Addicted To Her The Alpha'S Irresistible Contract Mate novel Chapter 43

43 Chapter 43 I don’t want this engagement

43 Chapter 43 I don’t want this engagement

The days following that disastrous dinner blurred into a heavy silence that settled over the mansion like a shroud. Elias and I orbited each other like distant stars, close enough for the mate bond to hum with unresolved tension, but never colliding.

He’d bury himself in the study, poring over maps and parchments of pack strategies, his door firmly shut against the world. I’d catch glimpses of him through cracked doorways: furrowed brow, golden eyes distant, as if avoiding me was his new mission.

The bond pulled at me relentlessly, a constant ache in my chest that amplified the loneliness of the vast estate. Echoing halls, empty rooms–every creak of the floorboards reminded me of our unspoken words, the garden kiss hanging between us like a ghost.

I retreated into my duties: preparing meals with the other omegas. It was mindless work, a distraction from the storm inside. My heart ached with unresolved feelings- did I love him? Buried under layers of resentment for his control, for blaming me for my family’s sins, yes, there it was: a twisted affection that scared me.

The bond made it impossible to deny, but I convinced myself the distance was for the best. Better silence than his mocking words or possessive touches that left me conflicted and craving more.

Grandpa pushed forward with the engagement plans undeterred, his voice booming through the lodge as he directed decorations and feasts.

“Make it grand!” he’d bark at the betas, while I nodded silently, fetching whatever was needed. My angst deepened with each passing hour–contemplating this love for Elias felt like betrayal.

Resentment festered: his family’s blood on my father’s hands, my imprisonment as payback. How could love bloom in such poisoned soil? The silence only amplified it, leaving me alone with thoughts that circled like vultures.

The engagement day dawned, the pack lands buzzing with preparation like a hive stirred to life.

Laughter and chatter filled the air, but it rang hollow to me, a facade over the tensions simmering beneath. The moon goddess’s symbols–crescent pendants and lunar runes -hung everywhere, a reminder of fated bonds, mocking my own twisted one.

10:31

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43 Chapter 43 I don’t want this engagement

I was tasked with checking on Lucy, a small mercy amid the chaos. “Make sure she’s ready,” Aunt Mira had said, waving me off with a distracted smile.

My heart pounded as I climbed the stairs to her room. Pushing open the door, I froze. Lucy stood on the windowsill, her blue dress hiked up, one leg dangling over the edge. The drop was two stories to the rocky ground below, wind whipping her hair as she teetered, tears streaming down her face.

“Lucy, no!” I cried, rushing forward and grabbing her arm, pulling her back with all my strength. She stumbled into me, collapsing onto the floor in a heap of sobs. I knelt beside her, wrapping my arms around her shaking form. “What are you doing? You could have killed yourself!”

She clung to me, her voice breaking. “I can’t do this, Naomi. I can’t marry him! I dreamed of a love blessed by the moon goddess–someone who sees me, not just an alliance. Ronan seems nice, but I don’t know him. Grandpa’s forcing this, and my parents… they just nod along. I thought if I ran, maybe I could find my true mate, or at least choose my own path.”

My empathy surged, a tidal wave crashing over me. I stroked her hair, my voice soft but firm. “I know it feels impossible, Lucy. But jumping won’t fix it. You’d break more bones than you’d break hearts. There has to be another way.”

She pulled back, wiping her eyes, her face a mask of despair. “You don’t understand. Grandpa’s word is law. No one can defy him. I just want real love, not this dictated

mess.”

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