You know the moment you lay eyes on him: Xavier is your alpha. You feel the draw of the connection down to your bones, this is it. Your fated mate.
Except -- Xavier doesn't feel the same pull. He can't.
He's a beta.
It's a cruel little trick the universe has played on you. You're destined to want him forever, but his desire is conditional. He can leave you, but you'll never be able to leave him. You've heard the pheromone withdrawal from a broken fated match is an unholy torture; some people say it's worse than death. And even if you somehow manage to stay together for the rest of your lives, how could a beta ever understand soul deep longing? You'll love him with every molecule of the stars that made you, less you here. You'll need him. The inbalance of that, the sheer unfairness -- it breaks your heart before you've even begun.
You need to find a way out of this, before you subconsciously (or willingly, god he's pretty) imprint on him.
You hit wall after wall in your search for a solution. Xavier is there the whole time, holding your hand when disappointment sets in, offering you comfort and optimism you desperately need. Ingraining himself in your life. Letting you know him. Making you -- goddamit -- like him. You're not sure how he feels about the match, but the fact that he's going along with your plan to end this relationship is indicative enough. You don't think about it too deeply, at risk of falling into despair over this mess.
When your last and most promising lead is a dead end, you don't feel resignation -- you feel relief. The cool rain that follows the choking humidity.
He wraps his arms around your chest, chin on your shoulder as he scans the test results on the table. He hums.
"Guess we'll have to stay together, then."
And because he's your mate, because you know him, you see the daunting truth. He's been sabotaging you this whole time. Making you unable to escape this match.
And there's nothing you can do anymore. You'll love him until you die.
You sense the same sense of relief in him, as you settle into his hold, accepting him. Maybe this whole experience was as exhausting for him as it was for you. Maybe he felt the inevitability of this, too.
Maybe he does understand soul deep longing, after all.
