My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 256: A Strange Offer

Violet

The pond stretched out before me, its surface catching the late afternoon light in ripples of gold and silver.

I had found this spot by accident while wandering through the capital. A quiet seating area tucked away from the busier streets, with carved stone benches facing the water. The large white barked trees lingered in the background, their wide leaves providing shading over different areas, including the very clearing I was seated.

It felt peaceful.

I had been sitting for perhaps half an hour when I sensed her approaching.

My shoulders tensed before I even turned my head.

Nessa was walking along the path that curved around the pond, a delicate fan in one hand. Another woman walked beside her, and they were laughing about something.

I looked away, hoping she would pass by.

She didn’t.

Nessa told her companion to go on without her and that she would join her later. Their footsteps diverged, one set continuing down the path, the other growing closer.

The bench shifted slightly as Nessa lowered herself onto the other end.

"What a lovely spot," she said in her usual bright voice. "The fishes are particularly beautiful in the night light. You should see this place then."

I didn’t respond.

She opened her fan, waving it gently despite the cool breeze. "You seem tense. Is everything alright?"

My annoyance had reached its limit.

"Please, stop."

Nessa’s fan stilled.

"Stop following me," I continued, my voice low but firm. "I do not understand what is wrong with you or what you even want. You keep appearing everywhere I go. You even befriended Bei and the others. Stop. Just stop. What do you even want from me?!"

I turned to face her fully, meeting her brown eyes with a directness I had been avoiding for a while now.

"I am tired of this. Just leave me alone," I hissed.

She was silent.

Then, to my utter shock, Nessa smiled.

It wasn’t her usual bright, polished smile. This one was gentler, almost relieved.

"Finally," she said softly. She closed her fan with a quiet snap, resting it against her lap. "I have been waiting so long for you to actually say something about this."

I stared at her, thrown completely off balance.

"What?"

"You heard me." She tilted her head, studying my face with an expression I couldn’t read. "I was wondering when you would finally voice what was bothering you. It took longer than I expected."

Confusion tangled with my irritation. "I don’t understand what you’re—"

"Tell me," she interrupted gently. "Did it feel nice? Bottling all of that up? Letting it stew inside you day after day?"

I glared at her. Had she been purposefully trying to provoke me?!

"What is wrong with you?" The words came out before I could stop them. "If you want Rowan, you don’t need to pester me to get to him. You—"

"I do not want Rowan."

The statement was simple, direct, and it silenced me completely.

I also noticed how she actually used his name this time without the title.

Nessa’s smile faded, and she suddenly looked serious. She turned her gaze toward the pond, watching the ripples spread across the surface.

"I wanted him before," she admitted quietly. "Yes. I won’t pretend otherwise." She sighed, dismissively waving her hand with an eye roll. "But not anymore. I am many things, but I am not someone who intrudes on a mate bond."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

She glanced at me, and amusement flickered in her eyes.

"Your face right now is quite entertaining." A soft laugh escaped her. "I won’t bore you with the details of my past entanglements. But I have no romantic feelings for Rowan. So you can stop bristling every time I appear."

My frown deepened.

She shifted on the bench, angling her body to face me more fully.

"I will be honest with you," she continued. "Initially, I sought you out because you are a Lycan. I was—and am still fascinated by that. Meeting an actual Lycan, it was impossible not to be curious."

I said nothing, still frowning.

"But then I spent time with you," Nessa said. "And I found myself fascinated for entirely different reasons."

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

She tilted her head, her eyes searching my face.

"You are strange," she said simply. "Not in a bad way. But you are so obviously holding things inside your head when they bother you. You think you are hiding it, but you aren’t." A small smile tugged at her lips. "You are not nearly as sleek as you believe yourself to be."

I looked away sharply, irritation flaring again.

What is wrong with this woman?!

"There." Nessa pointed at me, a short laugh escaping her. "Right there. You did it again."

"Stop it," I snapped, turning back to glare at her. "Stop analyzing me. Stop following me. Stop... disturbing me."

Nessa only smiled, unbothered by my outburst.

"I apologize for bothering you," she said, and there was genuine warmth beneath the words. "But I was waiting for this. For you to actually say what you were feeling instead of letting it fester."

She leaned back slightly, her posture relaxing.

"Did it not feel better? Even a little? To finally say it out loud?"

I wanted to deny it.

But the truth was, some of the pressure that had been building in my chest had strangely eased. Not entirely, but enough that I noticed its absence.

I didn’t answer, which seemed to be answer enough for her.

I sat there, unnerved and uncomfortable, not sure what to do with this version of Nessa.

"You are disturbing." I frowned again. "That is such an odd reason to pester someone for days."

Nessa laughed.

Why was she laughing?!

"Perhaps." She didn’t seem offended. "But I have always been drawn to interesting people. And you are very interesting."

My hands balled into fists on my laps. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Do you have any friends?" she asked.

"Bei," I said automatically. "And Ana, and—"

"That’s not what I asked."

"Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t say," I shot back.

Nessa smiled, and her voice was gentle when she talked. "Do you have any close friends?" she repeated. "People you actually talk to and confide in?" She paused, her gaze steady on my face. "Because from what I have observed, even with those three, you still keep everything inside. You hold yourself apart from them."

My chest tightened.

She was lying. She was—

"They notice it too," Nessa added quietly. "I am not exaggerating when I say anyone perceptive enough can see the wall you put up, even with them."