“You are my mate, Ariel.”

The words were ringing in her ears nonstop, like the annoying 5 a.m. alarm, and she was frozen to the spot, finding it hard to process what she had just heard.

“Haha, very funny. I know you are saying all this to make me stay, but it is not going to work. I am over this, Kane.”

“Ariel, listen to me. You are my mate!”

Ariel shook her head, as if trying to shake the words off her body. “I refused to believe it; you are lying. If I were really your mate, you would never hide such a thing from me. That would have...