His Rotting Core of Love

The pain eventually lulled me into a restless sleep. I was only startled awake when Kaelen returned at midnight and flicked on the bedroom light.

His expression was thunderous. “Elara, why did you block me?”

Seeing I didn't respond, he strode over, roughly shoved his cold hand under the waistband of my pajama bottoms, and pressed it against my lower abdomen.

His Alpha scent only sharpened the ache inside me.

He withdrew his hand and said, “This is payback for your pettiness. I told you. She's just a member of my Pack. I help her purely out of my duty as an Alpha.”

A sharp cramp shot through my lower abdomen. I was in too much pain to find the strength or the will to argue with him.

Kaelen sighed in resignation. “Alright. Don't be angry anymore. I'm sorry, it was my fault. I'll do better, okay?”

His perfunctory apology was the same empty promise I'd heard countless times. In the end, I was the only one who ever took them seriously.

A dull ache spread through my chest at the thought.

Noticing my pale face, Kaelen offered to get me some herbs. “Pregnancy pains again? You really need to take better care of yourself. I'll get you some soothing herbs.”

“I'm so good to you, yet you always manage to piss me off.”

His condescending concern was a slap in the face. A mother who had just lost her pup needed her mate's comfort, not his charity. It seemed he had never truly cared for me.

While Kaelen was rummaging in the storage room, he left his comm crystal on the bedside table. The screen was flashing with the name “S, my little trouble.”

I calmly averted my gaze and reached for the glass of water on the nightstand.

Kaelen appeared as if out of nowhere, lunging forward to snatch the crystal away.

In the process, the silver warding charm he wore to block out distracting thoughts scraped across the back of my hand, leaving a searing mark.

The skin on the back of my hand flared an angry red from the burn.

“What are you doing? I told you there's nothing between Seraphina and me, yet you sneak a look at my messages when I'm not here! Stop being so paranoid!”

I looked at the panic flashing in his eyes and said calmly, “I was just getting some water.”

My calmness seemed to catch him off guard. Realizing he had overreacted, he tried to smooth things over.

“Stubborn as ever, huh? Did you burn your hand? Let me see.”

He took my hand, blowing gently on the silver burn. “I am your mate. If you can't trust me, who can? Our mate bond is built on trust—”

“Is it?” I cut him off, staring directly into his eyes.

“Of course. Our pup is getting bigger now. Everything should be fine, right?” He showed no guilt, trying to lean in for a kiss, but I turned my face away, avoiding his touch.

Annoyance flashed in his eyes. He was about to speak when an urgent knocking came from outside the mansion.

It was Seraphina. She stood at the door in a revealing silk nightgown. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were red and swollen.

Kaelen instinctively moved to go to her but glanced at me. He stiffened, forcing a stern expression onto his face. “It's late. Why are you here?”

I watched them coolly. “How does she know the passcode for our wards?”

He stiffened unnaturally and replied, “She left something here when I was handling some affairs for her old Pack.”

“We weren't home at the time, so I told her to come get it herself.”

Seraphina shrank back. “Alpha Kaelen is right, Elara. I'm sorry to bother you, but I thought I sensed a rogue near my house. I was scared, so I—I…”

Kaelen stepped forward and draped his own coat over her shoulders. His gaze softened with pity as he looked at Seraphina.