Chapter 7

Samantha’s POV The call from the twins brought me back to reality, clearing my head from the highs. Devon’s voice still rang in my ears, and I had to cut this trip short and get home to them as soon as possible. Whatever was going on here with Dominic could not compare to the urgency of being there for my twins. My fingers tightened around the phone, and a wave of realization hit me so hard that I felt my knees weaken. Dominic was my mate. My wolf had confirmed it, the strong attraction, the pull drawing me closer to him, it was the mate bond tugging, aching to be fulfilled. It felt like fate had reached out to mock me, ripping away any sense of control I thought I had. All those years of trying to move on, of telling myself I was strong enough to build a life without him, now felt like a cruel lie. Why did I have to suffer his betrayal and neglect first before I was made to realize that we were fated to each other? Why did fate have to play dirty on me? It’s unfair! Now that I had my resolve, a new life with my twins and without Dominic. I was already happy. But why did it have to be this way? Anger bubbled up, boiling in my blood and rushing to my head. It was not just frustration at the universe or the unfairness of it all. It was anger at myself, too, for still feeling something when I looked at him. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, he still had this hold over me, and that made me feel even more trapped. The mate bond was unbreakable, something I could not change or escape from, no matter how much I wished I could. It was not fair. But I could not afford to let these feelings consume me. Right now, my kids needed me. Devon and Diana’s call reminded me of my real priorities. My twins were my everything. They had to come first, above my own hurt, above whatever Dominic and I were supposed to be. It was not about me or him anymore. It was about them. They are my life now. I was done with Dominic. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down, even as my heart raced and my emotions swirled. Falling apart was not an option, not now. I had too much to protect, too much depending on me. I swallowed back the ache in my chest and steadied myself before turning away until Dominic’s voice cut in before I could take another step. “Leaving already?” he asked. His brow was knitted, eyes filled with frustration, and his jaw clenched as he focused his gaze on me. It bothered him that I was walking away after everything that had just happened between us. But I could not deal with it. Not right now. My twins needed me more. But he did not have to know that. “Yes,” I simply replied, without giving any more explanation nor the reason why. He was welcome to take any guess, but I would never tell him about Devon and Diana. He betrayed me, neglected me, he had chosen another woman. He did not deserve to be part of my twin’s life. He stepped forward and reached for my hand, stopping me as he spoke. “So, that’s it?” He sounded frustrated, maybe even hurt, his eyes searching mine for something, an emotion that I had given him six years ago but I had learned to bury it. “After everything, you’re just going to leave?” he added, and unmistakably there was a tinge of betrayal in his voice that he tried to mask. I remembered myself six years ago, I was like that too, frustrated, hurt, and begging for his attention. But he made his choice to ignore me as if I was only a chore. I pulled my hand back and retorted. “I have responsibilities.” “To Killian?” he taunted, and there was a sharp accusation in his tone. I did not answer him. I did not owe him an explanation. His hands clenched at his sides, frustration building evidently, painting across his face. “Tell me the truth, Samantha,” he demanded. “Are you going back to him?” The question hit me like a punch. He was wrong, so wrong. But the last thing I wanted was to explain, to get into all of that right now. “It doesn’t matter,” I replied firmly. “It matters to me,” he insisted, his jaw clenching as he controlled the fury and perhaps a flicker of jealousy that I saw cross his eyes. I took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts of the mate bond out of my mind. I could not afford to care. “It doesn’t,” I replied. “We have nothing to talk about, Dominic.” “Nothing?” he uttered in disbelief as his eyes darkened his anger simmering on the surface demanding an answer. “After all this, you’re really going to stand there and say that?” “I have no reason to stay here with you, Dominic. I am leaving.” “That’s it?” he scoffed. “It was just sex, Dominic. Don’t read too much into it,” I recited the same words he had thrown at me six years ago when I was the one who wanted him to stay. And with my words, his eyes widened in recognition to the same phrase he had uttered before. He was silent for a second, and when I thought he was done, he spoke, “Why are you so determined to leave?” he asked, a softness in his voice, as if he had just realized the cruelty of his words that were now stabbing him back. The pain in his eyes twisted something inside me as if I could feel the same, because, in the first place, I knew how it felt like to be treated like nothing. But I held my ground. “Because some things are better left in the past,” I managed to say, even though it felt like a lie. The bond between us was still there, thrumming like a strummed guitar string, pulling me in, but I could not let myself give in to it. I took a step back, knowing I had to be the one to break free. “I have to go,” I said, my voice was barely above a whisper. As I turned away, the thought about Olivia had crossed my mind, the woman I thought he had chosen and cared for due to a mate bond between them— but I was wrong, knowing now that I was the one who was fated to him. I couldn’t stop myself from asking… “Do you still want to find your fated mate?” the words slipped out before I could stop them, so I continued. “What would you do if you found her?” Dominic’s expression froze, the question hitting him harder than I expected. But I did not wait for his answer. I couldn’t. If I stayed any longer, I might break, and I couldn’t let that happen. I turned and walked away, each step taking me further from him, from the pull it was getting harder to ignore.