Page 4 of Lycan Prey (Little Secrets Duet #1)

· Aubrey ·

I take in the sight of Rhett at his desk, not alone but with a woman on his lap. Her blonde hair cascades down her back, her red dress bunched up in a way that leaves nothing to the imagination. Her flushed face and intimate posture with Rhett shatters any illusions I still hold.

A faint blush tints Bianca’s cheeks, and I can see her hand resting on Rhett’s shoulder, her fingers playing with his hair as she bounces up and down on his lap with a look of euphoria on her face.

I have sacrificed everything for this man, chose him over my family, and uprooted my entire life to be here with him.

Is this how he repays me? I stand frozen, unable to tear my eyes away from the scene.

Those jagged shards splinter and pierce through the bond, mutilating it and destroying everything.

I had been so enamored by the fairy tale of finding a mate.

Dazzled by the allure of shimmering promises and the warm, electric thrum of the mate’s bond, its warm and tingly feelings.

The fairy tale was that he would love me in a way no one else could.

What a harsh way to learn; not all that glitters is gold.

No one ever warned me about the dark side of a mate’s bond, the heartache, and the devastation that can come with it, too.

Mates are painted as sacred, bound by love, and destined to be together for eternity.

They never told me about the gut- wrenching pain of betrayal.

No one ever talks about how bad this can hurt.

Everything starts to make sense. For the last few weeks, I’ve felt sick, the spontaneous cramps. Rhett kept telling me I had a bug or something is wrong with me. Now, the pain makes sense. It isn’t that at all; it is the scorching betrayal of his infidelity and his brutalizing of our bond.

She moans, his hand moving to cover her mouth as he moves quickly, shoving her into his desk.

Rhett’s gaze finds mine as the documents symbolizing our future slip from my fingers, scattering like the shattered pieces of my heart. I try to speak, to demand an explanation. No words come out. My throat is tight, and hot tears fill my eyes.

“Aubrey, what are you doing here?” His tone is dismissive and laced with irritation.

His eyes flicker with annoyance as if my presence is nothing more than an inconvenience to him. Bianca quickly pulls her dress down and sits on the edge of his desk.

“Wh-what, do you mean? You invited me,” I stammer, the words tumbling from my lips as I struggle to make sense of the situation.

I want to yell, to scream, to attack him, however all I can do is just stand here, the events before me still registering in my brain.

I step back, shaking my head in disbelief.

How could he do this? The man who promised to love me forever and be faithful has betrayed me in the worst way possible.

“Did I?” he smirks, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise. “I don’t recall sending you any messages.”

My gaze darts between him and Bianca, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. It feels like they’re all in on some sick joke, and I’m the butt of it. “You sent me a message asking me to meet you here for lunch,” I say, my voice cracking.

Rhett’s gaze narrows, and his face hardens.

“I didn’t send you any messages,” he states flatly.

Rhett’s denial hits me like a punch to the gut, and my world seems to spiral even further out of control.

I turn to Bianca, searching for any kind of confirmation or explanation.

She just shrugs, a smug smile on her face, and I know she’s behind it.

Tears well up in my eyes as I fumble to retrieve my phone, showing him the message. “But… I received this from your number,” I stammer.

Rhett takes a step closer, snatching my phone and smashing it on the floor, his voice dripping with condescension. “Aubrey, you’re so desperate to see me you’d make up lies just to come to my office?” he mocks in his efforts to humiliate me.

Anger surges within me as I struggle to hold back tears. “I thought… You wanted to talk; maybe you wanted to make things right after last night.” My voice quivers in pain.

Rhett’s eyes remain cold and unyielding. “I told you after the incident last week you’re not allowed at my office.”

“Please, Rhett, tell me this is just some sick joke.”

“Joke?” His laughter cuts through me like a knife, sharp and chilling. “You really are pathetic, Aubrey.”

My chest constricts and I can’t help clinging to the last shred of hope that he might still care. “We’re meant to be together,” I whisper, my voice barely audible amidst the crumbling world around me. “We’re mates.”

“Is that what you think?” he sneers, his cold eyes boring into mine. “Did you believe our bond guarantees your happiness? You’ve always been so naive.”

The statement is like a punch to the gut, and the last shreds of hope slip away, replaced by a cold, numbing emptiness. The mate bond that once connected us frays, unraveling with each cruel word he utters.

My humiliation deepens, so I refuse to back down. “Well, clearly, my assumptions about you and Bianca were correct.”

Rhett does up his pants, and my gaze moves to Bianca to see the smug look on her face.

His lips twist into a cruel, mocking smile, and it takes every ounce of strength I have not to crumble beneath the weight of his disdain.

“You were always a hopeless romantic, Aubrey. So desperate to believe in fairy tales and happy endings. The wedding is off,” he states flatly, adding another dagger to the heart.

“You think?” I state, finally able to reflect some anger in my tone.

No matter how much I want to be one of those who can lift her chin and walk away, it’s not that simple, not when mate bonds come into play. However, I can’t contain my pain any longer.

“How could you betray me like this? I’m your mate,” I growl, tears streaming down my face. I deserve answers. Rhett’s response is as cruel as it is heartless.

“What did you expect, Aubrey? You’re a prude. Did you think I’d remain faithful until our wedding day when you have given me nothing in the six months we’ve been together?”

Wow, he’s going to use my virginity against me, something I was saving for him?

He is my mate; I had guarded it for him, stayed pure so that the first touches of pleasure I felt from anyone would come from my mate.

The one who I would spend the rest of my life loving.

Well, I’m glad I didn’t waste it on this fool.

“Don’t act so shocked, Aubrey; it’s your fault,” he tells me. “Do you understand anything about how the world works?”

Because that makes complete sense, yep, it’s definitely my fault. I shoved him, causing him to trip and fall into her cock holster!

Rhett laughs and shakes his head, buttoning his shirt, while Bianca doesn’t even bother to cover her state of undress, instead flaunting it proudly.

Rhett turns toward his desk. He grabs a piece of paper and holds it in the air.

“It now makes sense why you wanted me to terminate her employment. Though, I’m glad you came; it saves me having to send out people to retrieve you. ”

I stare at him, confused.

“Someone has been stealing from the company account,” he states, and my gaze shifts to Bianca, who has her arms folded over her chest, a sly smile on her face.

“Did you really think you could get away with it?” Rhett demands, drawing my attention back to him.

“What?” I stammer, my confusion growing.

“Don’t play dumb, Aubrey. We have proof it was you,” Bianca sneers, her tone mocking.

I turn my attention back to Rhett. “Wait, you think it was me? Why would I steal from my mate? That makes no sense!”

Rhett scoffs, his expression cold and unyielding. He tosses a stack of papers onto the coffee table in front of me, revealing an online gambling account in my name.

“Explain this, then.”

My lips part and I instantly return to how everyone stared as I entered the building. Does the entire pack believe I’m some criminal? Tears continue to stream down my face as I stare at the damning evidence and shake my head.

“I didn’t do this, Rhett. It’s probably your whore. She’s framing me!” I yell at him, my voice cracking with desperation.

Rhett’s face contorts with anger, and a growl rips from him so loud it makes me jump and peer up from the papers in time to see his hand. It connects with the side of my face, the force of the slap making me stumble back, only for him to grip my hair.

“Don’t you dare speak about your future, Luna, like that!” he snarls, shoving me backward.

I hold my stinging cheek, unable to comprehend the betrayal and cruelty from the one man who’s supposed to be my mate.

“The wedding is off,” Rhett repeats, his tone icy. “You should be grateful I’m not locking you up.”

“Locking me up? I did nothing wrong!” I scream at him before pointing a finger at Bianca; the conniving cow smirks, and I know she is behind it, too smug for her own good.

“This is all her. Are you seriously that blind?” I reply.

Rhett folds his arms across his chest. “The only thing I was blinded by was the mate bond. Bianca made me see the truth when we found your name on all the checks you wrote yourself!”

I shake my head; this can’t be happening. This is a nightmare, an absolute nightmare. Any minute, I will wake up and learn it’s all just a dream. My future is slipping away from me like sand in an hourglass.

My vision blurs from the tears. I can still see Bianca’s triumph, though.

Rhett continues, his voice full of disdain, “The money you stole was owed to a very important business partner. But don’t worry. I’ve struck a deal. Tomorrow, you’ll be sold to the man you stole from for the next five years.”

“Excuse me?”