Once My Mate, Always My Mate

Sabrina’s POV

"I have one thing to ask of you," Aiden says to me, walking into my office with a straight face.

"What is it?" I ask with a straight face.

Aiden walks up to my desk, his scent still so familiar to me but having almost no effect. I am not a blind girl, he was still so good-looking... Probably the most good-looking guy I have ever been with but my heart no longer beats for him.

"Are you sure you feel nothing for me?" He asks and I smile.

"And don't try to downplay it. I am just as affected as you are and I can feel that faint spark.” He says to me.

Truth be told, I could feel some lingering feelings but who doesn't for an ex? This was the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with... The mate bond might have been removed but a part of me, void of any influence of the mate bond began to love him. The part of me that is incorruptible and that loved freely like a teenager, listening to nobody if I was ever warned about boys.

A part of me fell for him but as he said, it was faint... Almost avoidable. It was so faint that I could ignore my feelings even if they begged me to cry out for him.

"Aiden..." I try to say but he stops me. His finger to my mouth and I look at him, expecting him to not be so bold and to remove the big finger placed on my small lips.

"I know, you'll probably say something like, you are now with someone else and I should just accept it but I refuse to. Fate wanted us to be together... Who knows if it is to better manage your affairs as the moon goddess and your place in this realm but I can't just ignore these feelings. They are there, creeping up on me in the night and I get flashbacks of our time together.” He says to me and I laugh, falling back on my chair.

"Aiden, you ruined us and you expect me to just listen to tiny droplets of what you call feelings? I have dated before and even when I thought I could not move on, I did. This is no different.” I respond and he nods his head, listening intently.

"I hear you but I have not had the chance to explore love with a different woman other than you. I admit, I acted poorly because I got a little mad over my family's demise and I will spend the rest of my life paying for that but I know nothing else but to fight for you." Aiden says to me, Xander walking in on the conversation.

"Am I interrupting?" Xander asks and I smile.

"Yes. You may be an earthling but your ears work just fine. You heard our conversation long before you turned the corner and you walked in anyway." Aiden says back to Xander, who feigns indifference to his words.

"You are the homewrecker here. Your place is not of this world and if you think this realm will open up its arms to you when you don't belong... I have news for the both of you.” Aiden says to Xander but looking at me.

Aiden turns around to walk out but stops at the door, forcing Xander to turn around and face him.

"You may have the day but the night is young, it grows, and as quiet as it may seem, grounds are shifting to fix the imbalance you have caused this realm. Xander is not of this place, his make is not of our world, he is generations too late to inhabit what was once his ancestor's place and he will pay greatly for it. You will only have yourself to blame, Sabrina.” Aiden says, leaving us with questions.

Xander and I share a look before I am out the door, running to the elders. Xander follows steadily behind me until we reach a room where the elders were eating

"What will happen if Xander stays here?" I ask and the elders ponder on my question, looking at each other before finally getting to their feet and looking straight into my eyes.

"He will die if he is not already. His place is not of this place and because he has been exposed to the land of the gods, it is only a matter of time, the longer he stays here.” The elder says to me and I chuckle in surprise.

"And when were you going to tell me this?" I ask, baffled beyond belief. "We are merely just advisors to the family that rules the realm.” The standing elder says to me.

"Bullshit!" I scream out loud, Xander touches my shoulder to calm me down but it doesn't work. I guess this is where the chosen mate cons pop in.

"You have been trained on matters of this realm, your mother having a tough upbringing as a halfling and you think a mere earthling will outlast the realm? Even if you had given immortality, this was not his time to be here.” One elder jumps in and I step back in shock.

"Forgive my brother. What we are trying to say is, that this is the land of the gods. Even the moon goddess is unknown on earth. Earthlings are exactly what they are, earthlings. They belong in a world created for them and you can see this with your sister as well. She may have some powers o this realm from her blood, which allows her to come and go as she pleases but even she is limited. Limited in strength and basically, everything we are not. She is weaker than the untrained in this realm, her vampire abilities help her. What I am getting at is..." The last elder says to me but Xander speaks before him.

"The more time spent on earth, the less we are gifted. Essentially making me too weak to ever put myself among the gods. Generation after generation, we become weaker..." Xander trails off and the elders nod.

"The past moon goddesses said I could be with him..." I say softly but I was heard.

"Even they knew your love was fleeting. You are mated to Aiden and it will remain so for this lifetime. Be with Xander, don't be with him, in the end, your life was destined to end with Aiden by your side.” The first elder says to me.

Talk about a grenade going off in my hands.