Chapter 42
Fuck! I did not see that coming. A sharp pain travels along my spine. I swear to the goddess, my legs almost give out.
“Did you just reject me?” I asked in shock.
I can’t fucking believe it. We managed to keep the news of Lola rejecting me between me, Jason, Micah, and the elders. If word ever got out and other Alpha’s found out that not only have I been rejected once but twice, they would start questioning my authority.
“Yes,” she replied, seeming bored with this whole conversation.
“Why the fuck would you do that?”
The pain from her rejection had dissipated and in its place was anger and irritation.
“Are you stupid?” she sneered. “I don’t want this, so it should be simple for you to understand… I don’t want you as my mate.”
I start to pace, feeling so agitated and out of control. Fuck! What the hell was happening? Everything was getting out of my control and I fucking hated it. I hated that I couldn’t control the narrative of this story. I hated it when things didn’t go my
way.
I thought that things would be easy. Sure, I wasn’t ecstatic about finding out that Lola wasn’t my true mate. I didn’t like that I’d have to give up being with her for the sake of doing what’s right for my pack. That being said, I fucking thought it would be easy to control my fate. That she would be so grateful to have a powerful alpha as a mate that she wouldn’t deny me or question why I wasn’t giving her my all.
Now, though, things have been flipped. Instead of getting a submissive and naive mate, I got Sadie as a mate.
It’s easy to see that she hates my guts. Not only that, but apart from Micah, she hates the rest of my pack. This new Sadie won’t be easy to bend to will. She won’t bow to me, and she’s no longer the naïve and scared girl she once was. The old Sadie is dead.
The fact that she has rejected me is proof enough that she has definitely changed. Her old self would probably have jumped at the opportunity to be my mate. She would have done anything to be by my side.
Hindsight is a bitch, isn’t it? Who would have thought that the same woman I tortured would be the one to hold the key to the survival of my pack?
“It doesn’t fucking work like that, Sadie,” I growled, Knox’s panic at losing our only hope sipping into me.
“Yes, it fucking does,” she growled back, standing up. “The moon goddess clearly made a fucking mistake when she paired us. I hate you, and you hate me. This rejection is inevitable. You shouldn’t have a problem with it.”
“Well, I fucking have a problem with it!” I yelled, unleashing the frustration I was feeling.
“Why would you have a problem with it? A few hours ago, you were hell-bent on killing me, and now you want me to believe that you’ve had a change of heart and want me as your mate? I call bullshit.”
She was right, but I couldn’t just tell her that I needed her to save my pack. With her level of hatred for us, she would gladly watch us burn with a fucking smile on her face.
“It’s not bullshit; I’ve really had a change of heart. The goddess never makes any mistakes. You’re my mate; there is a reason why she paired us together.”
The words tasted bitter in my mouth, and I hate that I even have to utter them.
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Chapter 42
Instead of having the desired effect, Sadie just sneers. “You can’t lie to save your life, asshole. Do you think I’m that stupid or gullible to believe those shitty words? If you had wanted me to believe you, you could have at least changed your facial expression instead of looking like someone was drilling your balls.”
I was about to say something when she cut me off before continuing. “Besides, did you forget that a few moments ago you told me that you weren’t thrilled that I was your mate?”
Damn it. This situation was already fucked up way before I said those words. I bet the moon goddess is having a laugh after making our lives a spectacle.
“That was a long time ago,” I said stupidly, not really knowing how to defend myself and my actions, or how to deal with this fucking situation.
“It’s literally less than twenty minutes ago,” she said, rolling her eyes.
I remain quiet, pressing my lips shut just to stop myself from saying something that would dig my grave deeper. Everyone was quiet. It’s as if it’s just me and Sadie in the room.
My mind was spinning, trying to come up with ways to control the situation. Trying to come up with ways to convince Sadie to be my mate without really having to admit the truth.
Nothing was helpful. All the strategies I have under my belt are useless when it comes to dealing with the woman in front of me. She seemed the same, but different at the same time, and I’m not talking about her scar or short hair.
I still hated her, don’t get me wrong, but I fucking needed her. That’s what’s destroying me from the inside. That I need the same woman who destroyed my life three years ago.
“You know what I think?” She asked, breaking the awkward silence. “I think you need something from me. It’s in the way you are holding yourself. You seem tense and bothered. You hate me, but you’re trying to come off as the opposite.”
She pauses before continuing. “You’re also trying your best to hold yourself back from lashing out. Like I said, you hate me, and you’re trying to stop that from showing. That tells me two things. One is that you’re desperate, and two, for some reason, you need me to agree to this mating.”
She’s good; I got to give her that, but I won’t admit that she’s right nor am I willing to tell her why I need her to agree to this.
Brushing her words off, I glare at her. “I demand to speak to your Alpha.”
Maybe I can convince him to force Sadie into agreeing to be my mate. No one is above the Alpha. She’ll have to do what he
tells her.
“You are speaking to her,” Sadie smiles, a smile so cold it could freeze this entire room. “How can I help you, Alpha Alec?”
It takes a while for her words to penetrate my fog, but when they do, I release a string of curses. Cursing the goddess all the way to the fucking moon.
