Tanner sits in the dark, elbows resting on his knees, head buried in his hands.
The quiet around him feels thick, almost suffocating. His fingers claw into his hair, breath catching unevenly, throat dry as sandpaper.
Why won't it stop?
He pulls his palms down his face, desperate to wipe away the ache that's lodged itself deep inside.
'It makes no sense.
I don't love him. So what the hell is this? I don't love a man. I would never love a man. Then what is happening!?
Mate bond?! Hah! How funny_ because I've never seen anyone else go crazy over it like I am! Is it even possible to erase it?!'
His mind spins, thoughts chasing one another in a relentless loop. It's been this way ever since he met Jess, and it only got worse after he told him to leave, to go somewhere far away where neither he nor anyone from the pack would ever see him again.
But what truly haunts him is how Jess left quietly, without a word, without shouting, crying, or even looking back.
That silence lingers, heavy and accusing. What did Jess take with him that he couldn't say out loud?
He can't forget the look in Jess's eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, or the way his face twisted with pain. That image is burned into his mind.
He pushes himself up abruptly and walks to the window, staring out but not really seeing. His reflection stares back, hollow and exhausted.
She loves me. She's here, waiting. She chose me, she wants to marry me. So why can't I love her?!
His hand clenches into a fist at his side.
But why does he feel a growing emptiness inside him, a hollow space no matter how much he tries to fill it.
A sudden knock pulls him from his thoughts. He turns stiffly as the door opens and servants step inside carrying neatly folded clothes.
"Alpha, the time is almost due," one says, bowing respectfully. "We've come to help you prepare."
Their faces glow with anticipation, but Tanner barely looks at them.
"Put the clothes on the bed," he says quietly, voice heavy. "I'll manage."
The joy drains from the room. The servants set the garments down and leave quickly. Just as the door begins to close, Charlotte slips in.
"Hey," she whispers softly.
Before he can respond, she wraps her arms around him from behind.
His body freezes, he can't hide how tense he is under her touch, but she doesn't let go. She holds him tightly, pretending like she hasn't noticed it.
"Our day is finally here," she murmurs against his back.
"Yeah," Tanner says, forcing the word out like a bitter pill. "Finally."
Charlotte smiles, a smile that's half genuine, half forced, her eyes gleam with eager anticipation for the wedding night, longing to have him completely for the first time, just as she always wanted, before she finally brings him down.
"Should we get ready?" Tanner asks, desperate for space, for air, for any escape from this closeness.
"Sure," she answers, stepping around to face him. She leans in and kisses him softly. "I love you," she breathes.
He hesitates but answers, "I love you too." The words feel empty, lifeless between them. He returns the kiss, barely.
Charlotte leaves. The moment the door shuts, Tanner exhales, a long, heavy sigh, like he's been holding his breath underwater for far too long.
He moves to the bed to pick up the clothes but immediately freezes.
A faint scent drifts through the air, soft but undeniable. It's warm, earthy, with a trace of pine and something uniquely his, an undertone that once lingered on his skin and in his sheets.
It slips into his lungs like a whisper from the past, sending a sharp jolt through his chest.
Jess.
His hand drops the fabric. His heart jolts, head swimming.
No.
I must be imagining this. He can't be here.
But he doesn't believe it because he can feel him. The presence. So close, so impossibly near, his body is already reacting. Heat surges through his blood.
His wolf stirs instantly, like it's been waiting, sensing him before his mind could catch up.
Mate, it claws.
He turns toward the door, about to rush outside to look for him, when a voice threads into his mind.
"If you can hear this… can I talk to you?"
The voice is urgent but low. It's real.
Jess.
When two people share a strong bond, especially mates, it doesn't matter how far apart they are. They can reach each other, even through silence, even without being that near.
Tanner's pulse spikes. His face remains unreadable, but inside, everything shifts.
"Where are you? Get into my room. Now. Don't let anyone see you," he commands quietly.
He doesn't know what he's feeling anymore. Confusion, fear, longing, frustration, none of it fits. All he knows is that Jess is around, and that fact is making it impossible for him to ignore the fact that he needs to see him.
Seconds crawl by.
Then the door creaks open.
Jess slips in, breathless, eyes tired. Tanner's heart hammers at the scent flooding the room.
He isn't dressed like he used to be when Tanner last saw him pretending to be someone else.
Tanner watches, stunned, trying not to let his emotions show.