Changing Boyfriends

Sloane’s POV Rain hammered steadily, and by the time we reached my apartment door, we were soaked. The storm had worsened during the drive home, wind howling hard enough to make the old building tremble slightly as Xavier carried me. The night felt surreal. My head rested weakly against his shoulder while my wolf remained disturbingly quiet inside me. Wounded, I could still feel the echo of Kai’s guilt through the mate bond. Faint now, but enough to leave a twisting pain in my chest. By morning, I will be as good as new, healed completely by Zia. For now, I try to hold my pain inside- both my bruised body and my heart. Pointing weakly toward the spare key hidden beneath the flowerpot, Xavier adjusted his hold on me as he bent slightly, bringing our faces closer together. My pulse quickened instantly. It had nothing to do with attraction and everything to do with his alpha aura. Wait- how does he know I use the back entrance and not the front? His eyes lingered on me a bit, then he unlocked the door, pocketed the key, and stepped inside. "Bedroom?" Xavier asked quietly, glancing around my tiny apartment. Tiny, as in the kitchen and living room were practically one room. The bedroom was even smaller. My entire place was probably smaller than the porch back at his house. "I-I can walk," I muttered, clearing my throat, struggling against his hold, and he put me down slowly. I did not need him seeing my personal space. I could not even remember if I had undergarments scattered around somewhere. Then another thought hit me- amnesia. "I live here?" "Yup." "Do I even have a phone?" I asked, pretending I was unfamiliar with the poverty surrounding us. Poverty in his eyes, not mine. I loved my place. "Yes, you do, but it must be… Ah, in your truck. I’ll check after you’ve settled in." Turning my eyes to pretend the couch’s mismatched cushions didn't disturb me, they dipped beneath my weight while he crouched down and removed my shoes without a word. My throat tightened unexpectedly because Kai used to do things like that. Xavier straightened afterward, his gray eyes landing briefly on mine. "Towel?" Oh no. Shrugging awkwardly, I watched him disappear into the room while I cringed internally. Seconds later, he returned with a towel and began drying my collarbone-length hair while my thoughts drifted unwillingly back to Kai and the last few nights he had canceled on me. It hurt. Even with my wolf working overtime to shield me from it. When he finished, Xavier hung the towel over the back of my single chair. "Let me make you something to eat. You must be starving." Seeing me about to refuse, he added, "I am. And it’s pouring out." Meaning he could not leave for food anyway. Xavier moved toward the kitchen while I switched on the television, trying desperately to calm the storm raging inside my chest. Nothing made sense- not Kai’s lies. Not why Xavier had agreed to pretend to be my boyfriend when he hated me. He had never been openly cruel, but I still remembered being fifteen and overhearing pack members whispering that I only stayed close to the Rhodes family because I had nowhere else to go. That was true. Kai’s parents had taken me in, so it was obvious I would be close to them. They called me a stray clinging to stronger bloodlines. Xavier had cornered me outside the training grounds after hearing I got into a fight with one of the girls spreading rumors. "People already talk enough," he said coldly. "Stop giving them reasons." I remembered staring at him in humiliation. "You think I’m using Kai?" "I think," Xavier replied evenly, "you should remember, Sloane, that nothing here truly belongs to you." The memory still hurts years later. Now here he is, years later, team captain and forward, not to mention campus heartthrob, and in my rickety kitchen, pretending to be my boyfriend. A few minutes later, Xavier returned with noodle soup. I had no appetite whatsoever, but I forced it down anyway because eating gave me something to focus on besides the unbearable silence hanging between us. An hour passed. I pretended to be falling asleep so he would finally leave, but instead he crossed the room, scooped me into his arms, and ignored my weak protests. "I can’t. You’re short, but the couch is shorter." Turning easily, he carried me toward the bedroom. Right then, the front door rattled open, and Kai stepped inside. "She’s falling asleep," Xavier told him calmly, and I caught the way Kai’s entire face tightened instantly. "No problem. I’ll wait for you." Nodding, Xavier stepped into my tiny bedroom and lowered me gently onto the bed. "You sure you’re okay, Sloane? When I leave here, I’m heading home." Still pretending to be sleepy, I nodded faintly through half-lidded eyes. Pulling the blanket over me, Xavier lingered for a moment before his phone rang. "Hey, man, everything good?" Kai appeared in the doorway just as Xavier ended the call. Kai’s jealousy unnerved me. The mate bond could make emotions possessive. Maybe he was not physically cheating yet, but emotionally? Absolutely. The blush on his face earlier while texting said enough. Outside the bedroom, their conversation started quietly. Kai sighed heavily. “Seriously, man, thank you." My stomach tightened instantly. Carefully, I pushed the blanket aside and slipped from the bed. Dizziness hit immediately, but I steadied myself against the wall before moving silently toward the cracked bedroom door. The kitchen light glowed softly across the apartment, and neither of them noticed me. Kai dragged both hands through his wavy hair. His jet-black hair is cropped short at the sides while the top remains long enough to brush his brows whenever he lowers his head. "Judy gave me head tonight, and well, you know Sloan doesn't do that." Everything inside me stopped cold. They talk about that sort of stuff?! Judy Lawson. Head cheerleader. Beautiful. Flirty. Always hanging around the team. And my friend. Now that my boyfriend’s cheating is confirmed, my wolf let out a wounded sound so painful inside my chest that I nearly doubled over. Zia flinches. V's emotions crash into her without warning, carrying a depth of shame and helplessness that leaves her stunned. Moments later, his presence fades, retreating into silence as though he can no longer bear the weight of Kai's choices. Xavier stood near the counter with his arms folded tightly across his chest. "This is a bad idea. Her memory loss is temporary." His tone and unaffected expression tell me he already knew Kai was cheating on me. Goddess, Xavier probably thinks I deserve it for being so lowly in his eyes. Kai scoffed. "I’m riding this out with Judy, man. See how hot she is?" "She’s still going to find out eventually, man, and when she-" Kai laughed softly. "Sloane loves me." No hesitation or even guilt, and something inside my chest cracked quietly, because I really loved him. Xavier folds his arms, and Kai shrugs. "Look, Sloane’s my mate. If she finds out, and that’s a big if, she’ll yell at me for a while, maybe cry a bit, but she’s not going anywhere." Every word sliced deeper than the last. Not once during my relationship with Kai did I ever feel diminished because of my rank. But now, I find myself reading between the lines. An omega's wolf is fragile and too weak to do anything else but accept what's coming their way. "She’s been attached to me since we were kids. You know that." Kai snorted quietly. "Honestly, this whole thing might actually help me breathe for a second without her constantly hanging around." He felt suffocated? I had built my entire future around Kai Rhodes so naturally that I never realized how much of myself I had handed over to him for our future. Marriage, marking, and pups someday. Growing old together. And to him… I was simply convenient. Xavier’s jaw tightened visibly. "You’re talking about your fated mate." "Exactly," Kai replied immediately, hitting his chest playfully with his fist. "My mate. She’s not rejecting me over one mistake." My wolf hurt so badly that the pain physically burned beneath my ribs. Betrayal through a mate bond felt sharp and instinctive. Like being skinned open slowly from the inside out. Suddenly, the little pangs I had lately made sense. It had been Kai cheating… "And it’s not like you’re gonna fall for her during all this anyway. You barely even like Sloane." My ex-boyfriend mutters. "Just until she remembers everything. Afterward, I’ll apologize, she’ll forgive me, and things will go back to normal." Fine. I could play along too. If this was what Kai wanted, then he was going to regret it. We were so done.