Chapter 160: Did You Say Mate?!

Connor’s POV

I exchanged my goodbyes, each word heavy with meaning I couldn’t fully voice. I hugged Ivy one last time, feeling the warmth of her in my arms, committing it to memory. Then I stepped back, letting my gaze on her for one final time.

She stood by the window, the tablet pressed loosely to her chest. A faint, almost wistful smile curved her lips, quiet and knowing, as if some part of her…deep down, buried beneath layers of memory and pain…remembered. Her brown eyes met mine for a brief moment, a silent acknowledgment that spoke louder than words ever could.

And for the first time in years, my chest didn’t feel like it was caving in under the weight of guilt. The tension, the shame, the unrelenting ache of failure…it was gone.

I exhaled slowly, letting the air out like it carried the remnants of every regret I’d ever held. My wolf was quiet too, curling inside me, satisfied. No growls, no claws, no ache of loss. Only calm. Only peace.

I turned away from the estate, shoulders straighter, steps measured. I had done what I had come to do. We’ve gotten the closure we both needed, and I’ve given her the chance at a life without me shadowing her. Without me intruding and laying baseless claims.

And for once, I felt fulfilled…not through possession, not through control, but through release.

The drive into the other part of the city was quiet, the streets were busy with business owners and workers trying to get their things done. So called rush hour. I didn’t rush though.

A small, dry part of me mused: Maybe I’ll drink myself into a stupor tonight. A life of loneliness… fitting, isn’t it?

I laughed quietly at myself, bitter and dry, shaking my head. My usual haunts felt empty now, but I still craved a small comfort, something grounding. That meant wine. My favorite vintage. I had earned it…or maybe I just needed it.

I pulled into the little store tucked into the corner of town, the one I knew would have it. The familiar scent of polished wood and aging bottles greeted me, but as I turned down the aisle, my stride faltered.

There, right in front of the shelves, something stopped me cold.

A scent hit me before my eyes even found her.

It slashed through the air, sharp and sweet, coiling into my lungs until my chest clenched. My wolf snapped awake inside me, ears pricked, claws scraping against my ribs.

“MATE.”

The word vibrated through me like a command.

Mate? My breath caught. No. That’s impossible.

“What do you mean mate?” I snapped at him. My hands curled into fists, the wine bottle I came for forgotten. “Mate was Ivy. Ivy. And we don’t have her anymore. We severed ties, don’t you remember? We let her go.”

But my wolf wasn’t listening. He was pacing, snarling, howling, the sound raw and desperate.

The scent burned deeper, threading into every nerve like wildfire. My pulse thundered.

“Why?” I hissed under my breath. “Is the universe mocking me? Throwing temptation in my face right after I gave Ivy her freedom? Do they want me to fail again? To make me lose another?”

“Or maybe…” My wolf’s voice was a roar, a snarl edged with hunger. “Maybe the Moon Goddess finally decided to give us a second chance. She waited until Ivy was gone. This is our gift. Our redemption. Don’t. Fucking. Waste it.”

“Redemption?” My laugh was bitter, hollow. “Doesn’t this seem rushed? I didn’t even get the chance to grieve. To—”

“SHUT UP!” my wolf thundered, shaking the walls of my mind. “You’ll ruin this like you ruined the first. I won’t let you. She’s here. She’s ours. I want our mate. NOW!”

My head whipped up at the sound of a struggle.

“Get your filthy hands off me!”

Her voice…hoarse, trembling, yet defiant…dragged me back into the present. And then I saw her.

The scent, the source, the girl.

She was small. So small she could probably disappear inside one leg of my trousers. Lanky, fragile in a way that made something primal in me ache. Her soft curves barely filled the fabric of her clothes, black curls wild around her face. But it was her eyes that stopped me cold…gray, storm-cloud gray, wide with fear but blazing with resistance.

And gods help me… she looked like Ivy.

Not the Ivy who stood at that estate window, whole and warm with the family who had finally embraced her. No…she looked like the Ivy I abandoned. Malnourished. Exhausted. Bearing invisible chains around her wrists.

“Mate.” My wolf was panting now, tongue lolling like he’d been starved and the universe just set a feast before him.

My chest squeezed. Was this a test? A cruel trial set by the goddess to see if I’d fail again? To see if I’d abandon, betray, destroy another fragile life?

Before I could move, a hand tangled into her curls, yanking her back. She cried out, stumbling, dragged by the hair like property.

I froze. Fury flooded me, drowning every thought.

As she passed, her frail body brushed against mine…barely a graze. But it was enough.

Every nerve lit on fire. My wolf howled with savage triumph.

“MATE!”

The snarl ripped from my throat before I even realized I’d moved. I abandoned the bottle, muscles coiled, and followed.

The man raised his hand to strike her again…his face ugly with cruelty, spittle flying from his mouth.

But my hand was faster. I caught his wrist mid-air, squeezing until his bones ground together. My glare cut through him like steel.

He bared his teeth. “Excuse me, and you are?”

I said nothing. I didn’t need to. Rage poured out of me in waves, suffocating him.

She stumbled back, then…like a moth to flame…stepped toward me. Her small, work-worn hand brushed against my arm.

And the world… stopped.

Electricity exploded beneath my skin, shooting through my veins. My lungs locked. My pulse stuttered. My wolf went still, stunned into reverent silence.

Her eyes widened. She felt it too. With a gasp, she snatched her hand back as though burned.

“Mate?” I whispered, the word ripped from me, fragile and disbelieving.

Inside, my wolf laughed victoriously. “Told you.”

“Who the hell are you to stop me from disciplining my slave?” the man barked, yanking against my grip. “What? Are you one of the bastards she spreads her legs for? Is that it?”

I barely processed his words before her voice…shaky but fierce…broke through.

“You’re such an asshole, Mr. Asher!”

Her chest heaved, tears glinting in her gray eyes, but her spine was steel.

“The only reason I’ve tolerated your abuse was because of my parents’ debt. But now. I’ve paid for it. Every fucking coin. And still you call me vile things? Still you…”

“Shut your bitch-ass mouth!” He yelled, moving again, reaching to grab her, but she was faster this time.

Slap.

Once. Twice.

The sound cracked through the air like gunfire.

“That is for every year you made me suffer. For every scar you left on me. For every night I prayed it would end. I’ve paid my debt. I don’t owe you my life. So get the hell out of it!” she screamed, voice breaking as she began sobbing.

That was all it took.

I didn’t think. I lunged, slamming Asher to the ground. My fists found his face, over and over, pouring years of rage into every blow. Rage at myself, at Lila, at every mistake that had cost me my first mate. Rage that this fragile girl had suffered under men like him.

He tried to scream, but blood filled his mouth. A woman came rushing closer. His wife maybe?

She was shrieking, beating her fists against my back, telling me to leave Asher alone.

But then…oh, gods then…my mate stepped forward. Her hand tangled in the woman’s hair, yanking her away from me.

The sight almost made me laugh. She…frail, starved, half-broken…standing like a warrior at my back.

My mate.

Who could have thought it would turn out this way?