Chapter 7 The Price of Pride
Before he could finish, Caleb’s fist connected with his face.
“I suggest you show my wife some respect.”
Adrian stumbled, barely catching himself. The moment he recovered, he rolled up his sleeves and cocked his fist.
“Enough!” I shouted them both down.
They froze mid–motion, but their eyes were still locked on each other, murderous.
I took a deep breath and turned to Adrian. “We need to talk.”
Caleb tensed. His grip on my hand tightened. I quietly traced my finger along his palm and murmured.
“Babe, I’m craving tacos from that place on the corner. Would you go grab me some?”
Caleb’s head snapped toward me, surprise and disbelief lighting up his face. “What did you just call me?”
I bit my lip, embarrassed, and said it again.
Caleb left with a satisfied grin on his face.
Adrian stood frozen, his face drained of color, staring at me like a ghost.
“Isabelle, he’s nothing but a washed–up loser with broken Psychic energy. You sure you want to be with him? Fine. You win. Withdraw the dissolution. I promise we’ll make this work.”
A shadow shifted near the doorway.
Lalmost laughed. I looked at him with empty eyes.
“Adrian, after all this, do you still think I’m just trying to get your attention?
“I’ll admit it. In the beginning, I did have feelings for you. I wanted your approval, I wanted you to notice me. But every cold shoulder and every cruel word ground those feelings down to nothing.
“Everything you did to me made it very clear that you despised me. So what exactly are you doing right now?”
The thought of our 95% Compatibility score flashed through my mind, along with how bizarre Adrian was acting.
I arrived at an absurd conclusion. “Don’t tell me you actually have feelings for me.”
Adrian’s face went pale. His eyes locked on mine with an intensity that was almost desperate, and his voice cracked. “What if I said yes? Isabelle, I regret everything.
“The truth is, from the first moment I saw you, every instinct in my body told me to love you.
“But you and I come from completely different worlds. Everyone was laughing at me for being Bonded to an Ability–less Beastkin. 1 lost my temper, and I took it all out on you.
“I’ve dealt with those people. I promise no one will ever come between us again. Can’t you give me one more chance?”
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Chapter 7 The Price of Pride
Every word dripped with anguish. He was practically begging.
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But all I felt was disgust. “Humiliating me over and over. Making a spectacle of me in public. Refusing to help me during my Heat cycles. Running around with another Beastkin right in front of me. Adrian, is that what love looks like to you?
“Because if it is, your love is pretty damn cheap.”
Adrian swayed on his feet, every trace of color draining from his face. He had no answer for my questions.
“I… I didn’t know Heat cycles were that serious for Beastkin. I thought you were just trying to get my attention. If I’d known, I never would have ignored it.
“And there was never anything between Kylie and me. I never once betrayed you.”
I cut him off, my patience spent. “It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re done. You did this to yourself.
“And one more thing. Caleb Voss is not a loser. He was injured protecting everyone in this Alliance. He’s a hero and a guardian.
“Don’t measure his worth by your own narrow standards.”
After that day, I never saw Adrian again.
I heard he had requested deployment to the most dangerous planet the Alliance had to offer.
Kylie didn’t end up with him, either. She Bonded with one of his subordinates.
felt something stir in my chest, something close to pity. But I didn’t dwell on it. I had a quiet, happy life with Caleb, and that was enough.
That peace held until the Volunteer showed up at our door for a routine health check.
She was stunned to discover that Caleb’s Psychic energy had recovered almost completely.
Psychic energy was a unique force. Once damaged, it was considered nearly impossible to repair. That was why Caleb had been discharged in the first place.
