“We found each other four years ago,” I continued, barely hearing myself. “And he’s never been with anyone else. He told me—he showed me—that he was waiting. That he saved himself for his mate.”
Bethany didn’t blink.
Her expression didn’t shift. But I saw it in her eyes—that sharp flash of pity that landed like a slap.
“It was before you,” she said simply. “Before the two of you found each other.”
I shook my head. “No. You don’t understand. Even after the bond was formed—after he rejected it—he still didn’t take anyone else. He told me.”
“And maybe he meant it,” she said softly. “But the truth is… once he realized who you were, he wouldn’t see me anymore. He wouldn’t even look at me. I was cast aside. Silenced. Like I’d never existed at all.”
Her voice trembled, but her spine stayed
