Chapter 3: Down That Road Before
1375 Words
-Lucian-
I was taken aback when she mentioned my name. I had no clue who she was, yet evidently, she knew me. I wanted to understand how, though. I desired to learn more about her. No, I craved to know everything.
She was my mate, yet she appeared almost apprehensive around me. Quite guarded, in fact, and that puzzled me. I didn’t want her to feel the need to tread carefully around me. I would never harm her, so I took a step back, affording her some space.
“Well, you’re bound to make some noise regardless. I want everyone to know not to disturb us,” I stated, lowering my voice and gazing at her soft pink lips.
She looked at me, startled, as if failing to grasp the underlying implication of my words. It caught me off guard. I thought I had made it rather obvious, or perhaps she had never had anyone attend to her desires before?
“I’ll pass,” she replied suddenly, erecting a barrier between us.
As she walked past me, I froze for a moment. Never before had anyone rejected me, regardless of gender. Yet this one remained unaffected by my charm.
“Wait a moment,” I said, reaching for her hand.
She swiftly pulled away, as though my touch had scorched her.
“Don’t touch me. Just leave me alone, Lucian,” she demanded.
“How do you know me?” I inquired.
“You bear a striking resemblance to your cousin, and you’re the only unmated male here. It’s not difficult to guess,” she explained.
“Yes, but someone must have informed you about me. How else would you know my name?” I pressed.
She sighed, shaking her head as if slightly disappointed by my ignorance.
“What?” I prodded.
“I’m Cecilia. Lara’s beta,” she revealed.
Ah, so this was the renowned Cecilia! The one who aided in Selene’s liberation from Valerio and assisted Angela in finding the Spirituals to cure Hunter. My mate was a beta?
There had to be more to her if she was paired with me. I was destined to be an alpha, but sometimes individuals from different ranks were paired if their energies aligned.
It could be difficult sometimes when one was above the other, as the one on top might exploit their power. I wouldn’t, of course. As my mate, she was my equal, and I would always treat her as such.
“So, you’re the Cecilia I’ve heard so much about. Selene named one of her children after you,” I remarked.
Cecilia nodded.
“Yes, that’s me,” she confirmed. “Now I’m leaving.”
“Wait!” I protested.
Cecilia halted and turned to face me, wearing a discontented expression.
“You can’t just go,” I implored.
“Yes, I can. And I will,” she insisted.
“We’re mates.”
She seemed taken aback by my candid declaration, but instead of responding, she simply walked away, shaking her head. She headed into the hallway, and I quickly followed.
“Cecilia!”
She stopped, her back turned to me. I wasn’t sure if she intended to walk away again, but no, she slowly faced me once more, appearing almost distraught.
“I know what we are,” she admitted.
“Then why would you leave?” I questioned.
“Because I’ve been down this road before, Lucian,” she confessed. “I’ve been paired with someone more dominant than me, and I won’t do it again!”
“Again?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay? I just... don’t want you,” she stated.
“What?” I stared at her in shock, but she could barely meet my gaze. She seemed almost guilty, but I felt a surge of anger. Was she already rejecting me? We had only just discovered we were mates for a few minutes, and she was already saying she didn’t want me.
“You’re rejecting me?” I asked.
She shook her head, further perplexing me. “No.”
“But you don’t want me?” I inquired, puzzled.
“No, I don’t.”
“Sorry, but I’m a bit confused here,” I admitted.
“I told you, I don’t want to go down that path again,” she explained. “You can reject me if you want to. I won’t utter the words, knowing the pain they inflict, but I won’t stay with you either.”
“Why not?” I pressed.
“I told you why. This isn’t my first time finding a mate,” she confessed.
Right... there was a reason she knew where to find the Spirituals. They had helped Cecilia too, removing her mark.
“And I don’t want to be discarded again,” she said.
“I’m not going to do that.”
“Not immediately, but when you grow weary of me, as you inevitably will,” she stated. “Then I’ll be cast aside.”
“You can’t possibly know that,” I countered.
“Lucian, there are rumors about you, and you have a big appetite. I don’t blame you, but I can’t... I can’t fulfill your needs,” she said.
“How can you know that when you haven’t even tried?” I questioned.
She sighed and glanced at the ground for a moment before meeting my gaze again, pain evident in her eyes. How broken she appeared. Despite having her mark removed, she had lost herself.
“I pour my heart into everything I do,” she confessed. “I pour my soul into it, and I can’t take that risk because I know the outcome.”
“You don’t know,” I insisted.
“But I do. I do know.”
“Cecilia...” I began.
“Don’t... Don’t give me some long speech about why I should give this a chance,” she interrupted. “I can’t...”
“Why?” I implored.
“Because I’ll fall in love with you,” she admitted.
I stood there stunned, surprised to hear her say those words. It was everything I desired—her love. I wanted her to fall in love with me, and I knew she saw it in my eyes. She knew I wanted her to.
Okay, forget dinner. We’re taking her straight to the bedroom. No, wait... Forget the bedroom. Use the wall, the floor. She can be on top, so she doesn’t have to lie on it! We’re going to make her fall in love with us right now!
I almost wanted to laugh because I felt so elated, knowing without a doubt my mate would fall in love with me. But Cecilia didn’t look happy. She appeared scared, or... terrified.
“I’m sorry, Lucian, but I won’t put my heart on the line again,” she declared.
“I would never break it,” I promised. “I swear to you.”
“But you will... You’re an alpha, and I’m done with alphas,” she insisted.
She began to walk away again, but I wasn’t letting her go so easily. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to me, her body pressing against mine. She looked up at me, startled, but then her gaze drifted, lingering on my lips.
“You’re not finished with them,” I whispered. “You’re far from finished, sweetheart. We’ve only just begun.”
She seemed to struggle to breathe as her eyes slowly met mine.
“I want you. Right now.”
She shook her head slowly, then pushed away from me, taking a few steps back.
“If you run, I’ll follow,” I warned.
“I told you, I can’t do it. Maybe with some distance, you could let me go,” she suggested.
I shook my head firmly.
“No.”
“It has to be this way,” she insisted. “You deserve better.”
I deserved better? What the hell? Cecilia turned away from me, and this time, she didn’t look back. She walked to the entrance hall and disappeared through the door. So, that was how my mate wanted to play? Fine, I would just show her we weren’t finished.
- Writer
