Chapter 221 BROKEN BONDS
Percival
I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my forehead as the door clicked shut. Mirabelle really can’t help herself sometimes.
I tried to relax, my mind drifting back to Edeline. She was all anyone could talk about, but to me, she was everything. If only I had been stronger... If I could have held back my wolf’s instincts, she wouldn’t have left. My pup, our future... everything had unraveled because I couldn’t control myself.
The bond between us—it felt like a lifeline I couldn’t reach anymore. Her walls were up, blocking me out, and the emptiness gnawed at me. I just want to feel her skin against mine again. I want that comfort back.
I thought about last night. About how powerless I had felt. Even now, that sense of helplessness lingered. But beneath it, there was this new drive to fight for something. To make myself better. Edeline...
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back into the moment. My irritation flared, and I exhaled sharply, trying to rein in my frustration.
"Who is it?" My voice came out rough, edged with annoyance.
The door creaked open, and there stood Nixx, his face drawn and filled with sorrow. My old friend, my brother in every way that mattered. He’d been there through it all, but seeing him now, after everything, made the loss of my pup hit even harder.
I narrowed my eyes, not in the mood. "Nixx, leave. I really don’t want to see anyone right now."
Ignoring me, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. His silence said everything.
My grip tightened on the bed rails, my frustration boiling over. "I told you to leave!" I snapped, my hands trembling from the effort of holding back. Why couldn’t he just respect my space?
But Nixx just stood there, his expression unflinching, determined to stay.
He did not pay me any attention. Instead, he casually moved the chair a little further from the bed and settled into it. His gaze briefly flickered to my bandaged hand. I noticed a hint of sadness in those moss-green eyes.
I fought to keep myself from launching into a tirade. I wanted to get straight to the point, but it felt impossible. My beast was knocked out from the medication, and I had been completely unconscious. Now, I was having trouble breathing, my nostrils flaring with each labored breath. I clenched my jaw and stared at him, trying to keep my emotions in check.
He finally looked up at me, his distress evident. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Percival, listen up. I think we need to have a talk. We have been friends for a long time, and now we are practically family. I just want to have a conversation with you. No arguments, just talking.”
I slumped back onto my pillow, letting the last of my anger drain away. This was too much for me. “Just leave me alone,” I murmured, my voice coming out as a rasp.
He did not relent. “I cannot do that. I need to make things right, you know?” His persistence only made things harder for me. “Hey, I am really sorry about your pup. I did not realize how much it affected you,” he said. His words seemed to scrape against my raw emotions. I could feel tears welling up at the mention of my pup. I kept my eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears.
“I do not know what came over me... with Tatiana being my mate... you understand how it is. The wolf goes wild... especially since you were so close to her. Your wolf would not let us get close. When I spoke to Edeline outside the clinic and saw how devastated she was... my gaze landed on her mark... I did not think. I just acted. I felt overwhelmed to claim Tatiana... my wolf wanted everyone to know who she belonged to... and...” His voice lowered. “I just wanted to help my sister, you know? I thought that if I claimed her, maybe this whole nightmare would finally end. I wanted you to have a chance to make her happy, to start fresh with Edeline. Even though, let us be honest, you do not really deserve her. She is your mate,” he said, taking a deep breath.
A tear rolled down my cheek as I slowly turned my head to look at him. I was clenching my jaw so tightly that I thought my teeth might crack.
“Wait, so you are saying you actually intended to harm Tatiana? To hurt my dog? Just so that it would disappear and make your sister happy!?” I shouted, my disbelief and anger boiling over.
Can you believe it? I really like Edeline, but I would never go so far as to sacrifice my own blood. He was like a wolf through and through... a wolf who was very much alive.
Nixx's gaze remained unwavering. “Come on, can you honestly say you would not have done the same thing in my place? Imagine for a moment if you were in my position. Picture this: Edeline, the love of your life, becomes pregnant with your best friend’s pup before you even realize you are mates. And to make things even more complicated, your own sister is mated to that best friend! It is a messy situation, I know. But deep down, you know you would have made the same choice. Look, I am not proud of what I did, really I am not. But Tatiana is my mate, and I should have had the chance to mark her right from the start. Instead, we have been stuck in this disaster for far too long!” He stood up, his anger clear in his stance.
“I did not want to meet her under those circumstances,” he continued, his voice thick with frustration. “It felt so restrictive, with all those rules about not getting too close to her because of the risk to the pup. Who is to say it was my fault? You marked my sister, and she marked you! The mate bond was sealed when you two were together, and you both left your marks. Ever since that day, she has been unwell. Can you not see that if that pup had been born, you would not have Edeline now? At least now there is a chance for you. But she was ready to reject you and find someone else if that pup had come. It would have been a difficult situation for my wolf too, even though the human side of me would have tried.” His intensity was palpable, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he laid bare the truth.