Jasmine felt the pull too, stronger than the love and lust bond. It was a force that gripped her heart and squeezed, that sang in her blood and whispered in her ear.
She was strongly expecting to see Kael when she heard the growl of a wolf beside her, rough and primal. "Mate."
Her wolf responded just as much, dancing with excitement, spinning and leaping within her chest. "Mate."
She removed her blindfold at the same time the man before her removed his, but it wasn't Kael as she expected.
It was Alpha Jasper.
'He's our mate. You're going to be Luna.' Her wolf said excitedly, the beast's voice filled with joy and triumph. But Jasmine was not moved by any of that. The words fell in her mind like stones, heavy and cold.
Her joy died and not even the strength of the mate bond could warm her heart which had turned cold. The warmth that should have flooded her chest was replaced by ice, by disappointment, by the bitter taste of dreams deferred.
"Alpha Jasper."
