When he arrived at Claudette's place, the tension he'd been holding seemed to dissolve as he found her standing at the door, slightly unsteady. She was clearly tipsy, her cheeks flushed from the wine she’d had at a party earlier. There were no signs of danger, no ex-Alpha calling her nonstop. Just Claudette, looking lost and vulnerable, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“Klaus…” She slurred slightly, reaching out and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He stiffened, but only for a moment.
He helped her inside, guiding her toward the bedroom. "You’ve had too much to drink. Let’s get you to bed." His voice was gentle, the same voice he used when he wanted to comfort, to soothe.
But Claudette wouldn’t let go. Her grip on him tightened, her face inches from his. “Klaus, I missed you… I missed you so much. Every day I regret leaving you.”
Klaus swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to pull away. “Claudette, stop. I’m… I’m engaged to Mavis now.”
“Do you love her?” Claudette’s voice was a whisper, but the question hung heavily in the air, cutting through the space between them like a knife.
My heart clenched, my soul aching for the answer.
Klaus’s jaw tensed. He didn’t meet her eyes. “We’re engaged,” he said, the words hollow and empty. He didn’t say he loved me. He couldn’t even bring himself to say the words out loud. Not to Claudette, not to himself.
Because I wasn’t his choice. I was his mate, but not his heart.
Claudette’s tears fell freely now, streaking down her flushed cheeks. “If I hadn’t left, Klaus, we would have been happy. We were meant to be.” She leaned in, her breath warm against his neck. "Klaus, please… just hold me…"
The distance between them disappeared, their foreheads touching, then their noses, and finally, their lips.
I stood frozen by the bay window, fists clenched at my sides as I watched Klaus—my mate, the one I had given my life for—fall into the arms of another. Claudette’s robe slipped to the floor, and Klaus’s usual restraint crumbled as he pressed against her, his lips moving from her shoulder to her chest with a tenderness that had once been reserved for me.
I closed my eyes, the pain too much to bear. My soul ached, the agony of betrayal cutting deeper than any physical wound. He had chosen her, even if just for a moment.