Page 110 of Claim Me

But I can’t.

Because I don’t want to reject my mate.

I… I deserve this—her dislike and rejection. I’ve approached this all wrong. Approachedherall wrong.

She needs someone she can rely on. Someone she can openly confide in. Not someone she feels compelled toobey.

I drag my palm down my face, my surroundings suddenly out of balance.

Everything feels broken. Wrong.Devastating.

I go to stand, only Fallon’s hand on my shoulder holds me back. “Kaspian.” There’s a bite to her tone that has me looking at her, my heart in shambles at her feet.

She hates me.

As she should.

I suddenly feel weak in her hands—a feeling I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced.

No, not weak,I realize.Vulnerable.

“It’s…” Her gaze searches mine. “It’s real…”

My throat feels tight, so I nod rather than speak.

“I…” She stares at me. “You need to… to reject me back.”

I shake my head and force myself to say, “No. You don’t deserve my rejection.” I palm her cheek. “But I have very much earned yours.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“I’ve second-guessed you. Demanded your secrets. Doubted the fated link between us.” Each statement feels like an arrow through my heart. “I’ve treated you as a prisoner, not a mate, Fallon.”

“Because I put your city to sleep,” she snaps at me, her tone causing my eyebrows to lift in surprise. “I mean, not me exactly, but Klas usingmypower. You have had every right to question me and second-guess me. And I have been keeping secrets. Obviously.”

The Fallon I know seems to be coming back to life before me, her despair and sadness disappearing behind an alluring veil of fiery feminine energy.

How blind I’ve been,I marvel, staring at the beautiful creature pulsating with growing anger.It’s no wonder I interrogated her myself each time. Iwantedto talk to her, to know her.

She’s the reason I haven’t sought out female company for over a year. I thought it was a result of boredom, or my fascination with the phantoms, but I see the truth now.

It’s always been about her.

I would ask Nox and Bane for an update on her well-being each time before we’d end up playing in bed in some capacity. But there was a reason just talking about Fallon made me hungry.

A reason I’ve been denying for far too long.

She was meant to be mine.

But I’ve treated her so poorly, sowrongly. I should have been cherishing her and making her feel safe. Instead, I chased her away.

I’m a horrible mate.

“I doubted the bonds, too,” she says, drawing my focus to her delectable mouth. “I… I hoped they were real. But I didn’t think fate would give me this opportunity. And I assumed dark magic tied us together. That’s why I was able to reject you so easily—I didn’t think it would do anything.”

I draw my thumb across her cheekbone, reveling in the soft texture of her skin. “Fate owes you several worthy mates. Especially after everything you’ve been through.”

“I still think magic has something to do with it.” She leans into my touch. “This is all too good to be true, Kaspian. Four mates? In what world does that happen?”