Chapter 44 A Mistake
Maddie Pov
I found him three days later. Three days of hiding in my room. Three days of avoiding everyone. Three days of touching the mark on my neck and wondering what it meant to him. Three days of waiting for him to come to me. To explain. To say something.
But he never came. Never texted. Never called. Never showed up at my door. Nothing. Just silence. Just absence. Just proof that I'd been right to feel used.
Elara finally convinced me to leave my room. Said I couldn't hide forever. Said I needed to face him. Said I deserved answers. She was right. I did deserve answers. Deserved to know why he marked me then abandoned me. Deserved to understand what last night meant.
I found him in the hallway outside the science building. He was walking alone. Head down. Hands in pockets. Looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.
My heart started racing the moment I saw him. The bond flared hot in my chest. Painful. Insistent. Demanding I go to him. Demanding I touch him. Demanding I close the distance.
But I stayed where I was. Watched him walk closer. Waited until he was close enough to hear me. Then I stepped into his path. Made him stop. Made him look at me.
"Calix," I said. My voice came out shaky despite trying to sound strong. "We need to talk."
He looked at me finally. His face was blank. Empty. Like looking at a stranger. His eyes were cold. Flat. No gold. No emotion. Nothing.
"About what?" he asked. His voice was just as cold as his eyes.
"About the mark," I said. Touched my neck where the scarf covered it. "About what happened at the party. About why you left without saying anything."
"Oh that," Calix said. He shrugged. Actually shrugged. Like it meant nothing. Like marking me was no different than stepping on a bug. "What about it?"
"What about it?" I repeated. My voice went higher. Sharper. "You marked me Calix. You claimed me as your mate. That's permanent. That's forever. And then you just left."
"So?" Calix asked. He crossed his arms over his chest. Looked bored. "What did you expect? A relationship? Love? Happily ever after?"
His words hit me like slaps. Each one stinging. Each one cruel. "I expected an explanation at least. I expected you to still be there when I woke up. I expected something other than complete silence."
"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you," Calix said. His voice was flat. Emotionless. "But you shouldn't have expected anything. It was just a drunk mistake. Nothing more."
The words hung in the air between us. Heavy. Brutal. Destroying everything. A drunk mistake. That's what he called it. That's what I was to him.
"A mistake," I repeated slowly. My voice was getting quieter now. Weaker. "You think marking me was a mistake."
"Obviously," Calix said. He rolled his eyes. Actually rolled his eyes like I was stupid for not understanding. "We were both drunk. Both not thinking clearly. These things happen."
"These things don't just happen," I said. My hands were shaking now. My eyes were burning with tears I refused to let fall. "You don't accidentally mark someone. You don't accidentally claim a mate. That requires intention. That requires choice."
"Fine," Calix said. "Then it was a bad choice. A choice I regret. A choice I wish I could take back. Better?"
Each word was a knife. Each sentence twisted it deeper. He regretted marking me. He wished he could take it back. He wanted to undo what we'd done.
"Why are you being like this?" I asked. My voice broke. "What happened? What changed between that night and now?"
"Nothing changed," Calix said. "I just sobered up. Realized what I'd done. Realized I didn't actually want you. It was just the alcohol talking. Just the bond manipulating us. Nothing real."
"That's a lie," I said. Stepped closer to him. "I can feel the bond between us. I can feel your emotions. I know you're lying."
"The bond is wrong," Calix said. He stepped back. Put distance between us. "The Moon Goddess made a mistake. We're not meant to be together. We never were."
"You don't mean that," I said. Tears were falling now. I couldn't stop them. "You can't mean that."
"I do mean it," Calix said. His voice was hard. Final. "Last night was a mistake Maddie. A drunk stupid mistake that I regret. The mark doesn't change that. The bond doesn't change that. Nothing changes the fact that I don't want you."
The words destroyed me. Completely. Utterly. Made everything inside me shatter into pieces. He didn't want me. After everything. After marking me. After claiming me. After making me his. He didn't want me.
"Then why did you do it?" I asked. My voice was barely a whisper now. "Why did you mark me if you didn't want me?"
"Like I said," Calix repeated. "I was drunk. Not thinking straight. Made a bad decision. It happens."
"And now?" I asked. "What happens now? We're bonded. We're mates. The mark is permanent."
"Now we forget it happened," Calix said simply. "We go back to how things were. You stay away from me. I stay away from you. We pretend that night never existed."
"I can't do that," I said. "I can't just forget. I can't just pretend."
"Then that's your problem," Calix said. "Not mine. I've already forgotten. Already moved on. You should do the same."
He turned to walk away. Just turned his back on me. On us. On everything we'd shared.
"Wait," I called out. Hated how desperate I sounded. "Please wait."
He stopped but didn't turn around. Just stood there with his back to me. Waiting.
"I don't believe you," I said. "I can feel the bond. I can feel what you're really feeling. This is all an act. You're lying."
"Believe whatever you want," Calix said. "Doesn't change anything. Doesn't change the fact that last night meant nothing to me. That you mean nothing to me."
The final knife. The one that cut deepest. I meant nothing to him. After everything. After all of it. Nothing.
"Fine," I said. My voice was cold now too. Hard. Matching his. "If that's how you feel then fine. I'll stay away. I'll pretend it never happened. I'll forget all about you."
"Good," Calix said. "That's what I want."
He started walking again. This time I didn't stop him. Just watched him go. Watched him walk away. Watched him leave me standing alone in the hallway with tears running down my face and a mark on my neck that apparently meant nothing.