Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Begging for what’s gone

Aiden’s POV

"Are you fucking kidding me, Alina?" My voice came out rough, shaking with rage. "He comes to your room every night?"

"Aiden, you shouldn’t be here—"

"Answer the damn question," I growled, stepping closer. "Does he come to your room every night?"

Alina lifted her chin. "I don’t have to answer to you. Why are you even here? What do you want?"

Something inside me snapped. I grabbed both her arms and yanked her against me, so close I could feel her breath on my face.

"You’re hurting me," she gasped, her voice tight with pain.

"You don’t belong to that man, Alina," I snarled, my grip tightening. "This mate nonsense ends now."

"Aiden, you’re hurting me!" she yelled, twisting hard until I finally let go. She rubbed her arms, eyes flashing. "Can you even hear yourself? You’re getting married to Emily soon, and you’re here in my room. What does that make you, Aiden? A cheat. You couldn’t stay faithful to me, and now you’re doing the same thing to the woman you claim to love."

She took a shaky breath, her words cutting deeper with every second.

"In case you don’t know, let me spell it out for you—you’re marrying Emily, your true Luna. Whoever I let into this room is none of your business." Her voice dropped. "I need to sleep. Please leave."

The moment she turned her back on me, my wolf surged forward, wild and desperate. I snatched her arm, spun her around, and shoved her against the wall, pinning her there with my body.

"What the hell are you doing?" Fear flashed across her face.

I crashed my mouth onto hers, hard and demanding. She fought back, sinking her teeth into my bottom lip.

"Fuck!" I jerked away. Blood trickled down my chin.

"Stay away from me," she hissed.

I smirked, even as the sting burned. Then I kissed her again, rougher this time, pouring every bit of frustration and hunger into it. She pushed against my chest at first, but slowly her lips softened. She let me in.

Our tongues met. Deep, messy, desperate. Moans slipped into each other’s mouths. When I finally pulled back, a thin string of spit stretched between our lips before it broke. I smirked, breathing hard.

"You’re mine, Alina."

Her eyes locked on mine, dark and shining.

"I don’t belong to you anymore, Aiden."

"You were mine once," I murmured, still keeping her trapped against the wall, my voice low and raw. "And you will be mine again."

Alina let out a soft, broken laugh as tears welled up in her eyes. "You chose another woman, Aiden." Her voice cracked. "Now you don’t get to touch what you abandoned."

The pain in her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I slowly loosened my grip on her wrists but didn’t step back, my eyes still fixed on hers.

"I think you should leave now," she whispered, her voice barely there. "I really don’t want you here."

"I came here because I need you to change my mind about this wedding," I blurted out, my chest tight. "I think I made a mistake, Alina. I thought I could go through with it, but I can’t. You’re all I think about. I was stubborn... I didn’t listen to my wolf when he begged me not to break things with you. Because you... you’re the one I love so desperately."

The words finally left my mouth. A heavy relief washed over my chest.

"I love you, Alina."

She just stood there. No spark in her eyes. Only a weak, tired smile touched her lips.

"You love me now because you don’t own me anymore, Aiden," she said quietly, her eyes starting to glisten with tears again. "You love me now because you hate Lucian. You love me because you’re trying to prove something to yourself... not because you actually love me."

Her voice trembled as fresh tears gathered.

"The old me would have been so happy to hear this. I used to yearn for these words every single day I was your Luna. But Aiden... it’s already too late." She swallowed hard. "Because I don’t love you."

My eyes widened, shock hitting me like ice in my veins.

"You don’t feel the same way about me?" My voice cracked. "Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Lucian."

The words came out rough, dripping with possession.

"Like I said, my business isn’t yours anymore," she replied, her tone flat. "Who I fall in love with shouldn’t matter to you. You deserve happiness. Go be with your first love, just like you always wanted. Leave me out of this."

She pushed me aside and tried to walk away.

"Why do you hate me, Alina?" I choked out. "Why do you want to see me shattered?"

A jagged, bitter laugh escaped her.

"Can you honestly listen to yourself, Aiden?" She didn’t even turn to face me. "Don’t you sound like a broken record?" Her shoulders slumped. "Our Chapter has ended. Our wolf bond has ended."

I couldn’t let her walk away. I moved fast, grabbing her and spinning her back to me.

"Our bond never ended," I said fiercely, my hands gripping her arms. "I thought it did, but it never did. And it never will. You are still my mate because our bond comes from the heavens, Alina. So please... just say the word. I’ll stop this marriage. I’ll end it all right now. We can be a happy family again. Just please... tell me you want me to call off this wedding."

My voice shook with raw desperation as I searched her eyes, begging silently for any sign of the love that used to be there.

"Aiden, I..." Alina started, then stopped. Her lips pressed together like the words were stuck in her throat.

I held my breath, my heart hammering so hard it felt like it would crack my ribs. My hands were still gripping her arms, not tight enough to hurt this time, but tight enough that she couldn’t pull away easily. I needed her to say yes. I needed her to want me again.