Broken Queen Book 5
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Danni D
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57,9K
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25
Donāt 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, excitementā¦
Just to name a fewā¦
I can feel the nerves joining in my synapses, electricity shooting through my veins.
A new connection is formingā¦
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 heās 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 somethingāanythingāto break this silence, but weāre 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. Weāre immediately on guard.
āWho are you?ā I finally manage to rasp.
āI amāāhe hesitatesāāI amā¦my name is Matt.ā
My new mate, Matt. Fucking great.
āYouāre a new recruit to the Royal Pack warriors?ā I question.
He nods, still looking disoriented from the sudden mate bond that has invaded his body like an alien.
āListen,ā I say firmly, āI know this is confusing, and I canāt even begin to explain to you how this happenedāthat story is far too longā¦ā
Matt waits for me to continue, perplexed.
āBut I canāt be your mate!ā I say, much louder than Iād planned.
Iām surprised to see not disappointment washing over Mattās face, but insteadā¦relief.
āOh, thank the Goddess,ā he says, his shoulders instantly relaxing.
Wait, what?!
Itās not that I want him to desire me, but alsoā¦
What the hell?
Am I that repulsive?
āAre you okay?ā Matt asks, shaking me from my thoughts.
āOh, yeah, sorryā¦,ā I say. I can almost hear Amyās voice in the back of my mind, even though sheās all the way in the Scripture Pack. Get it together, bitch!
āSo, we are technically mates, but we do not want thisā¦agreed?ā Matt says, rubbing the stubble on his cheeks. His fingers look calloused and rough.
āAgreed,ā I reply.
I learned my lesson with my first destined mate.
Destiny did me dirty with Xavier. Destined mates are far more trouble than theyāre worth.
Not today, Fate, NOT TODAY.
āIām already mated, and very much in love,ā I say. āTo the royal alpha.ā
Mattās amber eyes widen in disbelief.
āYou are mated to the king?! But then that makes youā¦ā
āThe luna,ā I say pointedly. āAnd Iām also your squad leader, which is just as inappropriate.ā
āOkay, this just got even more complicated,ā Matt mutters under his breath.
Yeah, how do you think I feel?!
Matt suddenly gives me an intense look of resolve.
āReject me,ā he says harshly. āRight here, right now.ā
Iām taken aback by how completely certain he seems.
āI will be the one to take the pain,ā he says. āIt is the only way.ā
The painā¦
Xavierās sneering voice enters my head before I can stop it.
His voice is cold, completely devoid of emotion. āI reject you as my mate and luna.ā
The moment Xavier broke our mating bondā¦
I remember that feeling like it was yesterday.
All the torture Iād faced at the hands of the Hunters, my body being torn open by their experimentsā¦
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 Mattās eyes.
Can I really do it?
Can I do what Xavier did to me, knowing just how much it broke me?
āPlease, I am asking you to do this,ā Matt says, a hint of desperation in his voice. āIt is whatās best for both of us.ā
I know heās right, but that doesnāt make it any easier.
And he has no idea the pain thatās in store for him.
Moon Goddess, give me strength.
I have to do this. Not just for me, but for Alex.
Iām so sorry, Mattā¦
I take a deep breath, ready to say the wordsā¦
The words that will sever our connection forever.
But before the rejection can escape my lips, a white light shrouds my vision.
āArielā¦,ā says a silky, faraway voice.
āSelene?ā I reply, not knowing if Iām still in the training arena with Matt or if Iām somewhere deep within my own mind.
Selene appears before me, a graceful smile on her face.
Iām 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.
āIāve asked so much of you, my child. But I must ask you for your help once again.ā
I feel weightless as Selene places a hand on my heart.
āYour love for your chosen mate is beautiful and pure. You and Alex have made each other whole again.ā
I nod, smiling as I think of the relationship Iāve built with Alex.
Weāve overcome every obstacle Fate has thrown our way.
āBut your new destined mateā¦his heart is not whole yet,ā Selene says, causing my smile to falter.
āWhat do you mean?ā I ask.
āHe is lost, and his heart is hurting.ā
āBut what does that have to do with me?ā
āI gave you the gift of healing, my child. You must use it to mend what is broken.ā
I suddenly understand what Selene is asking of me.
Maybe itās the years of interpreting vague riddles from a literal goddess, but I know exactly what Iām supposed to do.
āI canāt break my mating bond with Matt just yetā¦,ā I say. Selene nods.
It looks like Iāll be tethered to Matt for a while longerā¦
āFirst, I have to heal his broken heart.ā
