Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Chapter 57

Kael’s POV

I shot to my feet.

The leather chair scraped against the floor. The sound was too loud in the quiet office.

"No."

The word came out hard. Defensive. Like a shield.

Dr. Elena looked up at me. That calm, knowing smile still on her face. Like she’d expected exactly this reaction.

"No," I repeated. Louder this time. "That’s ridiculous. I’m not in love with her."

"Kael—"

"I can’t be." I started pacing. The office was too small. The walls were closing in. "She’s an Omega. A Shadow Moon. Her family is trash. Her brother destroyed my brother. Do you have any idea what Cain did to Lucian?"

Dr. Elena said nothing. Just watched me with those patient eyes.

"I have a girlfriend." The words tumbled out faster. More desperate. "Rebecca. We’ve been together for years. Everyone expects us to mate. She’s going to be my Luna. We’re going to lead the pack together. That’s how it’s supposed to be. That’s the plan."

"Is that what you want?"

"It doesn’t matter what I want!" I spun to face her. "I’m the Alpha heir. I have responsibilities. Expectations. I can’t just throw everything away for some Omega I barely know."

"You’ve spent the last hour telling me about her." Dr. Elena’s voice was gentle. Infuriatingly gentle. "That doesn’t sound like someone you barely know."

I opened my mouth. Closed it.

She was right.

I did know Aria. Knew the way she laughed. Knew the way she cried. Knew the way her hands trembled when she was scared. Knew the way her eyes lit up when she smiled.

Knew the sound she made when I touched her. The taste of her lips. The feel of her body against mine.

I knew her better than I’d ever known Rebecca.

But that didn’t mean—

"You’re wrong." My voice was weaker now. Less certain. "I don’t love her. I can’t."

"Can’t?" Dr. Elena tilted her head. "Or won’t?"

The question hit like a punch.

I stared at her. No words.

"Kael." She set down her notepad. Leaned forward. "I’ve been doing this job for thirty years. I’ve seen countless wolves walk through that door. I know what love looks like."

"This isn’t—"

"The sleepless nights. The inability to focus. The physical pain when you’re apart from her." She counted each symptom on her fingers. "The overwhelming need to protect her. The jealousy when another man touches her. The way your wolf reacts to her scent."

My jaw clenched.

"Those aren’t symptoms of casual attraction," she continued. "Those are symptoms of a deep emotional bond. Whether you want to call it love or not, that’s what it is."

"No." I shook my head. "It’s just the mate bond. Fenrir recognized her. That’s all this is. Biology. Instinct. Nothing more."

"And yet you pushed her away."

Silence.

"If this was just biology," Dr. Elena said softly, "you would have claimed her by now. Marked her. Made her yours. That’s what instinct demands."

I said nothing. Couldn’t.

"But you didn’t." She studied my face. "You let her go. You told her goodbye. Why?"

Because I was afraid.

The answer rose up before I could stop it. True. Devastating.

I was afraid.

Afraid of what she made me feel. Afraid of losing control. Afraid of becoming like my father—twisted by love into something monstrous.

Afraid of needing someone.

"I think," Dr. Moonshadow said quietly, "you already know the truth. You’re just not ready to admit it yet."

I stood there. Frozen. My chest ached like someone had reached inside and was squeezing my heart.

"I have to go." The words came out rough. Strangled.

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