Alec’s POV:
My guard was up as I glanced at Debby in the rearview mirror a few times while I drove.
The only time I stopped driving was when I was at a gas station or a motel to relieve myself, eat, or take a bath. Of course, our rooms were separated, and we both kept to the same schedule to continue our drive.
For two days, Debby seemed to ignore my existence, and I did the very same thing. She said nothing, and she seemed focused on looking at the environment we were driving through. We were already in human territory and on the side road driving to the beach house. On the side, I could see people diving into the water while some kids were playing, making sandcastles. The sun was about to set soon, yet they looked carefree and unconcerned.
“Aren’t you sleepy?” she asked in a low tone, surprising me.
Why was she talking to me now? Was it because we were a few minutes away from the beach house, and she sensed it?
“No,” I answered coldly.
“You know, I can drive too,” she said as I focused on the road.
No way in heaven or hell was I going to let her drive us anywhere.
“Do you still think I’m evil?” she asked.
“It’s not that I think you are evil, I know you are,” I answered simply.
She chuckled softly, then sighed heavily.
“What would you do if I turned out to be your mate, since I don’t have a mate anymore?” she asked.
“Firstly, that’s impossible because if you really were, by now I could have been feeling something towards you besides sympathy. Secondly, I wouldn’t waste a second to reject you because nothing good could ever come from being with you. Lastly, which mate or man could easily accept your past life and another man’s pup you are carrying?” I asked, then glanced in the rearview mirror, expecting her to be upset. But she was quiet, and her gaze was lowered to her hands, which were on her lap.
“You know, I’m not proud of my past either, and I do have regrets. But did you have to say it so harshly?” she asked in a low tone, making me feel bad.
“I’m sorry, I apologize,” I answered sadly.
“I know that finding a third chance mate is impossible and a myth. That’s why I was teasing you, not because I actually thought we could be mates. Also, I can’t hurt my unborn pup just because of my horrible past. This pup I carry wasn’t made out of love but pain and heartache,” she said, making me feel even worse.
“Nice one,” my wolf mocked me.
“You know, if it makes you feel any better, I too will forever be single and alone,” I said coldly.
“Why is that? Come to think of it, I have wanted to ask you this in the past. Alec, why aren’t you mated?” she asked loudly.
I rubbed my forehead with one of my hands, then shrugged.
“How the hell should I know when I’m not the Moon Goddess?” I answered seriously.
The Moon Goddess was kind, true, selfless, and just. That’s what everyone said, but not to me. If she was, then why was I alone? For years, I waited and waited to the point of now giving up.
My pack took in a lot of rogues and supernatural beings, yet none of them were my fated pair. I even got to the point of telling myself how I would happily accept them even if they were not my kind.
But did the Moon Goddess hear my prayers? No, she did not.
Although I still looked young, I was in my mid-forties with no partner or woman to stand by my side or warm my bed.
“You turn down all she-wolves and females that approach us,” my wolf pointed out in silence.
“That’s because they aren’t ours but someone else’s,” I answered him coldly.
“It’s kind of hard to believe that the Moon Goddess would do that to you. Like you have been so loyal and good to the pack. You are actually one of the good guys I know,” she said as I rolled my eyes.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I asked in a mocking tone.
“No, it’s not. And don’t think that I’m teasing you because what I’m saying right now is actually the truth. You are a kind soul who usually wants what’s best for others. My wish is that the Moon Goddess would be kind enough to grant you a very beautiful mate who will love you for you,” she said as I chuckled softly.
“Cut it out, will you? You talking about my invisible mate who I might meet only makes me feel horrible,” I spat as my wolf whimpered.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, then kept quiet.
“It’s okay, I no longer even feel bad. No matter how much I complain or what I say, it’s not like it will change anything. The Moon Goddess can never just drop my mate from the sky or from nowhere, can she?” I asked and then immediately stepped on the brakes when a ball hit the front glass.
“Fuck!” I cursed under my breath, then looked at the rearview mirror to see if Debby was okay.
“I’m fine,” she answered, then caressed her stomach a few times.
“Wait here,” I ordered, then came out of the car furiously.
I walked to the ball, which was on the beach sand, and picked it up, looking at it.
“Um… I’m sorry, sir. May I have that ball back?” a small voice said from behind.
I turned and watched as a little girl came running towards me.
I smirked, then pierced my claws into the ball, deflating it.
She stopped in her tracks with a shocked expression on her face.
“Useless,” I muttered and then dropped it on the sand.
Her lower lip quivered before she turned and ran away crying.
I went back to the car and got in with a smile.
“You sure did look happy doing that to the little girl,” Debby said.
I turned and looked at her seriously.
“Yes, I am. Have you thought of what might have happened if I didn’t step on the damn brakes?” I asked.
“It was clearly a mistake, and the child is, like, ten if not twelve years old,” she pointed out.
“You know what, you should be thinking about our safety first. That chap is human,” I answered.
“What the hell does that even mean?” she asked loudly.
“It means they are inferior. Their kind is below us, so she should be honored that I only destroyed her ball,” I answered as she frowned deeply.
“My goodness, I had no idea you had such a jerk character beneath your good one,” she said as I laughed.
“It’s not a jerk character, it’s called a reasonable one,” I answered when she glanced at the window.
“Oh wow, incoming. We have an angry human mother approaching our car,” she said as I sighed heavily, then turned, looking in front.
“Should we get rid of her?” I asked my wolf seriously.
When he didn’t answer, I brushed my hand through my hair, then stepped out of the car.
Immediately, my eyes set on her, I knew there and then that she was my mate.
A cold shiver spread throughout my body, and I forgot how to breathe for a second as her beautiful scent invaded my nostrils. The sun was shining brightly behind her, and she looked like a fucking angel.
She was slim, tall, close to my height, with an amazing figure. Her blond hair was tied into a ponytail, and she had a nose ring. Her lips were plump, and her eyes were a dark shade of brown. She looked young, younger than Sherry or Debby, and she was in casual clothes: a black t-shirt and grey shorts with white converse.
I snapped out of my daze when she angrily stood in front of me, grabbing my collar.
“What did you do?” she exclaimed.
“What?” I asked in a husky voice.
My wolf was too stunned to say a word, but he knew she was our mate as much as I did.
“I’m asking you what you did to my child!” she yelled at the top of her voice, and that was my wake-up call.
My heart ached badly, and the little hope that was beginning to form instantly perished.
So she was married with a child. Of course, why would the moon goddess give me a virgin mate when I was old and useless?
While I was in my pack, waiting like a fool, the moon goddess had already given my mate to another man, with whom she had a child. As if that wasn’t enough, she made us cross paths so I could forever know that I wasn’t worthy to have her.
“You don’t even have anything to say?” she asked.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered with a heavy heart.
She gasped, then slowly dropped her hands with a shocked expression on her face.
“Hey, you don’t have to cry about it!” she exclaimed.
“What was she talking about?” I asked myself silently.
“You don’t have to cry. I’m so sorry I was rude,” she said in a low tone, then moved her hand to my cheek.
When she touched there, I felt beautiful tingles spread all over my body, and my wolf purred happily.
“You don’t have to cry,” she whispered again, and that’s when it clicked that I was shedding tears.
I quickly moved my hand to my face and wiped off my tears, feeling embarrassed.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly, then looked at Debby when she stepped out of the car.
“Hey dear, I’m so sorry that my husband did that. It was clearly a mistake, so please do forgive us,” she said as I gazed at her in disbelief.
“Husband?” my mate asked in a small voice.
“Hell no, I…”
“Yes,” Debby responded, cutting off my words.
“I see,” she whispered, then smiled.
“If it’s okay, allow me to pay for the ball,” Debby said.
“Oh no. I do understand everything, so don’t pay me back or apologize in any way,” she said, then looked at me sadly.
I wanted to clarify everything just as my wolf was demanding me to, but I wasn’t going to do it. She had a child, which meant she was already married.
No matter how much I wanted to grab her hand and just drag her to a place where we could just be the two of us, I wasn’t going to do it.
She would feel bad to be taken away from her child and her partner, so the only good thing left to do was to let her go before she could be pulled in by the mate pull.
“Thank you for understanding. Now, if you don’t mind, my wife and I have to continue our journey,” I forced out the words.
Her eyes were instantly filled with unshed tears as she looked into my eyes.
I wanted to run, but my body was still, and I couldn’t find the strength to walk away from her.
“Honey, it’s time to go,” Debby said loudly, then moved closer and grabbed my hand, dragging me with her.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” I whispered, and then opened the back door for her.
She nodded at my mate with a smile, then got in.
I closed the back door behind her and went on to open the front door.
“Olivia,” my mate whispered behind me.
I turned and looked at her seriously.
“What?” I asked.
“My name is Olivia,” she said in a cracked voice as I smiled.
“Take her with you,” my wolf whispered.
He too knew how my reasoning was reasonable. We couldn’t take her with us no matter what.
“I’m called Alec, and my wife…” I trailed off when she lowered her gaze to the ground.
“Never mind. Thank you for your kindness, and hopefully one day, we will be able to cross paths,” I said softly, then turned and got in. I closed the door and started the car.
My wolf whimpered, and I felt as if my heart was being pierced as I started the car and looked at her for the last time.
She looked up and met my eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek.
I clenched one of my hands tightly, then shifted my gaze to the road.
“Alec,” Debby called in a whisper.
“I’m sorry,” I answered, then drove away as tears clouded my eyes.