He Put His Ex First So I Found My True Mate Chapter 14
Two years later, the Grayhaven house was sold through a forced sale.
Graham had failed to buy out my share.
With the money I received, I bought a small house with a backyard on the edge of Cedar Ridge territory—and I planned another partnership ceremony.
My fiancé, Daniel Reyes, is an architectural designer.
He’s an ordinary member of Cedar Ridge, and he has never once asked me to give something up “for the pack.”
Whenever a decision affects both of us, the first thing he always asks is, “Mara, what do you want?”
Before we ever got engaged, I had already sworn my oath to Cedar Ridge under my own name, gaining my own heart-link access and residency rights. Daniel stood in the audience and applauded for me. He never treated my acceptance as a gift he was granting.
We held the engagement party in our own backyard.
Daniel put up the lights himself. Our friends stood on the grass with drinks, talking in the warm evening air.
There was no complicated seating chart. No one examined my bloodline and hinted that I should be in the kitchen refilling their drinks.
Everyone said we were perfect for each other.
From across the yard, Daniel raised his glass to me. His steady, familiar scent soothed Ember at once.
I stood in the middle of all those blessings, smiling, and for the first time in years, breathing didn’t feel like work.
As dusk deepened, I noticed a familiar figure outside the gate.
Dark suit. Lean face. Bruised shadows under his eyes.
When I looked again, he had vanished into the stream of departing guests.
It was Graham.
He had not been invited.
I didn’t go after him.
Tonight belonged to me and Daniel.
I wasn’t giving Graham another minute of it.
When the party ended, Daniel stayed in the backyard to see people out.
I went to the nearby parking area to get the car.
The moment I hit the unlock button, Graham stepped out from between two vehicles and blocked my path.
“Mara.”
His voice was rough.
I took a step back and pulled out my phone.
“Move.”
“I just want a few words.” His eyes reddened as he stared at the new ring on my hand. “I’ve regretted it every single day for the last two years. What happened at the cliff house was my fault. I never should have let Blair and the others treat you like that, and I never should have assumed you’d never leave.”
“Are you done?”
He took a step toward me.
“Don’t go through with the ceremony with Daniel.”
My body tensed before I could think.
There was something dangerously invasive in his scent.
“Why?”
“Because you belong to me.” He lifted a hand as if to grab me, but I dodged away. “That game destroyed us, that’s all. You loved me. You cared for my pups. You ran our house. You were ready to swear yourself to me.”
Even now, all he remembered was what I had done for him.
I yanked open the car door.
“Graham, we’ve been over for a long time.”
He slammed a hand on the door, his voice rising.
“Mara, you were my publicly promised partner. How can you do this to me?”