“A male Alpha. He says he’s a friend of yours.”
My heart sank.
After changing out of the gown, I walked to the main doors of the Packhouse.
Sure enough, Rocco was standing outside.
He looked haggard and exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and his clothes wrinkled.
He had clearly spent the night at the border.
“Caterina,” he said, his eyes lighting up with hope the moment he saw me. “You’re finally willing to see me.”
“What do you want, Rocco? Make it quick,” I said, my voice cold. “I don’t have much time.”
“Let’s sit down and talk somewhere,” he pleaded. “Please.”
I looked at him for a moment before finally nodding.
1/2
“Follow me.”
We sat in a corner booth at the town’s coffee shop.
Rocco ordered two coffees, but neither of us touched them.
“Caterina, I was wrong,” he began, his voice hoarse. “I truly know I was wrong.”
“Oh,” I responded, my voice flat.
“You can’t just end things like this,” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “Six years, Caterina. Six years of history. How can you just throw it all away?”
“Our past, our promises, our future… Does none of that matter anymore?”
I let out a cold laugh.
“Promises?” I looked at him. “Are you talking about the promises you made to the Moon Goddess at our bonding ceremony?”
“Or are you talking about the promises you made to love only me?”
The color drained from Rocco’s face.
“Caterina, I admit I made mistakes, but that was only because I missed Scarlett so much. She was my first love, a memory from my youth…”
“So you used me as her stand–in?” My voice was still calm, but every word was a knife. “For six years, you held me while thinking of her.”
“You comforted me while your mind was entwined with hers.”
“Even in our most intimate moments, it was her face you saw.
Rocco opened his mouth, but no denial came. It was all true.
“Caterina, you’re wrong,” he pleaded. “You are you. We can start over. I promise, from now on, you’ll be the only one in my heart.”
“Start over?” I let out a harsh laugh. “Do you really think I could ever believe you again, Rocco?”
“Besides, the past should stay in the past,” I said, standing up. “And that includes us.”
“No!” Rocco shot to his feet, his desperation making him reckless. “You can’t do this to me, Caterina! We’re Mates! It’s the will of the Goddess!”
I looked at his hysterical face, a wave of disgust washing over me.
“Caterina…”
“Enough,” I cut him off. “You want to know why I can’t go back? You want proof?”
I closed my eyes and lowered my mental shields.
2424
Those private memories Scarlett had sent me, the ones that belonged only to them, began to flood into Rocco’s mind, frame by frame.
