I'll Rewrite Fate For You

Bronte’s POV

Gin, Tonic and Him

The fire dances with the light air in the room, and I stare at it for a few minutes before pulling my gaze back to the forgotten book in my lap. I haven’t flipped a page in a while, even though it is about the yearning of unreciprocated love.

My kind of book.

A sigh escapes me as I close my eyes. Tonight is my mating ceremony, and although I have been preparing for it all my life, it still feels unreal.

My dress whispers on the ground around me as I try to make myself more comfortable, bringing my feet underneath it. It sounds loud in the quiet space, the only audible sound coming from the hearth.

I’ve imagined this night since I was a girl, small enough to hide behind the boulders and watch Alexander chat with his friends animatedly. I was in love with him. I still am.

I can’t believe it has become real. He is going to be mine, officially, tonight.

I trace the leather of the book absentmindedly as my eyes find the windows. I listen to the sound of the rest of the pack’s soldiers coming in after the routine border check. Their laughter echoes through the walls, taking away the quiet.

He should be here soon.

The door pushes open, but I don’t look up. I know who it is. A part of me has always been able to recognize him each time he waltzes into a room.

“Bronte.”

Sebastian’s voice is as quiet as the room now, rough around the edges. I look away from the window, my eyes finding him where he stands a few feet away, still in his leather jacket. The red flames catch in his gaze, and his golden eyes fall on me.

“Hey,” I breathe, pushing the book away. “You’re back early. I thought you would stay late like you did last night.”

He moves further into the room, but veers to the left, to the mini bar at the other end of the window. “I realized it doesn’t change anything. So, I might as well be here.” The bottles clink as he retrieves a liquor decanter. “How about you? Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” I whisper. “The ceremony is starting in a few hours. I know I should probably rest, but…”

“Nervous energy?”

I nod.

He pours himself a drink and approaches. But he doesn’t lower himself onto the couch. Instead, he comes to stand behind me. For a moment, neither of us speaks. We just stare at the flames eating the wood.

“I can’t believe it’s tonight.”

He doesn’t respond.

“You know,” I continue. “All those years, I used to think that it would never happen. That Alexander will never look at me the way I look at him.” A small smile graces my lips. “But now, I am going to be his.”

I turn on the floor to look at Bas, but he doesn’t smile.

“Bas…”

He brings the glass to his lips. It's tonic and gin, mixed with liquor. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drink anything else. I watch as the liquid travels down the bob in his throat. His eyes are pinched. He looks… angry?

“You know you don’t have to go ahead with this if you don’t want to, right?”

I arch my brows. “What are you saying, Bas?”

He stretches the glass in my direction, but I shake my head. I can’t have anything when it feels like a million ants are crawling in my stomach. I’ll throw it all up.

“How long have you been in love with Alexander?”

“You know,” I laugh. “You used to tease me about it, remember? I think I was five the first time you noticed, when you both came to our pack for the weekend.”

“Yeah,” he sighs. “It was cute.”

Something passes through his face. Something that makes me sit up.

“Is there something wrong?”

It feels like he is about to say something, but he decides against it, getting to his feet and sliding the glass onto the stool next to him. “I'd better go wash up and rest before the ceremony. God forbid my brother yells the roof down when I’m not next to him tonight.”

Sebastian is already halfway across the room when I pull myself to my feet. “Bas, what is it?”

“You don’t see it, do you, Bronte?” he snaps suddenly, coming back hot and fast. The air shifts suddenly as he stops right in front of me. His eyes dip slowly, grazing my lips for the slightest second, lingering a little bit longer.

Something tight presses against my chest. An unfamiliar feeling. It’s warm now. So warm that it makes me feel breathless.

“See what?”

He returns his gaze to my eyes and takes an impossible step forward. His warm breath teases my face, and in that split second, my eyes flutter close. I feel his hand hover by the side of my face, but he never touches me.

When I open my eyes, I see a pained expression on his face. For a heartbeat, I think he might say something he can’t take back. He wraps a hand around my neck, pulling me flush against him. I should push him away, yet I can’t.

“Bronte…” he breathes. And then, he breathes out and steps back.

It feels cold now. I don’t know what happened. How… Sebastian has always been around, but when… No. This has to be… It’s nothing.

I laugh awkwardly, bending to grab my book from the floor. “I … I should go find my mate,” I say, swallowing. “He’ll be looking for me.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian replies, turning his face away. “That’s probably what you should do.”

I don’t wait to see if he is watching as I walk past him up the stairs. It creaks with each step, seemingly louder. It is all in my head. Or at least, that is what I tell myself.

I reach Alexander’s room, where he should be getting ready for our mating ceremony. But when I push the door open, the only thing that greets my eyes is a perfectly made bed and the familiar scent of jasmine.