Page 34 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

34

KAYLEIGH

S omething wet and cold is pressed against my forehead.

I attempt to open my eyes, but I’m weaker than I realise.

“She’s coming around,” I hear someone say quietly.

A grunt falls from the back of my throat as I shift on my back.

“Hey.” Kayden’s voice is low and soft.

My eyes crack open slowly, and I blink to defend myself from the blinding ceiling light. Kayden’s head moves in the way and removes the damp cloth from my head. He’s not wearing a T-shirt, just a pair of boxers.

What the hell is going on?

“How are you feeling? I didn’t mean to scare you.” Kayden’s fingers trail down my cheek.

I stare back into his eyes to find guilt covering his face. My eyes widen a fraction as I remember.

The wolf.

Kayden shifted into a fucking wolf .

I press a hand to my head again, desperate to stay conscious. This cannot be happening. How is that even remotely possible? It’s not. This must be a dream.

“Easy.” Kayden moves forward, sensing my spiralling. “Take it easy.”

“Here.” Ava leans over as she hands Kayden a bottle of water. He smiles at her gratefully.

“Can you sit up?”

All I can do is stare at him—the man who isn’t exactly human.

My stomach rolls, and I eventually nod, my limbs numb all over.

He places one hand behind my neck and gently draws me into a sitting position. “Sip this,” he says, bringing the bottle to my lips.

The cool liquid slips down my throat and soothes my dry mouth.

“Do you feel better?” he asks, still crouched in front of me.

“I think so.”

I focus on the carpet as Ava kneels in front of me, her delicate hand wrapping around my wrist to get my attention. I look up into her sympathetic brown eyes. “I know this is a lot to take in.”

She’s right. I don’t even know what to say.

I’m waiting for someone to jump out of the cupboards with cameras and laugh, saying I’m on some stupid prank reality show. But it never comes. This might be real, after all.

“Do you have questions?” Ava’s lashes twitch as she watches me.

I laugh quietly, but it’s void of humour. “I have too many.”

“Yeah, I thought so.” She nods.

“I need to know more.” I start, flicking my eyes to Kayden. “I need to know everything.”

Ava clears her throat and looks at Jaxon, who is standing back with his arms folded over his chest. “Okay, well what do yo?—”

“You’re all wolves?” I cut over her.

They all nod.

“How?”

Ava pauses for a long moment. “I had no idea I was a wolf in school or the entire time we met each other. Then I met Jaxon, and I was brought into their life, and I shifted for the first time.”

“He turned you?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I’ve been a wolf all along, but it was suppressed because I didn't know who my parents were.”

I lick my dry lips and glance at Kayden. “And you?”

“Been a wolf my entire life,” he says simply.

“Right.” I clamp my eyes shut. “What else?”

“Jaxon is the leader of the pack. He’s our Alpha, and he deals with all the important stuff like keeping peace between other packs, the district, and our territory,” Ava continues.

My brows furrow. “You guys actually have wolf packs?”

“Yes.” Jaxon steps forward. “And every pack has a Luna. Ava is the Luna because she’s my fated mate.”

Kayden’s head snaps to him, and the expression on his face resembles annoyance. I sense tension, and I swallow back the growing lump in my throat.

“Fated mate?” I repeat.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Kayden turns his attention back to me. “When we’re alone.”

I purse my lips and blink. That doesn’t sound good.

But I’m too tired to argue. “Okay.”

For the next thirty minutes, they explain their werewolf world to me. My brain turns to mush as they explain their legacy, ancestors, and lifestyle. Kayden explains his duties as their Beta and how he helps to maintain the pack.

Kayden slips his hand in mine and cups the side of my cheek. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” I admit.

Am I okay?

Am I accepting this?

Am I going crazy?

When I manage to stand back up, Kayden takes me to his room and finally puts on some clothes as I perch on the edge of his bed. He sits beside me and brushes his thigh against mine.

“What did he mean about fated mates?”

Kayden’s eyes strain as I look at him, and my heart skips a beat.

“You know when you said Jaxon and Ava look like they’re a match made in heaven? From the way they look at each other, the way they found each other,” he says slowly.

I nod.

“Well, wolves have what we call ‘mates’,” he pauses, and the ache in my chest begins to grow before he even elaborates. “Mates are two people who have been matched together by the Moon Goddess, our version of God. They are real -life soulmates.”

Soulmates?

My heart hammers. “I don’t understand. Why and how?”

“Jaxon and Ava are mates, which means they make each other better and stronger. They are made for each other within our world.” He reaches over to take my hand, flicking his thumb across my knuckles.

“How do they know they’re mates?” I ask curiously.

Kayden sighs once. “Apparently, it’s like all your senses are heightened. Being around them feels euphoric, touching them feels like magic, and our wolves crave every inch of them. I guess it’s like two pieces of a puzzle slotting together.”

His words gradually sink in. “And you said every wolf has a mate?”

“Yes.”

“So, you–” The words don’t even come out, my eyes stinging at what I’m starting to realise. “You have a mate?”

When he doesn’t reply immediately, I force myself to look at him. The lump in my throat is now impossible to swallow. I knew this was all too good to be true. I’ve seen how Jaxon and Ava look at each other, adore each other, need each other.

How could I compete with something like that?

“Right,” I whisper, my voice wobbling. I stand up and brush my hands against my leggings. “It’s nice to know there is someone out there who is created perfectly for you, Kayden.”

“Kayleigh—” He reaches for me, but I walk across his room, desperate to put distance between us.

My eyes burn when I blink.

“So, what have I been?” I shake as his chest heaves uncontrollably. “Some fun on the side whilst you wait for her?”

His jaw tenses, and he shakes his head once. “No. Not at all.”

“Then what?” I choke, pressing a hand to my thrashing heart.

Kayden walks across the room and cups my face in his hands. His touch hurts, making my heart sore and my body ready to fall limp. “Regardless of whether I meet my mate or not, what you and I have is special. We have something between us that I know I won’t be able to find anywhere else.”

“How can you say something like that?” My expression morphs into a look of horror. “What if you change your mind?”

“I won’t,” he says instantly.

I stare at him for a long moment. “But what if yo?—”

“I won’t, Kayleigh.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I promise you, I won’t.”

I shut my eyes and let a few more tears free.

“I might never meet her, but I hope she’s out there having met someone she thinks is suited for her, exactly how I feel with you.”

I flick my gaze to him, my cheeks damp. “Don’t you want to know what it feels like?” I whisper, my voice breaking. “To experience those crazy feelings for someone? Do you ever look at Jaxon and Ava and wonder what that would be like? Because that is pure magic.”

Kayden’s face slumps. “This is pure magic. Having you with me is worth a million times more. I don’t want anything else.”

His words make my heart clench, but I can’t enjoy them.

“You make me so happy,” he carries on. “Beyond belief.”

My eyes dart down as he removes his hands from my face. I can’t take this. My head feels like a firework has been let off, and I’m about to explode.

“What can I do to prove I want to be with you?”

I shrug. “Nothing.”

We’d never know until his mate showed up, if she showed up.

Trust is a sore subject. I want to believe him, but my heart has been wounded before, and I wouldn’t survive it this time. It would tear me apart.

“Please, trust me,” he pleads. “I know what I want, and I want you. I need you.”

I slump backwards, and he reaches out for me. Those words make me want to sob my heart out until I’m nothing but a blubbering mess.

“This has taken it out of you, hasn’t it?”

My head moves once, barely able to function.

“Come on,” he whispers before taking my wrist and tugging me towards his bed. “Let’s rest. Give yourself some time to process this.”

We lie down, and I rest my head on his chest, inhaling his scent that comforts me in ways I cannot understand.

I say nothing more. I can’t.

My eyes prick with tears, but I hold them in.

I’m never going to be able to compete with what Jaxon and Ava have.

I’m never going to be good enough, yet I can’t find it in me to walk away.