Chapter 15

Hade’s Pov

The warmth of Anita’s lips lingered on mine. It was soft and luscious, but as I deepened the kiss, something shifted within me. My hands moved to her jacket, fingers fumbling as I began to peel it off her shoulders, but just as I was about to pull her closer, a sudden realization hit me. A cold, uneased clarity breaking through the fog of my drunken mind.

This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t my mate.

I froze instantly, my hands stopping mid-motion. The haze of alcohol clouding my thoughts began to lift, replaced by a sickening wave of confusion and guilt. I pulled back, blinking, staring at Anita’s face.

The woman in front of me wasn’t my mate. She was my assistant, Anita. A sharp pang of shame shot through me as I realized how far I had let this go.

I sat up straight, withdrawing my hands from her jacket, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Anita…" I breathed, the apology thick in my throat. "I—I'm so sorry. This… this was a mistake. I didn’t—"

She brushed off the apology before I could finish, a small, understanding smile played on her lips.

"It’s fine," she said softly, "You’re drunk, Alpha Hades. It doesn’t bother me."

The ease with which she let it go only made me feel worse. I couldn’t believe I’d let things get this far.

How could I have confused her for my mate? How could I have been so careless?

My stomach churned with the bitter taste of regret as I ran a hand through my hair, trying to make sense of everything.

"You’re right," I muttered, my words slurred but filled with remorse. "I’m drunk. But that’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have let that happen."

But what concerns me most was that Anita didn’t seem upset. If anything, she looked almost sympathetic.

"It’s okay, really," she said, her voice still soft, "You’re going through something. I get it."

But I couldn’t just leave it at that. The guilt gnawed at me, and I needed to explain. She deserved that much.

"My mate’s name is Anita," I said, my voice quieter now, but almost bitter, "I… I confused you two. The name, the moment, it all blurred together. I’m sorry, Anita."

She blinked, her brow furrowing slightly. "Anita?" she echoed, clearly trying to process what I’d just said. "Wait… how could you confuse us? We’ve been working together for so long. How could you not recognize your own mate?"

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Because we barely know each other," I admitted, the weight of the truth settling over me like a suffocating blanket, "We’re supposed to be mates, but we’ve barely spent any time together. She doesn’t want me. She’s moved on with someone else. And I—"

I broke off, my chest tightening as I remembered the sight of the man in her apartment, the way they stood together. I heaved a deep sigh, trying to condone all odds together, "I let myself believe it didn’t matter. That maybe… maybe if I didn’t think about it, I wouldn’t care."

Anita stared at me, her expression now became unreadable. I didn’t expect her to understand, but talking about it felt like a release, a painful, but necessary, release within me.

"So… you don’t really know her?" she asked, her voice calm but breaking, as if she was afraid of overstepping.

I shook my head, my jaw clenched, "No. Not really." I hesitated, my voice cracking with frustration, "That’s why… why she didn’t want me. Why she let him into her life."

I expected her to pity me, to offer some kind of empty consolation, but instead, she just sat quietly, watching me with those deep, thoughtful eyes.

"And you thought…" she trailed off, seeming to search for the right words, "You thought I was her?"

I sighed, rubbing my temples as the headache from the alcohol pounded relentlessly behind my eyes. "For a moment, yes," I admitted, as shame enveloped me, "I’m sorry. It was stupid, and I shouldn’t have—"

She cut me off with a gentle smile, shaking her head. "Don’t worry about it, Alpha Hades. Like I said, you’re drunk. I’m not taking any of this personally."

The casual way she brushed off my actions made me feel even worse, but I could tell she didn’t want to dwell on it. But still, her words echoed in my mind, gnawing at me.

"I just don’t understand how you can be mates without knowing each other," she murmured, more to herself than to me.

I let out a bitter laugh, massaging my temples as I tried to ease the headache. "Yeah, well, sometimes things don’t work out the way they’re supposed to."

Her expression softened, and for a moment, we were both silent, lost in our own thoughts. I could see the wheels turning in her mind, but I didn’t press her to speak.

I was too caught up in my own whirlwind of emotions, the regret and confusion swirling together in a chaotic mess.

As the silence stretched between us, I could feel the weight of everything settling over me like a suffocating blanket. The alcohol had dulled some of the pain, but it hadn’t taken it away. I still felt raw, exposed, like an open wound.

Suddenly, Anita stood up, "You look like you’re in pain," she said with concern in her voice, "Let me get you something for that headache."

I watched as she moved toward the kitchen, my heart clenched with joy in a way over her gesture. She didn’t owe me anything, especially after what had just happened, but she was still here, trying to help me.

But just as she stood up, her foot slipped on the spilled whiskey, and she let a small gasp, stumbling forward.

"Anita!" I lunged toward her, trying to catch her before she hit the ground, but my own coordination was still affected by the alcohol.

I managed to grab her arm, but in the process, I lost my balance, and we both tumbled onto the couch together.

We landed in a heap, her body pressed against mine as we tried to untangle ourselves. I felt her breath on my neck, her hair brushing against my cheek, and for a moment, everything froze.

Her hand was on my chest, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared up at me, her body still draped over mine. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, the warmth of her body against mine sending a confusing rush of emotions through me.

"I—" she started, her voice breathless, but before she could say anything more, there was a sudden knock on the door, breaking the tension between us.

We both froze, turning to stare at the door as if we weren’t sure if we had imagined it. But the knock came again, louder this time.