My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 187: She Wants To Be Alone

[Warning: Mixed POV]

- Rowan -

I lay flat on my back, staring up at the canopy of branches overhead.

Sleep wouldn’t come.

My wolf was restless, pacing beneath my skin with an energy that bordered on smug satisfaction. He was pleased with what had happened.

I wanted to be annoyed with him, but I couldn’t even muster the effort.

I didn’t regret what I said.

That was the thing. I had watched her face crumble, watched the hurt bloom in her eyes, and I still didn’t regret it.

I needed her to realise it.

I hadn’t been sure, but with how she had been acting lately, and especially with that kiss... I suspected she was holding back. All because of a wolf who hadn’t even bothered to claim her properly.

I closed my eyes.

Kael.

I had met him a handful of times over the years. Respected him, even. He was powerful, disciplined, and commanded his territory with an iron grip. Fresna was one of the strongest territories, if not the strongest.

But you don’t just handle every aspect of your life with power just like that.

He had known what Violet was from the moment they met. He had seen her potential, felt the bond, understood what she could become. And what had he done?

I had told myself I didn’t deserve her. That I had no right to pursue someone who already had a mate, even an unmarked one. I had tried to keep my distance, to respect whatever fragile thing she had built with him.

But the more I watched, the harder it became to stay silent.

If I had met her first...

The thought surfaced before I could stop it, and I let it linger.

If I had met her first, things would have been different.

But I hadn’t...

Kael had.

And he had wasted it.

I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes, frustration coiling tight in my chest.

I had planned for us to leave tonight, but after what happened, I didn’t know how to break the silence and bring it up.

She was hurting.

And I had caused it.

Maybe I should have been gentler and found a better moment instead of trying to shatter her defences all at once.

But to think she would even try to reject me first.

A sound reached my ears and I stiffened. No matter how quiet she was, I heard and sensed her leaving this space.

I sat up sharply. Her things were still here, some of them spread out on the fabric where she had been laying on.

But she was moving away.

Every instinct screamed at me to follow. To chase her down and bring her back if necessary. My wolf surged forward, eager and ready, practically clawing to be let loose.

"Go after her."

I forced myself to stay still.

If I followed her now, after everything, it would only make things worse. She likely needed some space to herself. I had pushed too hard already.

"She could run away and leave us."

"She wont," I snapped back at him, but Tte thought made my chest ache.

She could. She could leave everything behind and disappear into the woods, and I would have to track her down all over again.

But she wouldn’t.

Would she?

She was nearby. Not far. Just beyond the next few trees, close enough that I could still feel the faint pull of the bond between us.

"Rowan—"

"She will come back," I cut him off.

My wolf settled slightly, though his alertness remained.

I really wanted to believe she would.

I lay back down slowly, my eyes fixed on the shadows where she had disappeared.

- Violet -

I couldn’t stay there.

Not with him lying just a few paces away. Those stupid words and questions still echoed in my head and refused to leave.

I walked until the campsite disappeared behind me, until the only sounds were my own footsteps and the rustle of leaves overhead.

My chest felt tight.

I found a tree with thick roots that curved against the ground like a natural cradle. I sank down into the space between them, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around myself.

I didn’t care if that place was softer or more comfortable. It had been unbearable the moment he said those things.

My eyes burned, but I refused to cry.

I was so tired.

So impossibly tired.

I felt exhausted and I let it pull me down. My head fell back against the rough bark and I just told myself I needed a moment to breathe.

My eyes drifted closed.

[ - ]

I opened my eyes slowly, and confusion immediately washed over me.

This wasn’t the woods.

I was lying on something soft. A bed. The sheets beneath me were smooth, almost silken, and the air around me was warm and hazy, like steam rising from a hot bath.

I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but everything remained blurred at the edges.

Where was I?

I sat up and looked around, my heart racing as I tried to see far into the distance, but the haze was everywhere.

Was I dreaming?

I tried to stand up but my body suddenly felt so slow.

My pulse quickened with panic.

’This isn’t real. What is happening?’

The thought drifted through my mind, but it felt distant and almost unimportant.

A familiar warmth pressed against my back, causing me to flinch.

An arm slid around my waist slowly, and I felt the solid heat of a body settling behind me. The touch was gentle but firm, and the fingers splaying wide across my stomach pulled me back until I was flush against a broad chest.

Heat radiated from the body pressed to my back and I could not help the slow chill that tingled at my fingertips.

Rowan.

My breath caught. I should shove him away. I had told him not to touch me, and I had meant it...

But I couldn’t remember why.