After Your Rejection

Chapter 16 The lunch

Alexis

Finn and I make our way to the winter garden where lunch is served. It's February and the weather is not suitable for sitting outside. I spot Mum and Dad sitting with Axel and Freya. Damian comes a moment later and sits across from me. He's sporting a black eye and a broken lip.

'Hey Dame, how is it going? Looking perfect. Red is really your color. It goes well with your black hair.' I taunt him.

'F*cking funny.' Damian snaps at me and punches my arm. It's not strong enough for a werewolf to consider it a punch, but in my current state, I know it will leave a mark later.

'Language!' Comes from the adults. Luna Zara, Damian's Mum.

'I guess Axel wasn't happy about your interruption.' Finn says knowingly to Damian.

'You should thank me f*cker, as you can see, your sister is still unmarked.' Damian points his index finger in Freya's direction.

'Language!' Comes from the adults again. Alpha Darius this time.

'It's just a matter of time. It'll happen sooner or later.' Finn tells Damian, unbothered.

'Wow, you look pretty cool about the fact that Axel is going to f*ck you sister.' Damian leans back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

'F*cking language!' Says Alpha Darius, and we all burst out laughing. Mum and Luna Zara are glaring at him. My laughter is interrupted by a ding indicating that I've got a new message.

Mr. Bad Guy: Miss your sweet p***y.

Me: So romantic… Miss you too.

Mr. Bad Guy: I'm horny as f*ck. When are you coming back? Today perhaps?

Me: On Sunday. 

Mr. Bad Guy: What? I need you to take care of me now, not on Sunday... I miss you.

'Alexis, no phones during lunch.' My Mum scolds me from the other side of the table.

'Sorry Mum, it won't happen again.' Just to be sure, I silence my phone and put it into my purse.

'Your boy-toy or your boyfriend?' Damian asks with a smug smile. I shot him a death glare, and he smiles wider, blowing me a kiss. F*cking i***t!

'What boyfriend?' Asks my Dad. Of course he heard. Everybody around this damn table heard. Just perfect!

'He's not my boyfriend.' I tell Dad, hoping he would leave it like that. I'm not in the mood to explain my complicated relationship to them.

'That's good. You should wait for your mate. Look at Axel, he waited for his fated mate and…' Dad says while returning to eating. I feel irritated now, and before he can continue, I interrupt him.

'Funny, I don't recall YOU waiting for your fated mate.' Mum is looking at me and begging me to stop. I know it'll be better if I just shut up, but maybe it's time for them to know the truth.

'That was different.' My Dad says unaware that there’s a storm brewing inside me. It's the mix of what I've been through in the last six months. Every emotion and feeling that was bottled up for so long.

'And how exactly was it different?' I ask him, ready to have an argument about double standards. The ones about men and women sleeping around, I mean.

'Listen Alexis, I know it wasn't fair to your mother what I've done. And trust me, I regretted everything when I met her and almost lost her because of my past. I just don't want you to regret your mistakes when you find your mate. That's all.' Dad tries to reason with me, but I'm beyond reasoning. Everything crashes into me and I feel helpless. Unable to stop my next words.

'That's where you are wrong, Dad. I don't have a mate anymore.' I tell him while looking into his eyes. Or more like I whisper, but I know everybody can hear me. But I don't care. I stopped caring a long time ago.

'And what does that mean?' Dad asks, looking at me and then at Axel. I bet he's now putting pieces together.

'You know what that means. It means either I was rejected or I rejected my mate.' I tell him, looking everywhere but Alpha Sebastian. I don't want to see his face. I saw regret in his eyes before, but I couldn't be sure if it was true or if my mind was playing tricks on me.

'Okay, now you have my full attention.' Dad puts down the cutlery and looks at me expectantly. I look at Axel, who's waiting for what I'm about to say. He's encouraging me with his eyes, telling me I should come up clean and tell the whole story. Then I look at Finn, who's pinching the bridge of his nose. He's clearly disapproving of my decision to talk. I take a deep breath and start from the beginning.

'You all say how it's perfect when you meet the other half of your soul, but what if your other half, the one person who should love you no matter what, doesn't want you? When he rather hides from you and leaves you before you can get some answers… Let me tell you, it really sucks.' I take another deep breath and continue. I need to tell them as much as possible before I change my mind.

'Mum, Dad, I found my mate and I rejected him because he didn't seem like he wanted me. He didn't even acknowledge that we were mates. I'm not sorry for what I've done, because the last thing I need is a mate that doesn't love me. I deserve to be wanted and loved. I don't have a fated mate anymore, and I won't have one, ever again, since I was the one who rejected him. We all know the Moon Goddess doesn't bless the ones who reject her gifts with another fated mate. I know I will find happiness in the end, but at first, I felt like dying. That was why I did what I did, leave the pack and all... And since I'm telling you all this…' I brace myself for what's coming next because I know my parents won't like it.

'You got the picture from bits and pieces Damian was telling from the moment I stepped foot here. You need the whole picture. I didn't wait for the right one, because there wouldn't be any for me. I had s*x with humans, even women, a vampire, and maybe other species. I'm not entirely sure, since most of the time, I tried to get drunk as soon as possible. It was the only time when there was no pain in my chest and I could breathe again. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not your little princess anymore. But you probably know that by now.' I keep rumbling about everything on my mind and with every word I say, I can see the disappointment in their eyes.

'I know I made bad choices... But I've met somebody. We are not dating per se, because I'm still trying to navigate through all of this. But he's very patient and is willing to take every step with me, at the pace I need.' At the mention of him, there's a small tug of my lips upwards. It's not like I'm in love with him, but I like him a lot, and maybe with time, we could have something more, something permanent.

'Is he a human?' Dad asks.

'Does it matter? I just told you I won't have another fated mate.' I tell him, hoping he won't push for more information about my bad guy as I like to call him. I'm not ready to introduce him to my family and friends. There's a total silence and everybody is staring at me. I don't dare to look at Alpha Sebastian and see his expression. I know he’s also staring at me because I can feel his intense gaze. But I don't want to see him. He treated me like I was nothing, not even bothering to explain himself. I can't take it any longer. I need to get away from here as soon as possible.