Chapter 18

“I swear, it’s not what you’re thinking,” I said to Valens, running after him as he turned his back and led us to the pack house.

“What am I thinking?” His cool voice asked. The cold in his voice made me numb and desperate. My wolf already formed a connection with him and she was desperate not to ruin it.

‘I’ll die if he rejects us, Aysel. Appeal to him. Appeal to his wolf. He is our true mate!’ She kept yelling into my head as I ran after Valens who neither turned me slowed as his long legs stride into the pack house.

We got into the elevator to take us to the penthouse – his place. I hustled into the elevator right as it was about to close because he didn’t hold it open for me.

“You’re thinking that – that I’m cheating on you with him but I swear on my parent’s grave that it isn’t anything like that.” He didn’t answer me. He continued to look straight ahead at the cool silver walls of the elevator door as it took us up.

“Please, alpha, I am not like that. I would never – I would never disrespect our bond like that.” I wished he would look at me at least but he didn’t. I felt as if I disgusted him so much to the point where he couldn’t stomach looking at me.

First I tried to poison him, then Lucien k!ssed me in my room where his beta caught us and now, he found me with the same man in a secluded part of the pack house with the said man pressed against me while professing his love for me. There was no way he wouldn’t misinterpret all these. I must be a traitor and a promiscuous person in his eyes.

“He is the same man you were k!ssing the other day.”

“I wasn’t – I wasn’t k!ssing him. He was k!ssing me!” I exclaimed.

Once, Lucien vowed he would ruin my life. I think even subconsciously, he was still hellbent on destroying me. He could ruin the bond I had with the prince without even knowing.

The elevator opened at the penthouse suite and he walked out, going into the living room while I rushed after him.

“Please, Valens, you have to believe me. I am not – I am not that kind of a girl.” I wiped tears from my cheeks at his stoic, unbending persona.

“For a hundred and four years, I searched for a woman to take my curse, one I could give my heart and share my world with but instead I got you.” Pain pierced my heart when he finally turned to look at me.

I didn’t understand why his words hurt me so much. Why was our bond so strong? I didn’t even feel this much pain when I took a box of chocolate to school and presented them to Lucien only for him to throw them to the ground and stomp all over them before drawing Skylar into his arms to share a passionate k!ss.

I wasn’t this hurt when I watched the pack burn my parents body and throw their ashes away after cursing them but when he looked at me without emotion, I wanted to fall to the ground and cry. For a man that I’d only known for a week.

‘A mate bond will have an alpha warrior on his knees for a woman he just met.’

I thought I knew the power of a mate bond after Lucien but it turned out, I didn’t know anything.

“You betrayed me on the very first day. You have defiled yourself with that – with that thing.” His face contorted as he thought of Lucien.

“No, no. It is not like that!”

“I saw it with my own eyes.” He snarled, sweeping his hands through the dresser to send things crashing and breaking on the floor. “The only reason I let you out of this room everyday is for you to get stronger. Do you know what it means to be my Luna? I have made more enemies than friends in my years of conquering. They would tear you apart if they sensed the slightest weakness from you but rather than train to be a strong Luna, you run after a man and rub yourself all over him!”

“I didn’t do that! He came up to me and I couldn’t break free.”

“Don’t remind me of how weak you are.”

Not him too.

I’d long since given up on the notion of love and protection. I didn’t think anyone could love me, not with my traitorous b***d, my omega wolf and My weakness. I had nothing to offer but I didn’t need my mate to run it into my face.

“I told you I would destroy everyone you have been with. I meant it.” My eyes widened at the venom in his words. He was angry and when he took a step towards the door. No doubt to go and hunt down Lucien who must be imprisoned in the dungeons, I threw myself at him.

“Let me explain, please.”

“You’re defending him still?” He pulled me away from him, holding me at arms length as if he couldn’t stand me.

“He – he’s my mate.” His expression shuttered off then anger built on his features like thunder about to explode. I tried pulling my hand from his as I saw the expression moon his face because it frightened me more than his Quietness. It frightened me more than his cold voice.

“I know – I know it sounds bad but you – you’re my second chance. He rejected me and I accepted his rejection. I swear, there’s nothing between us.” The more I spoke, the more his face contorted. I feared I wasn’t getting through to him and my wolf’s desperation made my heart beat faster.

“Does he want to reverse the rejection now?” I swallowed at the silent anger in his words. I knew I just made things worse for Lucien by admitting it. “You’re both waiting for me to turn my back to get back together, are you not?” His words sounded down.

“N – no.” I took a step back as he suddenly took a jerky step forward. “I’m not – I’m not that kind of person.”

“Wha kind of person are you? You tried to poison me and you were ki!sing him in your room the other day.”

What would I say for him to believe me? I knew everything that had happened with Lucien didn’t help my cause but I wasn’t the one to initiate it. Skylar made me give him that poison and Lucien forced his l!ps on mine and Jabari barged in before I could do anything. The scene he saw with Lucien didn’t show my part of the story. If he’d come earlier, he would have seen me reject him but he only came when Lucien professed his love to me.

“I – it’s all a misunderstanding.”

“Take off your clothes.” I took a step back and blinked up at him. “Now.”

“W – what?” I clutched my hand to my chest.

“It may be my curse to have a traitorous, promiscuous mate but you’re my curse breaker. I am not giving you the chance to get back with your first mate. Take off your clothes, Sagira. I don’t like to ask twice.”

My wolf howled for joy but my heart beat faster. He wasn’t joking. He’d changed his mind in the spot. This same man who said mating me would put me in danger I wasn’t ready for now wanted me nude in his bed this minute.

“B – but you said –“

“My word is law. The law changes when I say so. Take. Off. Your. Clothes.”

I looked down at my simple dress, trying to shut my wolf off. She was going hysteric already. She wanted to mate him now. If we mated, there would be no going back for him. He couldn’t turn his back to reject us. That was what made my wolf happy but it was the same thing that hat made me afraid. He thought I was a traitor and he wanted to mate me yet. He didn’t like me but he wanted to mate. There would be no going back after this.

My shaky hands took off my clothes as I bared myself to him. I stared at the sole of my feet, holding my hand to my chest. My skin heated, my heart raced and my wolf howled in excitement.

“F**k.” A simple low muttering that made me raise my head to look at him. His eyes were blown wide and l!ps parted. His expression closed off when he caught my eyes.

“Get on the bed. Spread your legs.”