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Chapter 10

I stepped out of his bathroom dressed and freshly showered. Dan sat on the end of his bed. I noticed his fresh change of clothes. He locked eyes with me as soon as I opened the door.

I stood there, letting his eyes search mine. He was looking for something and I wasn’t sure what it was. The hot water had erased the burn from my muscles. Now they only ached.

“The woman he was with tonight. Is that the one he chose over you?”

Dan’s voice was rough as he spoke. A lot of other people wouldn’t bring it up. They would wait for me to mention it first. But Dan knew me, and he knew that if he didn’t push me to open up, I wouldn’t. I had told him the foundations. Now he would push me to tell him the rest.

“Yes.” My voice was dull as I walked to the couch and sat, crossing my legs under me, letting my eyes float back to his. “She’s human.”

I let out a soft sigh and continued to explain. “He already has a family. Those two children that were with them are his. Well, theirs.” I shook my head. It hit me harder saying it out loud. “He loves her. He wants a human over me. How twisted is that?”

Dan’s expression remained blank as he watched me. He knew I was strong person. I didn’t put my emotions out on display.

“So he denied you then?” Dan pressed for more information. But he already knew Xavier denied me. That little was no secret to anyone. Everyone knew my mate had denied me. They just didn’t know why or who it was.

“Yes, on my birthday.” I shook my head as I remembered the pain. “I didn’t know why though. I only found that out recently.”

“Who knows?” Dan asked and arched both eyebrows “About him? Who else knows?”

“My parents, Chad and the elders. That’s it. The elders and dad thought it in my best interest and Xavier’s to keep it secret.”

Dan looked glumly at me for a moment. He saw the pain that flashed through my eyes as I mentioned his name.

“So you guys would be in the middle of the separation?” His lips twisted up slightly and his face was full of pity. My reaction caught him off guard.

“No.” I shook my head and curled my fingers into fists. “We were meant to, but he changed his mind, and I fought it for so long.”

“What do you mean?” Dan frowned at me and pushed himself up from the edge of the bed and came to sit next to me on the couch. “So he wants you then?”

“No.” My voice cracked and I knew the tears weren’t far off. “He doesn’t know what he wants. He loves her, but he doesn’t want me to separate from him either.”

“So he wants you to just wait for him to make his mind up?” I heard Dan’s disgust.

“Yes. He wants her, but he wants me too.”

“He can’t drag you along like that!” Dan spat. “What sort of man puts his mate through that kind of rejection and pain?”

I shrugged my shoulders and let my eyes drift to my lap as I unclenched my hands. “I think he wants me to wait in the corner, until he can’t have her anymore.”

“Oh, Chloe.” Dan’s voice was full of pity and his large hand gently reached out for mine.

“I am trying to move on from him. I am trying to go through with the separation. Like he wanted before, that I fought him on. Now that I’ve realized we had to do it, that I have to let him go, he won’t let me.”

Dan wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer into his side. “So you are stuck in limbo,” he muttered dryly.

“He doesn’t want me, but doesn’t not want me,” I spoke into his chest. “And every time I see him with her or I’m near him, it hurts.”

Dan rubbed his hand up and down my arm. I let my head fall onto his shoulder, my wet hair sinking into his shirt. My grip on his hand tightened as I held onto him for dear life. I felt like I was about to crumble into pieces and he was the only one holding me together.

“What do your parents think?” he said softly. “What do they suggest you do?”

“I haven’t told them about his decision not to separate,” I muttered. “But my mom is encouraging me to see humans.”

“So that’s why you are seeing that human guy,” Dan said softly.

“Yeah, Cole’s a great guy though,” I said. “But it doesn’t help when I take one step away from Xavier and he pulls me back two.”