Chapter 27 BREAKING POINT

Chapter 27 BREAKING POINT
Lily’s POV

The library scene with Alexander replayed in my head for days.

“Figure it out fast… because I’m running out of ways to pretend this doesn’t destroy me.”

His words haunted me through every class, every lunch, every time Jake’s hand brushed against mine. The mating bond wouldn’t let me forget. It pulsed like a second heartbeat inside my chest, growing stronger whenever Alexander was close and weaker whenever he purposely stayed away. I hated that I noticed the distance so much.

By the next week, Jake made things official.

We were in the cafeteria, sitting at the same table where this whole mess started. Alexander sat across from us, staring down at his blood bag with his jaw clenched so tight I wondered if it hurt. Jake had his arm resting on the back of my chair, his fingers playing with the ends of my hair.

“So… I was thinking,” Jake said casually, loud enough for the tables around us to hear, “we should make this official. You and me. Boyfriend and girlfriend.”

The chatter around us started to die down. Heads turned. I could feel dozens of eyes on us, some jealous, some curious, and some openly hostile. Caitlyn’s glare from three tables away burned hotter than all the others.

My heart missed a beat. This was what I had wanted for two years. Jake Sinclair choosing me out in the open. Yet the words felt heavy on my tongue.

“Yes,” I said, forcing a bright smile. “I’d like that.”

Jake grinned, that charming smile that used to make my knees go weak. He leaned in and kissed me right there at the table, soft at first before it deepened, like he was performing for everyone watching. I kissed him back, trying to sink into it the way I used to picture in my head.

But all I could feel was Alexander’s stare.

When Jake pulled away, his cheeks were slightly flushed and he looked pleased with himself. “Finally. No more hiding how I feel about you, Miss Lily Danvers.”

I let out a soft laugh, but even I could hear how hollow it sounded. Across the table, Alexander stood up abruptly.

“Got practice,” he muttered without looking at either of us.

Jake frowned. “Dude, you okay? You’ve been weird lately.”

“Fine.”

He turned and left, and I stayed there staring down at my cold pasta, my appetite completely gone.



ALEXANDER POV

I couldn’t sit there another second.

The moment Jake leaned in and kissed Lily at the table, right in front of everyone, right in front of me, something inside my chest snapped. I stood up so fast my chair scraped loudly against the floor. Heads turned. I didn’t care.

“Got practice,” I muttered, grabbing my bag without looking at either of them. If I looked at Lily right now, I’d do something stupid, like dragging her out of there in front of my best friend.

Practice wasn't for another hour, but I headed to the pool. The water always helped me drown out the noise in my head.

The changing room was empty. I changed into my swim shorts and dove into the cold water without warming up. Lap after lap, I pushed myself harder, arms moving through the water, faster and faster until my muscles burned and my lungs started to give out.

But even underwater, I couldn’t escape her.

I surfaced at the deep end, gasping for air, and slammed my fist against the pool wall. The tile cracked under my knuckles. Blood spread through the water for a second before the cut healed.

“Fuck.”

I rested my forehead against the cool edge, eyes shut. This was supposed to be simple. Help her get Jake. Break the bond. Go back to pretending I didn’t care.

But it was getting worse.

Footsteps echoed on the pool deck. “Alexander?”

Caitlyn’s voice. She was at the edge in her cheer uniform, hair loose over one shoulder, watching me.

“I heard you left lunch early,” she said, crouching down. “Jake and his new toy causing problems?”

“Don’t call her that.”

Caitlyn’s lips curved. “Protective.” She sat on the edge and dipped her legs into the water. “You know she doesn’t belong with him. Not you, though. She just doesn’t belong here at all.”

I swam closer to the edge but didn’t climb out. “What do you want, Caitlyn?”

She tilted her head, brown eyes studying me. “You. Back. Like it used to be before her.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “We’re not doing this again.”

“Why not?” She slid into the water fully clothed, moving closer until she was inches away. Her hand rested on my chest. “We were good together, Alex. Powerful. Everyone respected us but now you’re wasting your time on a human who can barely survive one slap.”

Her fingers traced down my abs. The touch felt wrong, nothing like the electric spark that hit me whenever Lily accidentally brushed against my skin.

I grabbed her wrist. “Don’t.”

“She’s using you. You know that, right?

I pushed her back gently but firmly. “You don’t know anything about us.”

“Us?” Caitlyn laughed, but it sounded hurt. “There’s still an ‘us’ in there somewhere. I see how you look at me when she’s not around. Like you remember what it felt like.”

She pressed closer again, her wet uniform clinging to her body like a second skin. The pool water had made the fabric almost see-through in places, outlining everything I used to know too well. For a second, I let her. Just one stupid second where I told myself I wanted to feel something that wasn’t this constant ache for Lily.

She kissed my jaw then moved higher, aiming for my mouth, her breath warm against my skin.

I started to turn my head at the last second, already regretting even this small surrender.

But before my lips could fully escape hers, the heavy door to the pool area slammed open with a loud bang that echoed across the water.