The Alpha King's Fated Mate

Chapter 8

Elias. Her ex boyfriend.

Isla’s heart sank as she saw him walking toward their table. Bree's expression immediately soured, her eyes narrowing in distaste. "Of all places, he has the nerve to show up here," Bree muttered under her breath. "The café he always brought you to. Isn’t he even the slightest bit remorseful?"

Isla didn’t respond, her stomach tightening as she watched Elias approach. His gaze was locked on her, and she could feel the weight of his stare from across the room. She hadn’t expected to see him here, especially not after everything that had happened between them. Her mind raced, caught between anger and discomfort.

As Elias reached their table, Bree immediately stood up, blocking his path. "You need to f**k off, Elias," she snapped, her voice cold and cutting. "Isla doesn’t want anything to do with you. So, scram."

Elias didn’t even acknowledge Bree’s words. His eyes remained fixed on Isla, his expression unreadable. "Can we talk? Privately," he said, his voice low, almost pleading.

Isla froze, her mind screaming at her to say no, but something in his tone made her hesitate. Before she could respond, Bree scoffed loudly, her hands now on her hips as she glared at him. "She has nothing to say to you, Elias. You need to leave. Now."

Elias remained silent, his eyes not leaving Isla. The tension in the air thickened, and Isla could feel Bree’s protective anger radiating from beside her. She knew Bree was right, knew she shouldn’t give Elias the time of day after the way he had hurt her. But there was a part of her that wanted closure, or at least to hear whatever pathetic excuse he had for what he’d done.

Isla sighed and stood up slowly, her eyes meeting Bree’s. "It’s fine, Bree," she said softly, though her voice wavered just a bit. "I’ll hear him out."

Bree’s eyes flashed with disbelief, her mouth opening to protest. "Isla, you can’t be serious. After everything—"

"I know," Isla interrupted, her gaze softening. "I just… need to hear what he has to say. I’ll be fine."

Bree didn’t look convinced. She shot Elias a glare so venomous it could’ve burned him where he stood. "Fine. But I’ll be right here if you need me. And Elias, if you so much as raise your voice at her, I swear—"

Elias finally broke his silence, nodding slightly. "I’m not here to cause trouble."

With one final look of warning, Bree reluctantly sat back down, though her eyes stayed glued to the two of them as Isla led Elias outside. The moment they stepped into the crisp autumn air, Isla crossed her arms, putting some distance between them. She didn’t want to give him any impression that this conversation was going to be easy.

Elias stood there for a moment, his hands shoved into his pockets, looking unsure of himself. For a second, Isla almost felt pity for him, seeing him like this, vulnerable and awkward, so unlike the confident man she had once known. But then the memories of his betrayal came flooding back, and her resolve hardened.

"What do you want, Elias?" Isla asked, her voice colder than she intended. She didn’t want to show him how much his presence still affected her, but she couldn’t help it. Being near him brought back all the hurt she had buried deep down.

Elias ran a hand through his hair, his expression conflicted. "I… I wanted to apologize. I know I messed up. I know I hurt you." His voice was low, strained with emotion.

Isla raised an eyebrow, her arms tightening around herself. "Hurt me?" she repeated bitterly. "You cheated on me, Elias. You didn’t just hurt me, you broke me."

Elias winced, his eyes dropping to the ground. "I know, Isla. And I regret it. I was a coward, and I made the worst decision of my life. But I swear to you, it wasn’t because of anything you did. I was… I was dealing with my own s**t, and I took the easy way out."

Isla laughed, though there was no humor in it. "Dealing with your own s**t? Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you cheated on me because you had issues?" Her voice rose with frustration, the old wounds reopening as she spoke. She had tried to make sense of his betrayal, and now he was standing here, trying to explain it away as if that would fix everything.

"I’m not asking for forgiveness, Isla," Elias said quickly, his voice softening. "I know I don’t deserve that. I just… I need you to know that I’m sorry. Truly. I wasn’t thinking straight."

Isla crossed her arms tighter, her posture defensive as Elias continued, his eyes filled with regret.

"I know it will take a while for you to forgive me," he said, his voice wavering slightly. "Hell, maybe you never will. And I don’t blame you for that. But I just wanted to clear the air. I can’t live with myself knowing you hate me."

Isla's eyes narrowed, her anger boiling just beneath the surface. “You can’t live with yourself?” she echoed incredulously. “Do you have any idea what I went through because of you? The lies, the betrayal, staying up all night wondering what I did wrong. And now you think a simple apology will make me forgive you?”

Elias opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get a word out, a deep, commanding voice cut through the air.

“She will never forgive you,” the voice said, authoritative and laced with contempt. “So get lost.”

Isla turned, her heart skipping a beat at the sight before her. Lucian stood there, his imposing figure shadowed by the soft glow of the café lights. His presence was impossible to ignore, tall, broad, and exuding a dangerous kind of power. His arms were placed in his pants pockets, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared down Elias. Behind Lucian, two of his guards flanked him, their expressions unreadable but their presence unmistakably intimidating.