Filed to story: Mated and Hated by My Brother’s Best Friend Book PDF Free by Anna Campbell
“I love y you,” I said, voice trembling but honest. “And I know that sounds like some manipulative distraction right now, and maybe it is. But it’s also the truth.”
The silence between us changed. Shifted.
His face twisted-not with anger, but with something close to p pain. thought I imagined it, he muttered. “When I saw your face in the infirmary after the fight. When I heard the way you said my name I thought maybe, after everything, you still felt something. But then
He looked away
Then I saw Nathaniel carrying you. And you let him. And I thought-fuck, I thought maybe I had lost you for good.
“You didn’t,” I said, moving closer
He looked at me then. Really looked
And that’s when I saw it,
The cracks in the armor. The exhaustion. The fear.
The love.
“You still have me, I whispered, taking another step.
“I’m pissed,” he warned, voice low.
I know”
“I still don’t trust you,” he added, but his voice trembled.
I know that too.” you again.”
“I don’t know if I can trust yo
That one hurt deep. But I nodded.
“But I want to,” he said quietly. “More than anything.”
I reached for him then, slowly, like approaching a wild animal. He let me. My hand touched his, then slid up to his chest. His heart was hammering under my palm.
“I should have told you everything.” I said. “About the bond. About the training. About the crap I did that caused you to get this note. But I didn’t know how. I didn’t want to lose you.”
“You almost did”
“I know.”
He exhaled shakily. Then he cupped the back of my neck, leaning his forehead against mine.
“I’m so fucking angry with you.”
“I deserve that”
“But I still love you.”
I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear those words until he said them. My knees almost gave out.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered.
“You’d better be.”
I let out a wet laugh, and he gave me the ghost of a smile.
“But I heard about the library,” he said, pulling back just enough to look into my eyes again. “And Jiselle… what the fuck were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t” I admitted. “I just needed to know. About the runes. The blood oaths. Everything. I couldn’t wait anymore.” He closed his eyes briefly, like he was trying to breathe through the panic still crawling through him.
“I know that’s what the letter meant. And Jiselle, you scared the shit out of me.”
“I scare myself sometimes.”
His fingers tightened slightly at my waist. “Promise me you’ll stop doing this.”
“I can’t promise that.”
*Jiselle-
“But I can promise to stop doing it alone.”
He opened his eyes again, and something shifted between us.
Trust, still shaky, still bruised-but beginning to rebuild.
“I can work with that, he said softly.
I leaned in, pressing my lips gently to his
And he let me.
He kissed me like he had been waiting, like he hadn’t slept either, like everything had been building to this moment. But then-just as things started to deepen-his head snapped up.
Footsteps
A second later, the door burst open
And Nate stood there, chest heaving, eyes wild
Max’s body shifted instantly, stepping slightly in front of me like instinct had taken over
Nate’s eyes found mine, then flicked to Max His lips pressed into a tight line.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Max asked, voice deceptively calm but full of edge
Nate stepped inside, eyes locked on Max, his smirk lazy, his stance casual-but the tension in his jaw t betrayed him.
“Funny,” he drawled, closing the door behind him: 1 w just about to ask you the same thing.”
The door clicked shut behind Nate, and the air shifted immediately.
Max stepped in front of me-not possessively, not aggressively, just instinctively. His body moved like it had done it a thousand times before, as if shielding me from Nate was as natural as breathing. I reached out, lightly touching his wrist silently telling him I was okay. His shoulders tensed beneath my fingers.
Nate stood there gaze steady, lips pressed into a tight line. He didn’t speak, not right away. He didn’t need to. The tension between them was already louder than any words could’ve been. my voice stepped around Max before things could get worse. “Nate,” I said softly, but even I could hear how strained my
He didn’t look at me.
His eyes stayed locked on Max
7 was wondering where you disappeared to this morning,” he said finally, the corners of his lips twitching like he was trying -and falling-to keep his tone neutral. “Guess I have my answer.”
Max’s hands flexed at his sides. “I don’t owe you an explanation.
“No.” Nate said, finally turning his eyes to me. “But she does.”
My stomach twisted. I hadn’t prepared for this. For both of them in the same room. For Max after everything I’d said. For Nate after everything I hadn’t
I opened my mouth, but the words refused to come. My throat was dry. My thoughts jumbled.
Max turned slightly toward me, still standing close, and I could feel his eyes on me even before he spoke.
“Did you call him?” he asked quietly. Not accusing Just asking
It felt like a punch to the gut.
“No.” I breathed “I didn’t. I was on my way to find him when you found me.”
Max nodded once, his expression unreadable again.
“Great” Nate muttered under his breath, stepping farther into the room like he couldn’t take standing still any longer. “So I was just the backup plan. Good to know.” this is
“Nate, stop,” I said, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “That’s not what this is.”
“Then tell me what it is, Jiselle.” His voice cracked slightly, “Because right now it looks like you’re giving the man who tried to rip me in half a second chance.”
“Don’t tempt me” Max muttered under his breath, and Nate laughed-a bitter, sharp sound.
“Try me, Laker. I dare you.”
“Both of you stop!” I snapped, stepping between them again. My palms were shaking, heart beating like it was trying to escape my chest. “This isn’t about either of you.”
Nate arched a brow. “Isn’t it?”
“No” I snapped again, louder this time. “This is about me. It’s always been about me. The mate bond. The lies. The secrets The fucking school. I’m the one stuck in the middle of something I don’t understand. And all either of you can do is act like I’m a prize to be won or a possession to protect.”
Mar’s eyes flinched at that, and Nate looked away completely.
I swallowed, forcing the tears back.
I was wrong for getting mad at Max, not after all I put him through. “I’m sorry.” I sighed. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful for a second chance but please don’t fight with Nate”
“Tell him not to fight with me” Max growled, his eyes now t trained on Nate. “He’s the one who barged in here like it’s his
“I know and I’m sorry to be putting you through this I didn’t ask for any of this, I continued, quieter now. “I didn’t ask to be mated to someone who didn’t want me I didn’ some ancient prophecy or power structure or Successfully unlocked! in this school then I wasn’t ready. I didn’t ask to be part of
The Silence that followed was suffocating
Mar looked down at the floor, his jaw clenched Nate looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. “Look” I said after a moment, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know how to fix this. But I’m trying
Nate moved first. He stepped forward slowly, every inch of him still tense. But when he spoke, his voice w was softer. “I didn’t come here to fight you, Jiselle. I came here because I heard what happened about the note you got. I was on my way to find you and your scent was all over the damn hallway-it has been days since that happened and I just knew where you were. I lost it.”
“How did you hear about the note?” I asked, and his jaw tensed but said nothing.
Right.
“Out of everything I said…”
Max tensed beside me, his body going rigid again.
Nate glanced at him. “And because I knew he’s still obsessed with you… My wolf
“For once don’t blame Ethan or your wolf, Nathaniel, I huffed, “Please.”
He sighed. “Fine… I moved out of instinct. I wanted to be the one you chose.”
“Too late,” Max growled, then smirked. There was a distinct look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place or recognize either. It scared me a bit. “Again.”
“Again,” Nate echoed, shaking his head. That’s the thing, isn’t it? You never really chose a side. You just tethered on the edge.”
“That’s not fair,” I snapped.
“Isn’t it? Think about it.” Nate’s eyes met mine again, and this time they weren’t angry. Just tired. “You had me. You chose to train with me, even when I knew you went to him every night-even when I lost hope and believed that you’d never be mine, you never really chose because you never stopped seeing me. You had him. Then you kept secrets. Now we’re all here-bleeding for you, hurting for you-and you still can’t decide what you want.”
His words weren’t harsh but true, and kind of pissed me off too. He had some nerve-acting like he was the most willing participant from the start.
How dare he do this now?
Yet, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“You told me you couldn’t accept me because of some stupid promise to my brother. You pushed me away. You, Nathaniel. Not me.”
Max’s hand brushed mine again, grounding me. And I hated that I needed it.
“Just reject him and be done with it, Jiselle,” Max said, sounding frustrated. “We don’t need this right now.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?