Broken Queen Book 5
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Danni D
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Donât Break My Heart
ARIEL
My heart is running a marathon in my chest right now.
I try to take deep breaths, to steady myself, but a hundred different sensations are pulsing through my body.
Craving, longing, desire, lust, excitementâŠ
Just to name a fewâŠ
I can feel the nerves joining in my synapses, electricity shooting through my veins.
A new connection is formingâŠ
A mating bond.
I stare at the man standing in the training arena directly across from me. He looks just as confused and disoriented as I feel.
He has golden-brown skin, dark curly hair, and a scar over his left eye that makes me think heâs a more seasoned warrior than his recruit status suggests.
I feel dizzy as my eyes flit to his defined muscles, his statuesque body, then his roguish stubble, ending on his haunting amber eyes.
One of us needs to speak, to say somethingâanythingâto break this silence, but weâre both in a state of shock.
My wolf is just as silent in my mind. She knows who her real mate is, but this damned destined connection is throwing her off.
The recruit takes a step forward and my wolf regains her wits, as do I. Weâre immediately on guard.
âWho are you?â I finally manage to rasp.
âI amââhe hesitatesââI amâŠmy name is Matt.â
My new mate, Matt. Fucking great.
âYouâre a new recruit to the Royal Pack warriors?â I question.
He nods, still looking disoriented from the sudden mate bond that has invaded his body like an alien.
âListen,â I say firmly, âI know this is confusing, and I canât even begin to explain to you how this happenedâthat story is far too longâŠâ
Matt waits for me to continue, perplexed.
âBut I canât be your mate!â I say, much louder than Iâd planned.
Iâm surprised to see not disappointment washing over Mattâs face, but insteadâŠrelief.
âOh, thank the Goddess,â he says, his shoulders instantly relaxing.
Wait, what?!
Itâs not that I want him to desire me, but alsoâŠ
What the hell?
Am I that repulsive?
âAre you okay?â Matt asks, shaking me from my thoughts.
âOh, yeah, sorryâŠ,â I say. I can almost hear Amyâs voice in the back of my mind, even though sheâs all the way in the Scripture Pack. Get it together, bitch!
âSo, we are technically mates, but we do not want thisâŠagreed?â Matt says, rubbing the stubble on his cheeks. His fingers look calloused and rough.
âAgreed,â I reply.
I learned my lesson with my first destined mate.
Destiny did me dirty with Xavier. Destined mates are far more trouble than theyâre worth.
Not today, Fate, NOT TODAY.
âIâm already mated, and very much in love,â I say. âTo the royal alpha.â
Mattâs amber eyes widen in disbelief.
âYou are mated to the king?! But then that makes youâŠâ
âThe luna,â I say pointedly. âAnd Iâm also your squad leader, which is just as inappropriate.â
âOkay, this just got even more complicated,â Matt mutters under his breath.
Yeah, how do you think I feel?!
Matt suddenly gives me an intense look of resolve.
âReject me,â he says harshly. âRight here, right now.â
Iâm taken aback by how completely certain he seems.
âI will be the one to take the pain,â he says. âIt is the only way.â
The painâŠ
Xavierâs sneering voice enters my head before I can stop it.
His voice is cold, completely devoid of emotion. âI reject you as my mate and luna.â
The moment Xavier broke our mating bondâŠ
I remember that feeling like it was yesterday.
All the torture Iâd faced at the hands of the Hunters, my body being torn open by their experimentsâŠ
That was nothing compared to what I felt that day in the Crescent Moon Pack.
It felt like my still-beating heart had been ripped from my chest and crushed into dust.
A wave of immense guilt hits me as I stare into Mattâs eyes.
Can I really do it?
Can I do what Xavier did to me, knowing just how much it broke me?
âPlease, I am asking you to do this,â Matt says, a hint of desperation in his voice. âIt is whatâs best for both of us.â
I know heâs right, but that doesnât make it any easier.
And he has no idea the pain thatâs in store for him.
Moon Goddess, give me strength.
I have to do this. Not just for me, but for Alex.
Iâm so sorry, MattâŠ
I take a deep breath, ready to say the wordsâŠ
The words that will sever our connection forever.
But before the rejection can escape my lips, a white light shrouds my vision.
âArielâŠ,â says a silky, faraway voice.
âSelene?â I reply, not knowing if Iâm still in the training arena with Matt or if Iâm somewhere deep within my own mind.
Selene appears before me, a graceful smile on her face.
Iâm always astonished by her ethereal beauty, no matter how many times she appears to me, and this time is no different.
She takes my hands in hers and kisses me on the forehead.
âIâve asked so much of you, my child. But I must ask you for your help once again.â
I feel weightless as Selene places a hand on my heart.
âYour love for your chosen mate is beautiful and pure. You and Alex have made each other whole again.â
I nod, smiling as I think of the relationship Iâve built with Alex.
Weâve overcome every obstacle Fate has thrown our way.
âBut your new destined mateâŠhis heart is not whole yet,â Selene says, causing my smile to falter.
âWhat do you mean?â I ask.
âHe is lost, and his heart is hurting.â
âBut what does that have to do with me?â
âI gave you the gift of healing, my child. You must use it to mend what is broken.â
I suddenly understand what Selene is asking of me.
Maybe itâs the years of interpreting vague riddles from a literal goddess, but I know exactly what Iâm supposed to do.
âI canât break my mating bond with Matt just yetâŠ,â I say. Selene nods.
It looks like Iâll be tethered to Matt for a while longerâŠ
âFirst, I have to heal his broken heart.â
