Chapter 402: Tears And Heart Break

Violet felt dread like never before. God knows what Roman was thinking, but she didn’t like the look in his eyes, not one bit.

"Roman." She took a step toward him, but two women suddenly approached her with clothes in their hands.

"No, wait—" she tried to tell them, but they weren’t listening. They were already fussing over her, forcing the fabric onto her body. Violet had no choice but to comply, even as she caught Roman turning away in her peripheral vision.

She barely let them finish tugging her pants on before she took off in a sprint. "Roman, wait!"

But Roman wasn’t listening.

He was storming away, each step hard and fast, his shoulders stiff, and his energy radiating such coldness she felt it pierce her chest. It was like he couldn’t even bear to be near her right now.

Left with no choice, Violet pushed harder, running until she overtook him, and cut him off.

"I said, wait!" she gasped, bending over, and catching her breath after the short but desperate chase.

Then she straightened and faced him. "Where are you going?"

"Isn’t it obvious? Or do I have to spell it out for you?" Roman snapped, his voice cutting through the air with an edge she hadn’t heard from him before.

Violet laughed, uneasy. "Why are you suddenly acting like this?" She pointed to her neck. "This is not a big deal. It’s just some tattoo or something."

"What do you mean it’s not a big deal? It is a big deal! You’re mated to Griffin Hale! You have a mate bond!" Roman shouted, his voice breaking.

"Well, I don’t fucking care!" Violet snapped back, loud and unapologetic. She didn’t care that others were watching them, with whispers flying around.

"It doesn’t change how I feel about you, Roman, or with Asher, or Alaric." Her voice turned desperate now. "I like you all. No—I love you all. And I’m not going to let some divine tattoos ruin that."

"You don’t understand, do you?" Roman’s eyes shone with unshed tears. "You have an eternal bond with Griffin. One blessed by the goddess herself."

"Then what about our bond?" she asked, pointing to her heart. "Roman, you told me your animal side bonded with me. That has to mean something, right?"

"I don’t know," Roman shook his head, his voice breaking. "I told you—I don’t always understand how my powers work and it might even mean nothing. There’s no bond that can be compared to the mate bond. Violet, it’s an abomination* to get between mates."

"Hey, hey," Violet grasped his face in both hands, trying hold on before he slipped away for good. "I’ve heard that already. That mates are content with each other. But I’m not. I still want you. I want the others too. There has to be a mistake somewhere, or an explanation for what I feel."

For a fleeting second, it seemed Roman fell for it. His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into her touch, his face contorting with barely restrained emotion. But when he opened his eyes again, they were steeled with resolve.

"There’s no mistake with the goddess," he said quietly. "You’re probably only feeling this way because the bond is new. Give it time, Violet and neither me, nor Asher, nor Alaric will matter to you anymore. You’ll only want Griffin Hale."

"No. No, no, don’t say that..." Violet’s voice shook, her own tears now blurring her vision.

Roman’s lips quivered as he whispered, "Maybe it’s a good thing that out of all of us, the goddess chose Griffin. He’s always been the best and he’d treat you well."

"No. Please, don’t say that. Please, Roman..." Violet’s heart was breaking.

But Roman kept going, his voice thick with tears. "Even if it was short, the moments I spent with you were the best I’ve ever had. I’ll never forget them. God, this is not easy..." His breath hitched as emotion threatened to crush him mid-sentence.

"Then don’t." Violet pleaded. "We can go back to the way things were. There’s a mate bond, so what? Let’s call it a blessing and move on. Maybe if we try hard enough, the goddess will give you, Asher, and Alaric a mate bond, too."

Roman let out a bitter laugh. "It doesn’t work like that, Violet. Such thing has never happened before and you don’t just force the goddess’s hand. We’re already perfect examples of that. I’m sorry, Violet, but this is the end of the road for us. You belong to your mate now."

His eyes were shattered when he asked, "Have you even thought about Griffin? How might this affect him? Mates are possessive, Violet. You know that. Go to him. Let go of these lingering feelings."

He was right.

She hadn’t thought about Griffin. Not really. Not about what this might do to him.

But the thing was, she didn’t feel any different. Sure, there was something special between her and Griffin now, but it hadn’t dulled her love for the others one bit.

"No." Violet said firmly, surprising him.

Then before he could blink, she kissed him hard, pouring all of her emotions into it. Shocked gasps resounded from the diverse pack watching nearby. What was the girl doing? Was she out of her mind?

Even Irene had a frown on her face as she turned toward her son, likely expecting him to be barreling toward Roman with death in his eyes.

But Griffin didn’t move. He just stood there watching with an unreadable expression.

Irene rubbed her temple. This was getting complicated.

Roman nearly gave in. He could already feel the temptation of her lips, scent, and the ache to hold her again.

But he could also hear the murmurs, and judgment radiating off the others. What Violet was doing right now was seen as an abomination. He had to stop it even if it broke him.

So Roman tore himself away, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her back.

With pain in his voice, he said, "You have to stop now, Violet. Don’t make this harder than it already is."

"Roman, please..."

But without another word, he turned and walked away.

"Roman." Her voice was soft at first, somewhat hopeful that he would stop.

But he didn’t.

"Roman?" Violet’s voice climbed now, panic settling around the edges.

There was still no response.

"Roman!" she screamed, running after him with urgency. "You can’t just leave me like this. I’m not going to let you!"

"Violet!" Griffin’s voice boomed behind her.

But she wasn’t listening. She didn’t want to listen. They were making a mistake. She still loved him.

She was still chasing after Roman when Griffin reached her, grabbing her tightly from behind.

"No! Let me go!" she cried, struggling against his hold. "He’s leaving me! I have to make him understand!"

Griffin’s voice dropped to a growl, his Alpha authority unmistakable. "The best thing you can do right now is let him go."

Then he lowered his voice, eyes sweeping the crowd around them.

He leaned in close, whispering in her ear, "There are people watching."

Violet looked around, and true to his words, the people were staring at her strangely.

She knew exactly what this must look like. She had a mate, and yet she wasn’t satisfied. Not just that, she was publicly embarrassing Irene in front of her own people. Shame washed over her.

She turned to Griffin, pressing her face into his chest, and whispered, "Please, take me out of here."

Violet didn’t want to be here, not with all their judgmental eyes. Not with the gossips circling her feelings like they understood any of it. They didn’t.

"I know. I understand," Griffin murmured gently. "Come."

He wrapped his hand around her arm and guided her forward, leading her toward his mother.

"We need to leave," he said without preamble.

"Good," Irene responded briskly. "There’s a chopper on the way."

"A chopper?" Griffin blinked in surprise.

"It’s a long story," Irene said, waving a hand, "but we found it near the rogue hideout. And now, we’re riding home. It’s much faster that way."

"Home?" Violet said, confused. "You mean the school, right?"

She needed to go back and see Roman. She had to try and make him see reasons why this would work. And not to mention, she had no idea where the others were. Roman hadn’t come with Asher and Alaric, and that alone gnawed at her nerves.

Irene shook her head."No, darling. We’re going to the East Pack."

"East Pack?" she repeated, turning to Griffin with confusion, expecting him to explain.

Irene answered instead.

"You and my son are Fated Mates. My people have to know that. Which means they have to meet their future Luna. Or don’t you know that yet, Violet Purple?"

Fuck. Violet swallowed hard.

It hadn’t dawned on her the responsibility that came with being Griffin’s mate until now.

Being Griffin’s mate wasn’t just a bond, but a crown, and it was already heavy.

As if in cue, the chopper appeared above the clearing.

It was time to go.