Second Love is True Mate

When I woke up, I first noticed the sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic. My head pounded as I blinked against the dim light filtering through the closed curtains. The walls were plain, and the room was unfamiliar.

Then, I saw Cameron. He was sitting beside my bed, arms crossed, his face unreadable.

I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness hit me. Cameron noticed immediately and placed a firm hand on my shoulder.

“Take it easy,” he said. “You lost consciousness yesterday. You’ve been out for a day.”

My heart stuttered. “A whole day?”

He nodded. “The healer said it was due to stress. You’re lucky—your baby is still healthy, but you can’t keep putting yourself through this.”

The reminder of my pregnancy settled over me like a weight—my and Joey’s child.

“Please don’t tell Joey…” I begged Cameron.

“Again, it’s not my place. But if you want Joey to choose, I will support you. I promise,” Cameron said without hesitation, his eyes full of sincerity.

I exhaled shakily. “I need to get out of here.”

Cameron’s lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn’t argue. He helped me sit up slowly, his hand lingering near my back, ready to catch me if I swayed again.

When I stepped out of the healer’s room, I stopped cold. Jennie and Joey stood in the hallway. Their faces twisted with shock when they saw me. Jennie clutched Joey’s arm, her eyes wide.

“Kelly?”

I forced my expression into something neutral, though my stomach twisted in knots. I wasn’t ready to see Jennie this early. I still cursed her for what happened to my mother. I knew she had bitten my mother because she called me that night. She said she had a rogue sickness, and my mother went to her to heal her. After that, my mother got bitten, and they claimed innocence.

What shocked me more was to see Joey with her. Here I was, suffering from all the betrayals he did and the fact that I was carrying Joey’s child. Here, he was spending his precious days alone with Jennie.

“Why are you here? Are you sick?” Joey asked. He didn't even ask why I hadn’t shown up to the wedding boutique yesterday to try on the wedding dress.

“I was just under a lot of stress,” I said evenly.

Joey nodded and glanced at Jennie before saying, “I’ll see you at home after I help Jennie with her checkup.”

My nails dug into my palms, but I refused to let them see how deeply those words cut me. Just as I turned to leave, Cameron appeared at my side. His entire body tensed at the sight of Joey and Jennie together.

“Are you out of your damn mind?” he snapped at Joey.

Joey’s jaw tightened. “Cameron, don’t—”

“You have no shame, do you?” Cameron stepped closer, his voice dark and fury. “She knows, Joey. She knows everything.”

Joey paled, but I reached for Cameron’s arm before he could say more. “Not here,” I murmured. “I’ll talk to him at home.”

Cameron’s eyes burned with anger, but he held his tongue.

As I walked past Jennie, my gaze flickered to her hand, resting lightly on her stomach.

Suddenly, a sinking realization settled over me. Was Jennie pregnant, too? I didn’t stop to ask. I couldn’t.

As Cameron and I walked away from the healer’s hall, he turned to me, concern deepening the lines on his face. “Are you sure you want to talk to him alone?”

I nodded. “Joey’s not violent. He’s just… disloyal.” My voice wavered. “And in love with someone else.”

Cameron clenched his fists. “I don’t trust him.”

Neither did I, but I needed answers. I needed justice for my mother.

So I went home and waited for Joey. Cameron refused to leave, and I had no strength to keep pushing him away. I wanted to think of everything I could tell Joey, but I was too tired to argue.

When Joey finally arrived after a few hours, his brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of Cameron.

Joey scoffed, shaking his head before turning to me. “What’s going on, Kelly?”

I met his gaze, my hands trembling at my sides. “I know everything, Joey.”

He stiffened. “Everything?”

“About Jennie. About that night. About how you bonded with her while my mother was dying.”

His expression darkened. “Kelly, it’s not that simple.”

“It is,” I snapped. “You had a choice. And you chose her.”

Silence stretched between us, thick with tension.

Joey exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Then why did you?” My voice cracked. “You let me believe we had a future. You let me plan our wedding while you were already bound to someone else.”

Joey’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I thought I could make it right.”

“By lying to me?”

Joey didn’t answer. I took a deep breath, my wolf stirring beneath my skin. “I want justice for my mother, Joey.”

His head snapped up. “Kelly, don’t.”

“You can choose between me and Jennie,” I continued, voice steady. “But if you choose her, I will ensure you both pay for your actions.”

It was a bad move. It doesn't make sense to ask him to choose between Jennie and me, but I must do it for my child. I want to tell my child when he grows up that his father chose another woman. Joey didn’t choose, and my child should never trust his father.

Joey’s expression hardened. “You’re being ridiculous.”

That was when Cameron stepped forward. “Then let me make it simple for you,” he said coldly. “If you choose Jennie, I will marry Kelly. And you won’t be able to take her away from me.”