Fated - Forever #2 (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 2 - Part 2

Blake

I was numb. I couldn't believe that Keri had betrayed us, betrayed me. I sat down and let my head fall into my hands.

When I'd initially found out that Keri had helped Curtis kidnap Scar, I'd been shocked. To me she had just been an innocent human I'd formed a connection with. I'd cared about her, too damn much. Even though I'd thought she was human, she had meant something to me. With everything that had been happening I'd been worried about her welfare so I'd ordered one of my pack members to watch over her.

I stood up and began pacing as I processed my thoughts.

It was only when I saw her for the first time after Cade had brought Scarlett safely back that I'd realized the extent of her betrayal. Her distinctive werewolf scent had been unmistakable and then the realization set in that not only had she somehow been able to mask her werewolf traits from us, she was also a member of Victor's pack. That knowledge had made me sick.

When her guilty blue eyes had held mine, I'd tried to hide my devastation from the watchful eyes around us. My mind raced through all the thoughts that began to form in my mind. It was the vague comment made by someone that had told me that sometimes you would gravitate to your mate without knowing they were your destined other half. It meant that you could feel something for them before you actually touched.

The dread had risen up in me.

"Lift your shirt," I'd ordered her softly. Everyone around us had ceased to exist as I'd waited for her to follow my command.

Either way it would have hurt. But if she hadn't been my mate it might have been easier to cope with.

Her gaze had fallen to the floor as her fingers had reached for the hem of her shirt and she had lifted the material slowly. The breath in my lungs had felt trapped as I'd taken in the small birthmark shaped like a half moon on her hip. I knew the shape well, it was the exact same as mine. She was my mate and I felt my heart crumble.

My jaw had tightened as I tried to hold my emotions in check. It had hurt so damn much but I didn't want anyone to see how devastated I was, including her.

I had raised my eyes to hers. The hopeful look she'd had seconds before had vanished.

When werewolves discovered their mates it was supposed to be the happiest event in their lives. Meeting your mate was like two halves coming together for a complete unit. But standing there, facing her for the first time knowing who she was to me was the worst moment I'd ever lived through.

I would never be complete.

She hadn't just deceived me, she'd betrayed the people I loved as well. I gave her one last look of disgust and revulsion before I turned around and walked away. It had been the hardest thing I'd ever done.

I had walked back into the house and I just kept walking until I had faced the large gates at the end of Cade's property. I had needed to get away.

Open the gates, I ordered the guards through the mind-link.

They had opened the gates without questioning me. I had shifted into my wolf and ran into the forest. I kept running with the trees blurred as I ran as fast as I could. It was like I was trying to outrun the heartache and loss that I'd felt at Keri's betrayal.

Eventually I ran until my lungs burned and my legs ached. I stopped and shifted back into my human form. I had stumbled forward. Exhausted, I had sat down on the grass and leaned against a tree. There was no way to outrun the emotions that were flooding me from the inside and I had no idea how to deal with it.