Chapter 74

Carol’s POV

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.

I stand, completely frozen, in the middle of the parking lot. Zach is standing nearby, watching me with a look I don’t recognize, but my entire stomach tightens, and it makes me feel sick.

Memories of the last time I saw Zach invade my mind. Zach and I had been together for 2 years and he had told me that I was his fated mate. I believed him too and I feel stupid for believing such a lie. I should have known that he wasn’t my fated mate; I didn’t feel nearly as much for him as I currently feel for Aiden. But at the time, I did believe him. I wanted it to be true more than anything.

I thought there was nothing more romantic than a fated mate. But it turns out it was all a lie. Zach lied to me, and I’ll never get that time I spent with him back. Not only was he the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with, but he was also my coworker at the real estate agency. We both worked under Daniel, and we were good at what we did.

We made a good team. Zach with his charisma and me with my organization skills and eye for details.

But it all came crashing down around my feet when I found out that Zach lied about being my fated mate and then openly cheated on me with someone he thought was his fated mate. The irony was that it turned out the woman he thought was his real fated mate, Sophia, ended up lying to him, just as he lied to me.

Karma truly does come back around.

I hadn’t seen Zach since he and Sophia were fired from the company. At least not until this very moment.

He walks over to me, his steps uneven, which is unusual for his typical smooth and carefree walking style. His hair is also messy, and he has a 5 O clock shadow, which is also very unusual. Zach has always been put together and he never had a hair out of place.

I wrap my arms around my body, trying to hold myself together and not liking that he’s approaching me so casually as if this was something he’s done every day since we last saw one another.

“What are you doing here, Zach?” I ask him, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice, but I know he can see right through me. He always had and that terrified me the most.

“I made a mistake and I’m here to ask for your hand,” he shocks me by saying.

His words came off a little slurred and it was at this moment that I realized he had been drinking. My stomach twists even more as I take a step back from him.

“You’re drunk,” I accuse, narrowing my eyes at him.

“I’ve only had a couple drinks,” he tells me. “Carol, I’m so sorry for how I treated you. I should have never believed that bitch. It’s you, Carol. You are really my fated mate and I want you back!”

I shake my head; it would have been funny if I wasn’t so freaked out over the fact that he was actually here right now.

“I have found my fated mate, Zach. You already know this.” I try to keep my voice as even as possible.

“You mean that hockey player? He’s lying to you, Carol. Everything he says is a lie. You can’t believe him!”

“Takes a liar to know one,” I say, folding my arms across my chest which is an immediate mistake because as soon as I do, his eyes shift to my breasts which are now on full display.

I feel uneasy in his presence, and I take another step back, but he mirrors me and takes another step toward me.

“I love you, Carol. I always had. I shouldn’t have thrown you away like that. My life hadn’t been the same since we broke up. I’m so sorry for hurting you but I’ll never do that again. I know you’ve been waiting for me to propose to you, so here I am, proposing.”

My mouth falls open from the level of audacity that this man has.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I choke out. “You’re proposing to me now? I’ve moved on from you, Zach. I’m with someone new; someone better. He’s my real fated mate and despite you not wanting to believe that, it’s the truth.”

“Come on baby,” Zach purrs, closing the gap between us before I can even blink. “Don’t be like that. Come home with me and let me show you how much I truly love you.”

He places his hands on my face and, caresses my cheeks. I swat him away, feeling a wave of fury washing over me. I can’t believe he’s actually doing this right now. I’m not going to stand around and let him lie to me.

Not again.

“Don’t touch me,” I say through my teeth. I shove him away and go to walk away from him, completely forgetting the fact that I want to get my phone from my car. I no longer care; I just want to get back inside and see Aiden. “Go home, Zach,” I say over my shoulder.

I feel his strong grip on my wrist, halting me completely. He whips me around to face him and I’m soon pressed against his body with his other arm wrapped firmly around my waist. My heart practically jumps into my throat, and I find it difficult to breathe.

“Don’t deny me what I want, Carol. I always get what I want, and I want you!” He says through his teeth.

Before I know what is happening, his lips are on mine. He kisses me possessively and my entire body freezes. His tongue invades my mouth, shoving the taste of beer through my senses and making me gag.

I raise my hands to shove him away from me with all my strength, but he is soon being ripped away from me by someone else. I gasped for breath, spitting onto the ground and trying to rid my mouth of that foul taste.

“Get the fuck away from her!” I hear Aiden seething as he shoves Zach hard.

Zach stumbles and hits the ground with a thud.

“What gives you the right to touch my mate?” Aiden growls and I know that his wolf is close to the surface.

I hear the clicking of the camera and I turn to see some paparazzi hiding behind bushes and capturing this moment. My heart fell into my stomach; Zach must have called them. That’s why he’s here. To spread more scandal about me.

Tears prick the corners of my eyes, but I bite them back, not wanting to show anyone that kind of weakness.

“She was mine first,” Zach scowls.

“She might have been yours at one point, but she isn’t anymore. She is my mate and that’s never going to change. You blew your chances with her when you lied and cheated on her. You broke her heart and now it’s my job to fix what you had destroyed. I don’t ever want to see your face here again or I won't be as nice next time.”

Zach looks as if he’s about to argue, but when he notices the cameras capturing his pathetic moment, he scoffs and stands to his feet.

“This isn’t over,” he says under his breath.

“It is over, Zach,” I retort, watching as he walks away.

Aiden looks down at me and I can see the concern in his eyes. I quickly jump into his arms and bury my face in his chest, letting him hold me tightly as my body trembles.

“It’s okay now,” he whispered, kissing the top of my head. “You’re okay…”

“How did you know I was in trouble?” I ask, peeking up at him.

“I was worried when you didn’t come back right away, and I was coming to check on you. It’s a good thing I did. When I saw him force himself on you… I was seeing red. I thought my wolf was going to tear his throat out, but I managed to keep him inside of me…” Aiden confesses. “If I was any later…” his words trail off and I see the troubled expression on his face.

I run my fingers down the side of his face, and I kiss him gently on the lips.

“I would have beat him myself. I was just stunned when he grabbed me. But I was about to shove him off before you showed up. It wouldn’t have gone any further than that,” I assured him.

He closes his eyes and presses his head to mine, inhaling deeply.

“I was so scared…” he whispers.

I hug him tighter, not wanting to let him go. Then, I notice the paparazzi scurrying away, high-fiving one another and I feel the blood draining from my face.

“What’s wrong?” Aiden asks, noticing the change in my demeanor.

“We might have another problem with the paparazzi.”

He follows my gaze and then sighs.