Chapter 160: Get used to it!
Lurgard.
An agonizing discomfort gnawed at my chest, a relentless, burning ache that I simply could not shake. The mere thought of Lawrence and Theresa being alone together was a slow-dripping poison in my veins.
Just a short while ago, she had been right there, held tightly against my chest, feeling the beat of my heart. Yet, in spite of that closeness, she had turned away and chosen to go with another man.
The memory was both terrifying and utterly heartbreaking, ripping a jagged tear through my pride and my soul. I paced the floor, my fists clenching and unclenching as the reality of it sank in. I truly did not know if I could survive this. I wasn’t sure I had the strength to take it.
I needed to act, and I needed to act fast. I had to find a way to make Theresa want me more than anyone else—to crave me so deeply that even the ancient, undeniable pull of the mate bond would pale in comparison.
Beside my conscious panic, my wolf was incredibly restless. He paced behind my ribs, baring his fangs and growling in agitation. He could feel it too—a dark, instinctual alarm ringing in our shared blood, whispering that something terrible was happening behind my back, just out of our sight.
Finally, I couldn’t take the suffocating silence of my own thoughts for another second.
Driven by a desperate need for answers, I threw open my door and headed straight toward Lawrence’s room. I didn’t knock; I just pushed the door open, ready to confront whatever lay on the other side.
But the room was completely empty. No one was there.
Panic and anger flared in equal measure.
"Theresa! Lawrence!" I called out at the top of my lungs, the sound of their names tearing roughly from my throat. "Where are you?" I yelled, my voice bouncing off the empty walls.
I got no verbal response. But as the echoes of my shout died down, another sound caught my attention. It was coming from the adjoining bathroom.
I stilled, straining my ears. The unmistakable, rushing sound of a running shower cut through the quiet room. It was an absolute, undeniable confirmation that someone was in there together, and that sound alone made me freeze right where I stood.
A cold sweat broke out across my neck. What exactly were they doing inside there?
Could they...?
No!
I violently shook my head, desperately trying to banish the sickening thought before it could completely cloud my mind and drive me mad.
Theresa would absolutely not do that with him.
She wouldn’t.
I remembered how shy and hesitant she had been when I had tried to touch her that morning; she had practically shrunk back.
If she was too timid to go that far with me, there was no way she could possibly go any further with Lawrence.
Reassuring myself with that fragile hope, I forced my feet to move toward the closed bathroom door.
"Theresa!" I called out again, the raw desperation in my voice scraping against the walls of the quiet room.
This time, I didn’t just wait. I took a slow, deliberate step closer to the bathroom door, my eyes locked onto the wood as if I could burn a hole through it.
Just before I could take another step forward, the brass doorknob slowly twisted.
The door swung open, and Theresa stepped out into the bedroom. My breath caught in my throat. I stared at her, immediately and utterly captivated by the sight of her. Her thick hair was damp and clinging to her shoulders, and a lingering warmth radiated from her skin.
But the brief moment of awe vanished instantly when my eyes traveled down to her mouth. Her lips were noticeably swollen, bruised a deep, telltale red from being thoroughly kissed.
The sight was a physical blow. I curled my hands into tight, trembling fists, my fingernails biting deep into my palms to keep from roaring in fury.
Before I could even speak, my eyes snapped back to the open bathroom door. Lawrence stepped out right behind her, his chest heaving as his fingers worked frantically to button his damp shirt.
My face paled, the blood draining from my skin in an instant.
Did they?
The realization hit me like a tidal wave of ice.
How dare he?
How dare he put his hands on her?
Theresa was my mate. She belonged to me.
Without another second of hesitation, a blinding rage took complete control of my body.
I moved swiftly, bridging the gap between us in a fraction of a second, and threw a powerful punch straight into Lawrence’s jaw. The impact cracked loudly in the quiet room.
"How dare you touch my mate?" I yelled, the words torn from the very depths of my chest.
Lawrence stumbled backward from the sheer force of the blow, his shoulder hitting the wall as he struggled to keep his footing.
He straightened up, wiping a bead of blood from his lip, and glared at me with a fierce, burning annoyance. But I didn’t care about his anger. I didn’t mind his resentment in the slightest. He deserved far worse.
"Lugard, what is wrong with you?" Theresa’s voice cut through the tension, filled with shock and disbelief.
I completely ignored her. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her, hating the bitter fact that she was already stepping in to defend him.
"Answer me, Lawrence!" I yelled, stepping into his space and locking my eyes onto his with absolute hatred.
Lawrence’s brow furrowed in deep fury. Refusing to back down, he immediately took a step closer, matching my aggression, and reached out to grab the collar of my shirt in a crushing grip.
"She is my mate too!" he yelled back, his voice echoing fiercely in the enclosed space. "You have to get used to that fact!"
Get used to it?
The words echoed mockingly in my head. I shook with pure, unadulterated rage. I won’t. I absolutely can’t, and I will never accept it.