The Second Bond
The Morning of Revelation
Samantha hurried to the kitchen immediately she dressed up, her steps light but quick, her heart fluttering with expectation. She was ready to make her move again, to serve Theo’s meal as she had promised. But when she reached the kitchen, she froze. The trays were gone. Only two maids remained, whispered between themselves, too caught up in their chatter to notice her at first.
When one finally spoke, her words struck Samantha like a blade to the chest.
“The Alpha’s food has already been taken to him,” she said cheerfully, “Mina just left a few moments ago with the guard.”
Samantha blinked, her pulse racing. Mina?
For a moment, she felt her throat tighten — panic clawing at her chest. But she couldn’t let anyone see it. With a strained smile, she murmured something about being relieved the Alpha was finally eating again. She turned to leave, walking with deliberate calm. Yet, the moment she was out of sight, her expression twisted with fury.
Instead of going straight to her room, Samantha changed direction and headed toward Rina’s old chamber. Her steps were quiet but fast. The hallway was still dim, torches flickering against the stone walls. When she neared the door, she saw the guard stationed there.
“Did the Alpha eat?” she asked casually, masking her anger with a faint smile.
The guard nodded. “Yes, one of the maids served him.”
"And she is still in there?" She asked, thw guard looked at her and thwn gave a negative nod of his head. Instantly relieved, shw smile and then walked away. Mina was no tbreat to her at all— She was just a lowly maid, even lower than whwr in rank, after all — but something inside her burned hotter. She clenched her jaw, forcing another polite nod before turning sharply away.
So he ate... but without me.
Her fists tightened around her dress. She had lost her chance to use the potion.
Silently seething, Samantha returned to her room, her mind already racing with thoughts. There would be another chance tomorrow. She would make sure of it. Tonight’s mistake would not happen again.
\---
The first light of dawn stretched over the horizon, painting the Dam-Nighade Pack in a sleepy hush. The air was still cool and damp.
Meanwhile, inside the quiet of Rina’s chamber, dawn filtered gently through the window curtains. The golden light brushed over Theo’s face as he stirred. His head felt heavy, his body sore, yet... strangely at peace. The scent of the sheets was familiar — lavender and something softer — and warmth pressed against his side.
For the first time in days, he didn’t wake to the ache of loneliness. Instead, he smiled faintly, feeling the gentle weight of someone beside him. He turned slowly, his arm draping over a slender waist.
“Rina…” he whispered hoarsely, his voice thick with sleep. His hand tightened around the warmth he thought belonged to his lost mate. “You’re here…”
He leaned closer, breathing in. But the scent that met him wasn’t lavender and lily — it was roses. Sweet and strange. He frowned slightly, half-dreaming still.
“When did you start using rose, my love?” he murmured softly, pressing his lips against her neck.
The soft kiss stirred Mina from her deep sleep. Her lashes fluttered, and when her senses caught up with her body, her eyes flew open. The room, the warmth, the closeness — it all crashed over her like lightning.
Her body went rigid. Then she jolted upright, heart racing, eyes wide in horror.
Theo blinked, confusion settling into his features. The morning haze lifted from his mind as he turned toward her. The woman before him wasn’t Rina. It wasn’t even anyone he recognized. Her hair tumbled loose, her face pale, her lips trembling as she stumbled backward off the bed.
Theo’s breath caught.
His mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
“Who…” his voice rasped, disbelief flooding through him, “who are you?”
Mina froze, the question slicing through the silence. Her heart pounded so loud she could hear it. The Alpha’s gaze — sharp now, clear and cold — pinned her in place.
And in that frozen moment between them, realization began to dawn in Theo’s eyes.
The haze of the night. The wrong scent. The wrong voice.
Something was terribly, terribly wrong.
Theo’s heart slammed painfully against his ribs as the haze of sleep vanished completely. His gaze locked on the trembling figure standing near the bed — the woman who had been beside him all night.
Not Rina.
Not his mate who was gone forever.
A cold wave of shock ran through his veins. He stared at Mina — the timid young maid — her eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears, her hands clutched around the fabric of the sheet she’d dragged over herself in shame.
“What…” his voice broke, rough and low, “…what have you done?”
Mina flinched, her lips quivering. “I—I didn’t do anything, Alpha. I swear!”
Theo stood abruptly, the bedsheets falling from his body, exposing scars and marks that spoke of the battle between pain and grief he’d been fighting alone. Fury ignited in his eyes as his mind spun. “Don’t lie to me!” he thundered. “How did you end up here? Who sent you?”
Tears filled Mina’s eyes as she shook her head, her words tumbling out between sobs. “No one sent me! The guard asked me to take your meal last night. I swear, that’s all I did! I—I only came to serve you!”
Theo froze. The memory of last night came rushing back like a storm—her face, her touch, her voice trembling beneath his hands. But he hadn’t seen her, not truly. He had seen Rina. Every kiss, every whispered word, every desperate touch had been meant for his dead mate.
He staggered a step back, clutching his head, his breath harsh. “No,” he muttered, disbelief etching his features. “That’s not possible.”
Mina looked at him through blurred vision, her fear giving way to confusion. “Alpha,” she whispered shakily, “you kept calling me Rina… I tried to tell you, but you—” Her voice broke. “You didn’t listen. You looked at me like you saw her. Like I was her.”
Theo’s eyes met hers, and for a moment, the air around them shifted — soft and warm, almost electric. He could feel her heartbeat echoing inside him. Her fear. Her confusion. Even her shame.
He froze. That wasn’t possible.
Only mates could feel each other’s emotions this way.