Sage’s POV
I watched as Zeph disappeared into the festival crowd, confusion tightening in my chest.
Why was she being so oblivious? She felt the bond—I knew she did. It was there in the way she looked at me, in the way she reacted to my touch, in the way she ran from me the moment I acknowledged it.
Did she not want me? Or was she just afraid? What could she be afraid of?
I let out a slow breath, trying to temper the fire burning beneath my skin. She had been in my thoughts from the moment I first saw her—no, from the moment I saved her.
The message from Terran had come earlier—he requested my help in protecting someone. Given the recent escalation in attacks, I agreed, expecting nothing out of the ordinary.
But by the time I arrived, the fight was already over. Then I saw her.
Zeph.
She wasn’t wounded, but she looked… drained. Like she had just unleashed something that cost her too much.
Our eyes met for the first time then.
And my world stopped.
Even as exhaustion weighed on her, she was breathtaking. And when I caught her scent for the first time—strong and something darkly sweet—it was like a snare tightening around me.
It should have been suffocating. It should have made me recoil.
Instead, it rooted me to the spot.
For the first time in my life, I felt it—an undeniable, unshakable pull.
Mate. I thought I was never ever going to have a made and gave up searching, but I am glad the moon goddess blessed me with an outstanding woman.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply.
If I wanted answers, there was only one person who might have them.
Ashral.
My gaze swept over the festival, searching for her. It didn’t take long. She stood among a group of women.
I hesitated for a moment, then squared my shoulders and approached. The moment the women saw me, their chatter died down, and they dipped their heads in respect. “Alpha.”
I gave them a short nod, my focus entirely on Ashral. “May I have a moment?”
Ashral arched a brow but smiled. “Of course.”
The other women murmured their goodbyes and dispersed, leaving us alone.
Ashral crossed her arms. “What is it?”
I hesitated, then decided to just say it. “Zeph is my mate.”
Ashral didn’t look shocked. If anything, she looked mildly amused. “Oh, I know.”
I stared at her, my brows drawing together. "You know?"
Ashral smirked. "I’m not blind, Sage. I’ve seen the way Zeph reacts when you’re near. The way she tenses when you speak, like she’s trying not to listen too closely. "The way her breath catches when you get too close.” She tilts her head. “She knows, even if she won’t admit it.”
That should have reassured me. It didn’t.
Because if she knew—if she felt the bond—then why the hell was she fighting it?
I exhaled sharply, my jaw tight. “Then tell me. Why is she pretending like it doesn’t exist?”
Ashral’s smirk faded, her expression turning thoughtful. “It’s not the bond she’s rejecting.”
I frowned. “Then what?”
Ashral was silent for a moment, as if debating how much she should say. Then, with a sigh, she said, “She’s rejecting herself.”
My chest tightened. “Why?”
Ashral’s gaze flickered with something unreadable. “Because Zeph has never had the luxury of believing she deserves happiness.”
“Does she have feelings for someone else?” I asked carefully, bracing himself for an answer I might not like.
Ashral hummed thoughtfully. “Zeph and Terran were… close. I wouldn’t say in love, but cozy. She cares about him—deeply—but I don’t think it’s in the way you’re worried about it.”
That did not make me feel better.
Ashral must have noticed the shift in my expression because she lifted a hand. “Before you let jealousy eat you alive, let me clarify something—Zeph cares for him, but not the way she thought she did.”
I forced my hands to unclench. “What do you mean?”
“She’s confused, Sage. She’s spent most of her life starving for love that she doesn’t know how to differentiate it. She doesn’t know if what she felt for Terran was romantic or just… deep attachment. And I don’t think they suit each other. Terran gives me a strange feeling.”
I felt relieved but still frustrated.
“Then tell me. Why won’t she accept me?”
Ashral’s expression darkened. And her hesitation told me I wasn’t going to like what I was about to hear.
Finally, she spoke. “Because Zeph has been through hell.”
Something cold coiled in my stomach. “What do you mean?”
Ashral’s eyes softened with something close to sorrow. “She was mistreated in her pack. Severely. The people who were supposed to protect her turned their backs on her. She lost the woman who raised her. Then she lost her first mate.”
My heart stopped.
First mate.
The words barely processed before Ashral continued, her voice steady but heavy with meaning. “Then her second mate rejected her.”
A slow, cold rage seeped into my bones.
“She had two mates?” I asked, my voice dangerously calm.
Ashral nodded. “The second one came back, though.”
My breathing slowed, my fists curling at my sides. “And?”
“He tried to force her back to him. And he admitted to getting rid of her first mate.”
Silence crashed between us.
I wanted to rip someone apart.
I swallowed, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Who?”
Ashral met my gaze. “He’s already dead.”
It wasn’t enough.
Not for me. It wasn’t enough, not for her. What did she do to deserve this treatment?
I turned away for a moment, trying to gather myself. Trying not to let the rage consume me.
Zeph had been through more than I ever could have imagined. She wasn’t just rejecting the mate bond because she didn’t want me—she was rejecting it because she had learned that mates meant pain.
But I wasn’t them.
I wasn’t the one who had failed her.
And I was going to make sure she never had to feel that pain again.
No matter what it took.