He opened his mouth to argue, but I held up a hand, cutting him short. "Look, I don't have time for this right now. I have a lot going on, and the last thing I need is you complicating things further."

He shot me a narrowed gaze, his jaw tightening. "What do you mean, you have a lot going on? What's more important than us?"

He took a step forward, and I instinctively retreated, my back pressing against the door frame. His eyes traveled down the length of my body, and I couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious.

I had chosen to wear a simple, black dress - nothing too fancy, just comfortable lounge wear for a night in. But the way Kieran's gaze lingered made me quite aware of the way the fabric hugged my curves.

"You look breathtaking, Selena," he murmured, a small smile playing on his lips. "Even just sitting at home, you take my breath away."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again, instead fixing him with a pointed stare. "Kieran, I thought I made it clear that I don’t have time for any of this.You need to leave right now."

His expression shifted, but he regained his composure quickly. "Didn't you get my texts?"

I sighed deeply and replied him. "Yes, I got your texts. All twenty of them. Didn’t you get mine where I said I wouldn’t be attending your mother’s birthday party?."

I even considered blocking him because he was blowing up my phone with stupid texts earlier that morning. He was staring at me now as if he could see right through me and it made me somewhat uncomfortable.

"Kieran, please," I said, my voice trembling with my best efforts to sound firm. "I've already told you, we are not together anymore and I have no intention of celebrating anything with you."

He arched a brow, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. "Selena, why must you be so stubborn?" he murmured, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. "I've made it abundantly clear that you're mine, and I have no plans to let you go."

I tensed, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. "That's where you're wrong," I retorted, "You don't get to decide that for me. I'm my own person, and I won't be bound to you or anyone else against my will."

Kieran's grip on my cheek tightened ever so slightly, a subtle warning. "Against your will?" he echoed, his voice low and dangerous. "Darling, I think you forget – we're still mates and you’re not going anywhere."