. “So what was it supposed to be, Rowon? Us together, living some lie while you father a child with your mate behind my back?”
He flinched at my words, guilt flooding his expression. But I wasn’t done.
“You used me, didn’t you? Was I just a convenient stepping stone for you to become Alpha? A placeholder until your real mate showed up?”
His jaw clenched, his eyes filled with regret. “No, Jade, it wasn’t like that. I—”
“Save it,” I snapped, cutting him off. My voice broke as I fought back the tears. “I don’t want to hear it. I don't want to hear more of your lies. You keep denying everything to my face.”
We both stood there, breathing unevenly, the silence heavy with unsaid words.
Rowon's face was etched with guilt, as if the weight of his confession was physically pulling him down. He looked at me as though he wanted to say something more.
“It’s true, Jade. Kassandra… she’s my fated mate.” He finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly.
I felt my breath hitch, but I didn’t respond, waiting for him to say more, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it.
He swallowed hard, his eyes pleading. “The night of the mating ceremony, I... I couldn’t resist the bond. I didn’t want it to happen, but it did.” His voice cracked, and he looked away, shame flooding his face. “I slept with her.”
I blinked, wishing he would have denied it, and all I could feel was a dull, throbbing ache in my chest. "You did sleep with her," I muttered, as if saying the words aloud would somehow make them less real.
He nodded, his face twisting in pain. “Jade, it’s not my fault. Kassandra is my mate; I didn’t choose this.”
I clenched my fists, trying to hold back the tidal wave of emotion rising inside me. “Not your fault?” I spat, my voice shaking. “You made promises to me, Rowon. You chose me. But now you’re telling me you couldn’t resist?”
He stepped forward, desperation clear in his eyes. “You don’t understand—you’ve never felt the mate bond. It’s impossible to resist. It pulls at you; it consumes you. I didn’t want to betray you, Jade. I didn’t want to lose you.”
I stared at him, my heart splintering with every word he spoke. “But you did betray me, Rowon. And you expect me to just accept that? To just... understand?” I could hear the bitterness in my own voice, the disbelief. “I thought what we had was stronger than any bond. But clearly, I was wrong.”
He looked at me, his eyes glistening. “Jade, I can’t reject Kassandra. If I do, she’ll die… and so will I.”
I would have let out a loud laugh if my world wasn't collapsing all over again.
“So that’s it, then?” I whispered, my voice hollow. “You’re bound to her. Forever. And I was just… what? A placeholder until fate decided to show up?”
Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn’t let him see me break. Not now. Not after everything.
Rowon’s face twisted in anguish. “I never saw you that way, Jade. You mean everything to me. But the mate bond... it’s something neither of us can control.”
I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh even to my own ears. “I should’ve listened, shouldn’t I? To all those people who warned me that no matter what promises we made, fate was stronger. I was so naive to think that what we had could beat something like the mate bond.”
“Jade, please,” he pleaded, taking another step closer, his hand reaching out as if to touch me.
I backed away, my heart shattering with every breath I took. “Don’t. Don’t touch me.”
His hand dropped to his side, his face crumpling in despair. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You already have,” I whispered, my voice breaking. I turned away from him, feeling the tears I’d fought so hard to hold back finally spill over.
“Jade, wait!” He stepped closer, but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.
“Please, listen to me,” he mumbled. “My soul... it may be bound to Kassandra now, but my heart? My heart will always be with you.”
I froze in place, his words hitting me harder than I expected. Slowly, I turned to face him, the tears in my eyes blurring his face. “Your heart?” I repeated in a pain-filled voice. “How can you say that after everything? After you broke every promise we made?”
He swallowed hard. “Because it’s true. I never wanted this. I never wanted her. I wanted you—us—but fate... it’s cruel, Jade. I can’t control what the bond does to my soul, but my heart... it’s always been yours. It still is.”
Another bitter laugh escaped me, but there was no humour in it. “Your heart? What good is your heart now, Rowon? It doesn’t change anything. It would never erase what you did.”
He ran a hand through his hair, looking more torn than I had ever seen him. “I know. I know I hurt you, but please believe me when I say I love you. I never stopped.”
I shook my head as more tears spilt over. “Love?” My voice broke. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have done this. You wouldn’t have betrayed me.”
Rowon took a step toward me, but I backed away, keeping the distance between us. His eyes were filled with pain, but I would never let that sway me.
“I wish I could change it, Jade. I wish I could take it all back, but I can’t,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You already did,” I replied coldly, the words like shards of glass in my throat. “Your heart might be with me, but your soul... your soul belongs to her now. And that’s something I’ll never be able to compete with.”
With that, I turned and walked away, leaving Rowon standing there, torn between the bond that held him and the love that had shattered us both.
- Writer
