Chapter 125

Caleb's POV

The door clicked shut behind me, and I leaned against it, exhaling slowly. The weight of what I’d done settled heavily on my chest, pressing down until it was hard to breathe. 

Rejecting Ashley wasn’t something I’d ever imagined myself doing, but it felt necessary. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. The truth was, I hadn’t meant a single word of it. Not really.

She needed to know that our bond wasn’t something to toy with, not when I could feel her heart still pulled toward Rolan. The knowledge that she had once wished for him to be her mate instead of me ate away at me. 

It was like an invisible wound that refused to heal, constantly reopening every time I saw her look at him with longing in her eyes, even though he barely acknowledged her existence.

I knew I wasn’t enough for her, not yet. And that thought destroyed me.

Running a hand through my hair and pacing the small living room of my house. T