Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Seth
It’s been two weeks of pure hell.
I grab a couple bottles of whiskey from my personal stash and hunt down Leon. I find him in the training yards, overseeing the evening drills. When he sees my face—and the liquor—his expression doesn’t change.
“I need a drinking buddy,” I say without preamble, holding up a bottle in each hand.
Leon glances at the sun sinking toward the horizon, then back at me. We’ve done this enough times that he knows the routine. “Give me half an hour to finish up here.”
I nod and lean against the fence, watching him put the soldiers through their paces.
A female soldier with auburn hair moves through the formations, and my hand tightens around one of the bottles before I force myself to look away.
My wolf whines, fidgety and confused, but I shove the feelings down.
The half hour drags on like an eternity, but Leon finally dismisses the troops and wipes the sweat from his brow. “Alright. Let’s go. Should we grab Lucian?”
“Not tonight.” I sound sharper than I should.
Leon studies my face for a moment, then nods without pressing. He falls into step beside me as I head toward the palace gardens. “Our usual place, then?”
“No.” I shake my head, gripping the bottles tighter. “Not the bar.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to talk to people.” The words come out harsh, jagged. “I don’t want women approaching me. I just want to drink in peace.”
Leon’s expression shifts slightly—a flicker of concern that he quickly masks. “Lead the way.”
The palace gardens at night are ideal. Dark enough to hide in, secluded enough that no one will bother us. I find a bench tucked behind a row of hedges, away from the main paths, and collapse onto it. I hand Leon one of the whiskeys and crack open the other.
“To whatever’s got you looking like death,” Leon says, raising his bottle.
Not bothering to toast him back, I take a long pull straight from the bottle, letting the burn scorch down my throat.
Leon has a drink, too, more measured than mine, and settles back against the bench. “You gonna tell me what this is about?”
“Nothing.”
“Right. Nothing.” His voice is dry, and he takes another sip. “That’s why you’re dragging me out here to drink in the dark instead of at our customary spot.”
I take another long swig instead of answering.
The alcohol sits heavy in my stomach but does nothing to ease the constant ache in my chest. My wolf paces restlessly, whimpering at intervals, and it’s driving me insane.
I don’t understand this feeling of wrongness that’s been crawling under my skin for two weeks.
“Seth—”
“Just sit with me,” I mutter, staring at nothing. “Please.”
He goes quiet, and we sit there in the darkness. The only sounds are the distant fountain, my own harsh breathing between drinks, and the occasional clink of Leon’s bottle. My wolf won’t settle; he keeps clawing at me with something that feels like panic, but I don’t know why.
Leon watches me in that patient way of his, taking steady drinks from his bottle while waiting for me to break. He’s good at that—outlasting people’s stubbornness with sheer, calm persistence. We’ve been drinking together since we were teenagers; he knows when to push me and when to wait.
“Isn’t that Selene?” Leon’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
My head jerks up so fast I nearly drop the damn bottle. And there she is, standing in the lamplight at the edge of the garden path, auburn hair catching the glow. She has a soft smile on her face.
Zane stands close—too close—one hand cupping her cheek tenderly. Like she belongs to him. My wolf snarls, clawing at my ribs, but I force myself to stay rooted to this bench, hidden in the shadows.
I watch as he leans in. Watch as his lips brush hers in a kiss that’s gentle and lingering. Watch as she melts into it like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
My hand tightens around the bottle until I fear I’m going to break it.
“Seth.” Leon sets his whiskey down, his voice sharp now. “What the hell is going on?”
I can’t look away. Can’t tear my eyes from Zane as he steps back, murmuring something to her before he turns and walks away.
Selene stands there watching his retreating form, a dazed, happy expression on her face as she touches her lips.
Like he just gave her some treasured thing instead of taking what should be mine.
The mate bond roars in my chest—angry, possessive, demanding I move. But my body won’t obey.
“Seth.” Leon grabs my shoulder, trying to get me to look at him. “Isn’t Selene your fated mate?”
I watch as she finally turns and walks away, disappearing into the gardens. Only then do I look at Leon. His dark eyes are sharp despite the alcohol we’ve both been drinking. My jaw is so tight it hurts.
Leon’s gaze turns sharper, more focused. “I’ve seen her with Zane these past two weeks.” His voice drops. “What’s happening here? Did you reject her?”
The silence stretches between us. I take another long drink, but the burn doesn’t help.
“Seth,” Leon presses, his expression troubled now. “Answer me.”
“Selene and Zane are fated mates.” The words taste like acid on my tongue.
Leon’s eyes widen slightly, shock crossing his usually stoic features. “What are you saying?”
“You heard me.” I lift the bottle to my lips again.
“That’s not—” He stops, shaking his head like he’s trying to clear it. “That’s not possible.”
“After she rescued Zane from the forest, I noticed something was off about her behavior.” The words are spilling out now that I’ve started. “She stopped having any reaction to me. Nothing. No pull. No recognition. It’s as if the bond simply vanished on her end.”
“And Zane?” Leon’s voice is careful now, like he’s trying to figure out a riddle.
“Claims he feels the mate bond toward her.” My grip tightens on the bottle once more. “And Selene says she feels it toward him now. Not me.”
Leon stares at me, his lips pursed as he struggles to find words. Finally: “So, you don’t feel the bond toward her, either?”
I scoff, sounding pained as I press my fist against my chest where it burns like a brand. “No. I still feel it.”
Leon doesn’t respond immediately, just sitting there and thinking. Eventually, he murmurs, “That’s not possible, Seth. Mate bonds don’t work like that. Nobody gets two fated mates. And the bond can’t just…transfer like this.”
“Well, it happened,” I bite out, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees.
Leon smacks the back of my head—not as hard as Marina, but sharp enough to get my attention.
“Get it together, you idiot.” He takes a long drink from his bottle, then fixes me with a hard stare.
“As an outsider, I can see there’s something weird about this whole situation.
I’m telling you, nobody gets two fated mates. ”
I want to argue, to tell him he’s wrong, that he doesn’t understand. But the certainty in his voice makes me pause.
“Think about it,” Leon continues, sounding more sober now even though we both keep drinking.
“If it were possible, we would know about it. It would have been mentioned at some point. These connections simply don’t work like that.
Selene and Zane are both wrong. Whatever they’re feeling, it’s not the fated mate bond. ”
When he lays it out like that, it does sound suspicious. But…
“What reason would they have to lie?” I ask, looking back toward where she stood just moments ago. “If Zane wants her, he could simply pursue her, and Selene”—I hesitate for a moment—“Selene and I have nothing between us aside from the bond that she knows I don’t want.”
“There may be another reason. Selene stands to gain nothing from associating with Zane, unless she likes power—and if she wanted power, she would have accepted the titles and lands that Lucian offered both her and Daciana.” Leon’s voice is hard now.
“So, it has to be Zane. He wants something from her.”
My wolf paces restlessly, worried now. “What could he want from her? She’s a healer, and not a very powerful one at that. She’s got nothing to offer.”
Leon watches me incredulously. “Is that what you think of your fated mate, Seth? Is that why you don’t want her? Because you think she has nothing valuable to offer?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
He continues, his voice turning harsh. “By that reasoning, Lucian never should have mated Astra.”
I cringe. “It’s not like that. The women in my family are strong, independent—”
“Because they had backing of their families. Because they grew up with privilege. What is it you want from a mate, Seth? You want her to be powerful? Wealthy? What?”
I shake my head slowly, sighing. “I don’t know.”
My friend looks at me in disgust. “Then maybe you should figure it out. But I will tell you one thing. Selene is brave, and she’s kind.
She works more than the other healers. She volunteers her services in parts of the capital that other royal healers refuse to set foot in.
She’s got a gentle spirit, and she’s humble.
Anyone would be attracted to all of that.
She’ll be the kind of mate who will fill a man’s home with warmth and love.
Maybe that’s what Zane sees in her. I would gladly take a mate like her. But you…You’re just ungrateful.”
I flinch at his words. I’ve tried my best to stay away from Selene, so I didn’t know any of this about her.
I stare at the empty path where she disappeared, my mind churning. What else don’t I know? All these months, I’ve been so focused on keeping my distance, on convincing myself she wasn’t worthy, that I never bothered to actually see her.
I shake my head sharply, banishing the thought. “Even if Zane noticed all that, even if he did want her—he could have just approached her normally. Courted her. Why this elaborate lie about a fated mate bond?”