44 What Was Meant to Be
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44 What Was Meant to Be
Colton POV
Cash is giving me a headache with his pacing in my head. He is as nervous as I am about seeing Lily. I have no idea how pissed she is going to be about me pretending to be Grant. After everything that happened with the goddess, I just don’t know how to feel. I know I made
the right decision for both of us, but I can’t shake the sadness at losing Lily.
Not because we won’t be mates, but because I hate the thought of not having her in my life.
When the goddess asked me to choose, I knew I couldn’t do that to Lily, Drake, or me. Even though I wish I didn’t, I like Drake. He has been through hell and has been told most of his life
how worthless he is, but he didn’t miss a beat when he found Lily.
He accepted her without a second thought about not being good enough. He looks at her like she is the very air he needs to breathe. He looks at her like I should have the moment I
realized she was meant to be mine. He deserves to be Lily’s one and only.
Then there was still the possibility that she would refuse to accept me. I don’t think I would survive the rejection twice. Third, I didn’t want to be her second. As much as I f**ked up, I
wanted to be someone’s first and I knew that I would never be that to her again. I lost that
chance when I cheated.
That’s what it was cheating as much as I tried to rationalize it. I knew she was my mate and, no matter my reasons, I chose to be with another woman. I will forever regret my stupid decisions because of the pain it caused Lily. This journey has taught me that no matter what happened in the past, I can choose to be better. I can choose to do the right thing. I’m not defined by the actions of my father or my past.
I just pray that when I find my second chance she wants me as much as I want her. The sounds of voices in the hall break me out of my thoughts. Cash suddenly freezes and the scent of caramel and vanilla has me sitting up in bed ready to rip the IV out of my arm. When the door opens, my eyes meet Lily’s and my heart starts, to race. This can’t be right. I let her
- go. I chose to let her go.
That’s when my eyes wander to the beautiful woman who has her arm linked with Lily’s. Cash pushes forward, and my palms start to sweat. I never expected to find our mate so quickly. “Mate” I growl out. For a few agonizing seconds, I stare at this gorgeous elf that is meant to
be
my
second chance. A rock starts to form in the pit of my stomach as I wait for her to respond. “Beloved,” she practically whispers. Does she not want me? Goddess, please don’t do
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44 What Was Meant to Be
this to me.
Lily moving toward me catches everyone’s attention. She comes to stand next to my bed and turns toward my mate. “Colton, this is Arina. She is a seer and Drake’s cousin. Arina, this is my best friend, Colton” she says, and I fight back tears. I never thought I would ever hear her
call me that again. I have missed it desperately.
She turns toward me and our eyes meet. “You had better never scare me like that again,
Colton Kramer. I’ve never been so scared in all my life as I was seeing you unconscious and
bleeding. You and I will be having a long conversation about keeping secrets from me when you’re done getting to know your mate. I’m happy for both of you,” she says with a genuine smile on her face. My body relaxes at her words.
Without thinking, I reach up and pull her towards me. The feelings of want and desire are gone, replaced by love as I hug her to me. Love for this woman, who is my family and my best friend. “Mine,” I hear my mate say from behind her, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. Lily pulls back, and I watch her walk back to stand next to Drake, who takes
her hand in his. He nods to me before leading her out of the room.
For the first time, I notice two older men and Auriela standing behind my mate. The three of them leave after hugging her, closing the door behind them. I push myself to sit up properly as I watch her move closer to my bed. Everything in me wants to get out of this bed and pull her into my arms, but I know we need to talk first.
We stare at each other for a long time. I’m not sure what to say, so I say the first thing that pops into my head. “Your sister is bossy!” “What the hell are you crazy,” Cash asks, practically rolling his eyes. Arina looks surprised before she throws her head back and laughs. “Yes, she is, but she is an excellent doctor. I’m glad she was here to make sure that you’re alright. I
would have been devastated if I had lost you,” she says.
Warmth spreads through my body hearing her words. I reach my hand out for her, and she takes the seat near my bed. She slips her hand into mine and the tingles take my breath away. This is what it is supposed to feel like finding your mate. “I was worried you would be disappointed that you’re mated to an elf. I know Lily said you’re best friends, but I feel like there is more to the story. I’m out of my element because I’ve had no visions of you or your
past,” she says.
I say a silent prayer to the goddess for allowing me to tell her about my past. “I won’t keep anything from you, Arina, but I need you to know I’m not even a little disappointed to have you as my mate. In fact, I want nothing more than to mark and mate you right now. I want to claim
you for the world to see. I want to bear your mark so that the world knows I belong to you.
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Everything that happened in the past has led me to this moment, to you!”
“I’m just hoping after you hear everything you’ll accept me.“I take a deep breath and give her
the short version of my past up until I scented Lily and hurt her. I see disappointment and worry cross her features. “So, Lily is who you were truly meant to be with, a wolf,” she says, her
voice laced with sadness.
“No, I understand now that Lily and I were always meant to be what we are now. I hate the
pain I caused her, but it had to happen to bring us to the people that were meant to be our
forever. I will always love Lily, but only as a friend. All the feelings I had for her romantically
disappeared the minute I woke up. The goddess gave me a choice, Arina, and I chose you. Yo
are mine, and I am yours if you will have me, but even if you won’t, there will never be anyone
else.”
Tears run down her cheeks and my heart is practically beating out of my chest as she silently
processes everything I just said. Her eyes roll back before they close and her hand goes limp
in mine. What the hell is happening? Panicked, I reach for her when her eyes fly open and she
smiles. Before I can ask what the hell just happened, she launches herself at me. Her lips
press against mine and I waste no time wrapping my arms around her.
She moans as I deepen the kiss. When we finally pull apart, we’re both breathless. She presses her forehead against mine. “Not that I’m not grateful for what just happened, but you
scared the hell out of me. I assume you were having a vision.“She pulls back, cupping my
cheeks in her hands. “I saw a glimpse of our future. A future where we are happy and so are
our children.” It’s my turn for tears to run down my cheeks.
Lily POV
“It seems we have a lot to celebrate. Artruo is going to show you to a room to freshen up and rest before dinner. I have a feeling we won’t be seeing my daughter and new son–in–law for a while,” Canius says. “Gross, dad, was that necessary to say? That’s my sister.” Artruo says. I cover my mouth to hide my smile. He turns before his father can respond. We follow him back
to the large tree house.
Once we are in one of the guest rooms, I’m shocked when Drake lifts me, pressing me against the door. He slams his lips against mine and I moan into his mouth. He kisses me senseless before he sets me on my feet. I can tell something is bothering him through our bond and I have a feeling it’s about Colton. “Drake, I love you and only you.“He rests his forehead against mine. “Colton was your first mate, wasn’t he? I saw the way you two looked at each other
when we stepped into his hospital room.”
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“He was and had I known it was him instead of Grant, I would have told you immediately. I will
never keep things from you, Drake. I promise you that the only feelings I have for Colton are c
family and friendship.” I push him to sit in a large plush chair. I sit in his lap and look into his eyes, needing him to hear and see that I mean every one of my next words.
“You are my mate. The only person I want by my side and in my bed. The only person I want t share my life with. The one I want to have pups with. You are my king, and I am your queen.”
Lust flashes in his eyes as he turns me to straddle him. He threads his fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck and brings my mouth close to his without touching. I can feel his breath against my lips. I can feel him hardening against my core and I want nothing more than to feel him deep inside me. “That’s good, my queen, because you are mine and no man, elf, or wolf will ever touch you but me.”
