Page 2

Chapter 2

Della

W hen we entered the kitchen, his parents looked at us.

“Sorry, your brother dropped his cup,” Penelope said as she narrowed her eyes on someone to my right.

I glanced at Haden's brother before dropping his hand immediately as if it burned me. There was another Haden sitting at the table. He looked up, and I froze, blinking as if that might clear the confusion blurring everything. I scanned his face—same mouth, same jawline—but not the same. This version of him was a little different. His eyes were lighter. Still stormy, but not Haden’s storm.

My mate was sitting at the table with the blonde woman.

I turned to look at Haden beside me, taking in his face like I’d never really seen it. He was taller, and his hair was shorter. His face had harsher features than his brother's did. His expression… concerned.

“Ardella, this is my twin brother, Holden, and his girlfriend, Sara.” Haden smiled, but when I just stared at him, his smile faded. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I was trying to find a response, but I couldn't. My gaze bounced between the two of them as my pulse pounded in my ears. Haden's eyebrows pinched together, growing more concerned by the second.

“I didn’t know you had a twin,” I barely whispered as my focus went to Holden.

Holden’s eyes met mine. I held my breath.

Please don’t let it be him.

A faint tug stirred in my chest—barely there, like a thread pulling at the edge of a seam. It wasn’t like what I felt with Haden. It wasn’t even close. Holden stood and offered a polite smile. His girlfriend, Sara, stepped forward and hugged me—warm, sweet, undeserved.

My world had just imploded, and everyone else was acting like nothing had changed.

“I didn’t know Haden was dating anyone. It’s so nice to meet you.” Gods, she was friendly. I should want to punch her or something for having my mate. Holden tugged me into an embrace, and I stiffened uncomfortably. My mating bond hummed at his touch, but I recoiled from it. I didn’t like this. Confusion slammed into me. This wasn’t normal.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ardella.” Holden smiled. There was no flicker of emotion or mating bond reaction from him. Relief spread through me as he didn't seem to feel anything toward me. But it was short-lived when I realized how wrong it was. Holden was my mate and should feel drawn to me. But it wasn't him I was fucking kissing minutes ago; it was his twin brother, who was not my mate.

I glanced at Haden to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. Maybe I had been following the wrong brother around. But my heart sank slowly because I knew without a doubt that Haden was not who I shared a mating bond with. When I glanced at Holden, I could see the soft golden bond between us. It was like a small string, glowing brightly. It stretched from his chest all the way to mine. My gaze assessed it to see if there was a crack or tear within it that was making it not work properly.

Nothing—there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

My hands were trembling as a cold sweat broke across my skin. I couldn't breathe—or think. My thoughts shattered into millions of tiny shards of glass, impossible to piece back together where this made any logical sense. Haden knew something was wrong with me as his hand came forward and gripped mine. Terror coiled inside of me as I yanked my hand from his.

I needed to leave.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sara and Holden,” I said softly. The heavens had to have made a mistake. I turned to Haden. “I have to go. Thank you all for such a lovely night.” My voice cracked with my panic.

“What? But…” he started to say, but I practically ran from him. I could hear him following me, but I didn’t slow down.

“Ardella,” Haden called out. I was losing my fucking mind. “Ardella, please stop.” The desperation in his voice made me stop and turn to him. His face fell when he saw I was upset. The light that had been in his eyes earlier had dimmed. I felt bad that I was the cause, but my world felt shattered. My shoulders sagged with disappointment because he wasn't mine. He was the one I wanted.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.” He frowned. “Something freaked you out in there, and now you’re running.”

I closed my eyes tightly because I couldn’t wrap my mind around what was happening. I did not have a mating bond with Haden, but I felt more connected to him than his damn brother. I opened my eyes, and Haden was begging me with his eyes to stay.

“I forgot I have to do something,” I said lamely, my words failing to do my emotions justice.

Haden slowly moved toward me. His eyes glanced around frantically, like he would find something to make me stay.

“Is it because I kissed you?” he asked. “I’m sorry, but don’t you feel it too? This connection we have.”

“No, it's not because you kissed me,” I said softly.

His eyes took in whatever emotion was on my face and looked disappointed. I’m sure he could see that I wanted out of there. I wanted to run away and hide from whatever this was.

“You’ll come back to see me?” He asked, hopeful.

His words made my chest squeeze. He wasn’t supposed to be mine. According to my mating bond, the heavens had made me for his brother. What if the bond just hadn’t snapped completely into place? I didn’t want to lead Haden on. His shoulders slumped in defeat when I didn't answer.

“I hope you will come back to see me,” he tried again. His sad voice tugged at my heart. There was a tension in the air that made it hard to concentrate on my bond issue. I wanted to make Haden feel better because I did not like the look he was giving me right now.

“Maybe.”

I stepped forward and hugged him to me. His arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly like I would float away if he loosened his grip. This felt right. I had not felt like this when Holden hugged me. I closed my eyes and buried my face into him, wanting to sear this moment into my memory forever. When I pulled back, Haden's eyes seemed impossibly dark.

“Is it because we don’t know each other, but this already feels so right?” he asked.

Without knowing what else to say, I simply whispered, “Yes.”

He smiled and kissed my forehead.

“No reason to be scared, Ardella. Maybe this is our destiny. Maybe our fate was to meet.”

His words crushed me. I leaned forward and kissed him softly before I stepped back. My eyes did not leave his as I summoned my star mist, and it twisted its way around me. The silvery glow lit up the street where Haden and I stood.

"Please, come back," he begged softly as I disappeared.

When my magic moved away from me, I was standing in my bedroom. My throat was tight with emotion. This was never supposed to happen. Immediately, I went to find my brother, Mikel. I walked through our home that now felt cold and sterile since being at Haden's welcoming house. Mikel was in the sitting room with one of the books he was always reading. He glanced up at me, his matching star-colored eyes widening with concern at the sight of me.

“Ardella, what is wrong?” He stood up. My brother towered over me. His black hair was perfectly styled, and his clothes were way too fancy for a man who never left this house. I walked to him and pulled him to me for a hug. He immediately wrapped his arms around me for comfort. I didn’t know what to say to him. It felt wrong to tell him that I didn’t want my mate. Mikel wouldn't understand; he wouldn't know how to help me.

“I had a terrible dream.” I lied.

He frowned as we both sat down on the couch. Mikel looked more worried when he saw tears falling down my cheeks.

“Fuck, Ardella, was it that bad?” He wiped my tears from me.

“What if we get a mate and we do not want them?” I asked.

Mikel stared at me oddly, then he began laughing. My jaw clenched tightly at his reaction.

“You don’t need to worry about that. The heavens make sure we get someone best suited for us. Is that what your nightmare was?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “What happens if we find our mate and they are already in love with someone or have a family? Are we supposed to expect them to destroy their lives for us?”

Mikel’s eyes roamed over me. There was a flicker of suspicion in them.

“That is impossible. Our mates are made for us, and us for them. Why is this worrying you?”

I glanced at my hands in my lap. Holden should want me and only me. I should not want Haden. Something was wrong with us. This did not feel like fate. It felt like hell.

“I don’t know. We just wait so damn long that I worry something will go wrong. What if that did happen; could we choose someone else? Can the bond transfer? Do we not get a mate if they reject us? Can we reject them?”

Mikel’s hand squeezed mine until I looked up at him. Shit, there was definitely concern in his eyes.

“Did you meet your mate?”

“No,” I lied without thought, which was strange. I had never lied to my brother before. He was my best friend; he would help me. But part of me felt guilty for not wanting Holden. My brother had always talked about what he wanted in a mate. He always sounded so excited about it. I, on the other hand, hardly thought about it because I didn’t want to drive myself crazy wondering how long it would be until I met him.

Mikel always had his whole life figured out. He couldn’t wait to find his mate, get married, and have children. Mikel was made to be a husband and father. He said it was his purpose. How could I tell him that not only had I found my mate first but that I did not want him? What if he became worried that his mate would do the same thing that mine did? There was no way I could put that stress on him. I didn't want to crush his dreams. So, I kept my secret to myself.

“The heavens will take care of us, Ardella. Our mates will be everything we want and more.”

I nodded as he hugged me. I only needed to spend a few hours with Haden to know that he was what I wanted, what I needed. I had followed Holden around for weeks and seen him with Sara, but it did not elicit anything significant within me. Haden made me feel things I did not know were possible in such a short time. The thought of Haden with another female, though, instantly pissed me off. I pulled away from Mikel and gave him a soft smile, doing my best to mask my emotions.

“You’re right. It was just a terrible nightmare," I said, hoping to drop this uncomfortable topic.

He stared at me for a long moment. “Do you want me to read to you?”

I nodded and settled on the couch as Mikel’s soft voice drifted into the silence of our home. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but all I could think of was Haden kissing me. I shoved the thoughts of him away, determined to focus on my mate. Holden was obviously picked by the heavens for me for a reason. I would find a way for my bond with Holden to snap into place. For that to work, though, I needed to avoid Haden.