Chapter 45
The Werewolf Realm
Mars' POV
Theodore and I had been training since sunrise, and for some reason, I was winning every round. It wasn't that Theo was weak—if anything, he was one of the most persistent warriors I knew—but today, every movement, every punch, every dodge came naturally to me.
Maybe I was irritated.
Maybe I was annoyed.
Or maybe… I already knew why my mood was off.
We sparred hard, breathing heavily as the sound of fists clashing filled the training ground.
Until she appeared.
Erin.
The moment Theodore saw her, he straightened immediately and bowed in deep respect.
I didn't bow. I just gave her a small nod—not because I was arrogant, but because I couldn't. Somehow bowing to her felt too… intimate. Too vulnerable.
Erin stopped right beside me, her presence brushing against my aura.
She smelled like golden light and danger mixed together.
"Mars, I need your help."
Her voice was calm, but there was an undertone—urgency… and something else I couldn't place.
I wiped sweat from my face. "What kind of help?"
She breathed out slowly as if preparing for something.
"I know we aren't exactly close, but… I need you to act like we're in a relationship. Just for a few days."
Theodore's mouth dropped open.
My hands froze mid-motion.
Even I wasn't expecting THAT.
"A relationship? Us?" I asked, blinking. "Why? Why would you suddenly ask for something like that?"
"I really need your help," she repeated. "Let's just say it's—"
But she didn't get to finish.
Before I understood what was happening, Erin stepped forward and hugged me.
Just wrapped her arms around me like she'd done it a thousand times.
"You've been training since you woke up. Aren't you tired?"
My brain completely shut down.
I—
She—
What?!
I didn't even manage to respond because shock held my tongue hostage.
She placed her palm on my forehead, checking me like I was burning up.
"You're really stressed. Come on, let me help you to your room."
But a voice cut through the air.
"Erin?! You're really with him?"
Levi.
Of course.
I turned to find him standing there, jaw tight, eyes narrowed at me like I had stolen the moon itself.
Erin didn't hesitate.
"Yes, Levi. I told you—we're in a kind of relationship."
Her voice was sharp.
"Don't act like you care."
Levi looked like she had stabbed him in the heart with her words.
I couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at my lips.
I was enjoying his jealousy far more than I should.
I wrapped an arm around Erin's waist, pulling her closer.
She stiffened for one second… then relaxed, understanding what I was doing.
Levi's eyes widened—and then they glowed.
Gold.
Erin froze.
I knew that look.
That wasn't Levi.
That was Magnus—the wolf spirit inside him.
Magnus growled under his breath, low and dangerous.
Levi struggled visibly, pushing him back from full control.
Levi's voice came out strained, almost desperate:
"Erin, I know you and… this guy have something, but can't you at least consider the mate bond?"
I felt my heart drop.
Mate bond?
The words hit me harder than any punch Theo ever landed on me.
Theodore gasped. "You two are mates?!"
Levi lifted his head, pride and desperation mixed.
"Yes. We're mates."
My world stopped.
Another man—another face that mirrored Daniel's—was calling himself her mate again?
Another thread of fate trying to tie itself to her?
Why did this world take pleasure in tormenting me?
Before any of us could speak, Levi's phone rang.
He stared at the screen for a moment, clenching his jaw.
Then he left.
Just walked away, without even attempting to hide the anger burning in his eyes.
The moment he disappeared, I turned to Erin.
I didn't hide the confusion.
Or the frustration.
Or the ache.
"Why?" I asked quietly.
She sighed softly, guilt flickering across her face.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to use you, Mars."
"I'm not talking about being used," I said. "I don't care about that—not if it's you. If you need something from me, take it. But… you're mates with him?"
She stood quietly for a moment before nodding.
"Yes. It might be a bit shocking to you, but you don't need to worry. Levi is actua—"
"Enough."
I couldn't listen to another word.
My chest tightened so painfully it felt like something inside me cracked.
She didn't look angry about being his mate.
She looked… irritated.
Annoyed.
But not horrified.
Not like she was fighting the bond with everything she had.
Which only meant…
She wasn't against the possibility of him.
I turned away.
"I need to go."
"Mars—"
"I'm fine," I lied. "I just… need space."
I didn't give her a chance to reply.
I walked away from her, feeling like the air itself had turned too heavy to breathe.
Inside my room, I shut the door and leaned against it, dragging a hand through my hair.
My thoughts were a storm.
History was trying to repeat itself.
And I refused—absolutely refused—to let that happen again.
Not with Erin.
Never with her.
___
I sank onto the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, fingers twisted in my hair. My pulse wouldn't slow down.
The room felt too small for everything tightening inside me.
Mate bond.
Those two cursed words kept replaying in my head like a nightmare stuck on loop.
Why did it hurt?
Why did it feel like something inside me was ripping open?
She wasn't mine.
She had never been mine.
So why did the thought of her belonging to someone else—that guy—make my chest burn like wildfire?
I pressed my palms to my face.
I didn't want to think about Daniel.
Or the person she chose instead of me.
Or the way the universe seemed hell-bent on shoving me into the same pain over and over again.
This time it wasn't Daniel.
This time it was Levi.
But the ache was terrifyingly familiar.
A soft knock came at the door.
I didn't respond.
The knock came again.
"Mars… can I come in?" Erin's voice drifted through the wood, gentle—too gentle. "Please."
A part of me wanted to ignore her.
A part of me wanted to open the door and pull her into my arms just to feel something solid.
Against my better judgment, I stood and opened the door halfway.
Erin stood there quietly, fingers nervously tugging at her sleeve. Her eyes rose to mine—gold flecks glowing faintly with guilt.
"Mars," she whispered. "You walked away before I could explain."
"Explain what?" I asked, my voice low. "That he's your mate? That you formed the bond?"
Her shoulders dropped as if the weight of my words hit her.
"It's not like that," she said softly.
"But the bond exists," I said sharply. "You didn't deny that."
She stepped closer, her voice steady but trembling at the edges.
"I haven't accepted it ."
That made me freeze.
She swallowed hard. "Levi accepted the bond immediately. I didn't. I still haven't, because of what he did."
Something inside me shifted, painfully but with a strange flicker of hope I didn't want to admit to.
"Then why act like we're together?" I asked.
"Because Levi wouldn't… take rejection well." Her tone darkened. "Not him. And not Magnus. They react—badly. And the last thing the pack needs is Levi losing control in the middle of everything happening."
She ran her hand through her hair, frustrated.
"I don't know what he feels" she said quietly. "And I don't want him assuming he owns me just because of a bond."
I stared at her for a long moment.
"You could have told me," I said finally.
She looked away. "I didn't want to drag you into my mess."
I let out a humorless breath. "Too late for that."
Her eyes softened with something almost like sadness. "I didn't want to hurt you, Mars."
"You didn't," I lied.
Her expression said she didn't believe me, but she didn't call it out.
After a moment of silence, she asked, almost hesitant, "Are you still willing to help me?"
My logic screamed no.
My heart whispered yes.
"Yeah," I said quietly. "I'll help."
I hated how relieved she looked.
She turned toward the door, but before she stepped out, she paused.
"Mars?" she said softly, back still turned. "I trust you. That's why I came to you."
The door clicked shut behind her.
I exhaled shakily.
Trust.
She trusted me over her mate.
That meant nothing.
It meant everything.
I didn't know.
But one thing was clear:
If Levi tried to force the bond on her—
If Magnus pushed too hard—
If fate tried to drag her away from me like it did once before…
I wasn't going to stand back.
Not this time.
Not ever again.
History could try all it wanted.
I would fight it.