<h4>Chapter 305: Caught</h4>


    Calvin’s POV


    The door to my room pushed open, and even before the person stepped inside, her intoxicating scent hit my nose, making my wolf lose his damn mind.


    "Mate!" he growled in my head—loud and possessive—pacing like a caged beast ready to pounce. His voice vibrated through me, tasting her scent like it was the finest thing in existence.


    I clenched my jaw and forced myself to keep myposure, ignoring the rush of heat in my chest. I wasn’t about to let my emotions take over.


    Nora stepped in quietly, bncing a tray of juice I had requested earlier. Her eyes flicked to mine for the briefest second, and my wolf practically roared again, demanding I im her.


    "Mine." His voice was raw, insistent. "Touch her. Take her."


    I inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to let my instincts win. "Thanks," I muttered, my tone polite. My voice came out rough, like gravel, betraying the strain I was under.


    She gave me a polite smile, setting the tray down on the table beside me. But every movement she made—every shift of her body—only drove my wolf wilder.


    I had to grip the armrest of my chair to stop myself from reaching out.


    I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to stay even. "You can leave now," I said, not trusting myself to look at her for too long.


    But she didn’t move. Instead, she crossed her arms, her chin tilting slightly as she studied me. "Since you don’t want me as your mate," she said calmly, "why don’t we just reject each other quietly? No one has to know."


    My frown deepened.


    Yes... I had told her I didn’t want a mate. And it was true—I don’t believe in the mate bond. She was my second chance mate, but I’d already convinced myself that mates only brought weakness, distraction, and pain.


    Still... the casual way she said it, like I meant nothing... that hurt more than I expected.


    "Why are you so desperate for it?" I asked, my voice low.


    She folded her arms tighter, meeting my gaze without flinching. "So I can explore other men," she replied tly.


    A sharp, ugly pang of jealousy shot through me. Other men?


    In a sh, my hand shot out and I pulled her onto myp, my grip firm around her waist. She gasped softly, ring at me as if daring me to let go.


    "Other men?" I repeated, my voice filled with jealousy. "So you’re already seeing someone?"


    Her lips curved in the faintest smirk. "That’s none of your business, Alpha Calvin. You made it clear you don’t want me. So I can fuck anyone I want to."


    That... did it.


    The thought of her with another man lit a fire in my chest so fierce I could barely think. My wolf snarled violently in my head, demanding I put her in her ce.


    Without another word, I crashed my lips against hers in a hard, possessive kiss. There was nothing gentle about it—I imed her mouth like I owned it, like I had every right to.


    And in that moment, I didn’t care what I’d said before.


    She was mine.


    She struggled against me at first, her hands pressing lightly against my chest as if to push me away. But the more I kissed her, the more that resistance began to melt.


    I deepened the kiss, pouring into it everything I shouldn’t be feeling. Pain. Longing. Desire I’d been denying since the moment I saw her.


    She was everything I had ever wanted in a woman—beautiful, innocent, a pure heart that radiated warmth. But I knew better. Those things... they never stayed the same. They would change. People always changed.


    Still... in that moment, I couldn’t stop myself. My lips moved over hers like I was trying to memorize the taste, my fingers gripping her waist tightly as if she might disappear if I let go.


    Then—


    The door burst open.


    I tore my lips from hers and looked up sharply, my chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. My eyes locked with the wide, shocked gaze of my sister standing frozen in the doorway.


    "Shit!" Nora gasped and jumped out of myp.


    "Olivia... you are—" she couldn’tplete her words.


    Olivia narrowed her eyes at Nora, then she stared back at me with a raised brow.


    I sighed and sat upright. "Nora... please excuse us."


    Nora hesitated like she wanted to argue, but after a second, she turned and walked out, unable to meet Olivia’s gaze.


    Olivia’s sharp gaze stayed on me even after Nora had slipped out, the air still tense from what she’d just walked in on.


    "What is going on, brother?" she asked, folding her arms, her tone demanding answers.


    I exhaled slowly, running a hand over my face. There was no point in lying. "Nora... is my mate."


    Her eyes widened instantly. "Your mate? And you didn’t think to tell me?"


    I looked away, my jaw tightening.


    "Why?" she pressed. "Is it because of her status? Calvin, you know Nora is a nicedy. You shouldn’t care about status when ites to mates."


    I shook my head firmly. "It’s never been about her status, Olivia. The truth is... Nora is my second chance mate. I’ve had a mate before."


    Her brows shot up even higher. "You have? Where is she now?"


    A bitterugh escaped me. "Probably with my best friend right now... maybe even having their second child together."


    Her lips parted in shock. "What? How?"


    I leaned back in my chair, my gaze going cold as I thought back. "She’d been in love with my best friend for years. I didn’t know. When she turned eighteen, we found out we were mates. But she never let me mark her—always saying she wanted the mate mark on our wedding night. I said fine, let’s marry. She refused, saying she was too young. She wanted to wait until she was twenty."


    My voice darkened. "What I didn’t know... was that she was sleeping with my best friend the whole time. I never even touched her, Olivia. Not once."


    Her expression softened with something close to pity, but she said nothing. She let me talk.


    "Then one day," I continued, my voice almost a growl, "she came to me, asking me to forgive her. She wanted us to reject each other quietly because she was pregnant with his child. So I did it. I rejected her... and she left without looking back."


    I clenched the armrests, fighting the burn in my chest.


    Olivia’s eyes softened a little as she studied me.


    "So... is that why you don’t want Nora? Because of what your first mate did to you?"


    I didn’t answer right away. My gaze dropped to the floor. "I’m... scared, Olivia. I don’t believe in the mate bond anymore. Not after that. I’ve seen what it can turn into. How it can destroy you."


    She stepped a little closer. "Nora is not like that, Calvin. She’s nothing like your first mate."


    I shook my head firmly. "No. I don’t want it. I can’t... go through that again." My voice dropped lower. "Please, Olivia... just leave it alone."


    She opened her mouth to say something more, but I turned my face away, my tone final. "Please... leave."


    Olivia studied me for a moment longer, then with a faint, troubled sigh, she nodded and quietly walked out.