The Traitor's Brother

04 ~ Soft rejection

(Continuation...)

Alys quickly returned to the balcony to look at the garden, and sure enough, there was a figure there, casually passing through. Her jaw dropped. Of course she would not find him in the ballroom! Her fated mate was a warrior! And he had been out there, doing ground control.

The wind blew and carried his scent to her, and she gasped quietly, covering her mouth so he would not hear.

Even without seeing his face, she knew who it was!

Jayden Marsh!

He must have heard something so he turned to look in her direction, but in a moment of panic because she still could not believe it was him, Alys dropped to the floor, hiding from him. Her heart was pounding wildly, but a huge smile started to spread on her face.

She found her fated mate! And oh, it could not be more perfect! Jayden would be her brother’s King’s Guard when the time comes. He was practically family! She grew up with him around, although he had always been focused on Teddy, rather than on Alys. Everyone knows he was a good man, even the king and queen would agree.

Jayden was an elite warrior and had been some sort of big brother to both of them all these years. He was kind, gentle and yet firm when necessary, a warrior worth looking up to, for he rose from a low-ranked omega to an elite warrior despite everyone saying it was impossible. Elite warriors were often lycans who were stronger, faster, bigger, and blessed with gifts that ordinary wolf shifters could only dream of.

And yet when it was time to prove himself, Jayden beat everyone, defeating even the most seasoned lycan warriors. How he did it, she didn’t know, but she was convinced that this only proved that no other could be more worthy to be her fated mate!

When Alys had composed herself enough, she stood up again, but to her dismay, Jayden was no longer in the garden.

Maybe he was done making rounds and he would soon be in the ballroom! Her enthusiasm returned in full force and so she rushed back to her room to let her maid in so she could help her change gown. This time, she simply could not wait to return to the ballroom!

Oh, this night could turn out to be so romantic, after all! They could meet as mates for the first time in the ballroom and dance, dance, dance all night long!

Her cheeks pink with excitement, she hurried back to the ballroom with renewed vigor, waiting for that special moment when Jayden finally stepped inside to claim her as his fated mate, in front of everyone. She could not wait to feel the magic of their first touch… the first look of love…

Unfortunately, she was left waiting in vain. He never came. When she asked around discreetly, she was told he had already gone home after his shift.

Why didn’t he come?

Then it hit her.

He knew, that’s why he avoided going to the ballroom.

He had known before she’d found out. And he never told her or anyone else about it.

Only the two of them knew, and by the looks of it, he intended to keep it that way.

Confused and more than a little hurt, Alys told no one about finding her fated mate that night. She wanted to understand first why he didn’t come. Perhaps she misunderstood, and that he didn’t really know. Before anything else, she wanted to be certain that they were on the same page.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get your happily-ever-after tonight, my darling,” her mother told her quietly as she walked with her back to her room. “But you don’t have to worry… I am sure you’ll meet him soon. Who knows? Maybe he’s an introvert like you, and could not stand parties either.”

She forced a smile. “It’s all right, Mom. I’m just glad the party went well. I’m sorry I could not stay until midnight, I truly am exhausted. You know how it is… It’s painful sometimes.”

Queen Raya kissed her forehead. “I know, my love. I wish I could do something about it… If I could take away your pain or even share it, I would.”

“I know… but it’s like Granny Maria used to say. We all have our own battles to fight and our own burdens to carry. I just have to be stronger.”

The Queen embraces her tightly. “You are strong, my daughter!” she told her fiercely. “You are one of the strongest people I know. To bear not only your pain but even those of others… I cannot imagine anyone else being strong enough to handle your fate. You are a warrior in your own right, a beautiful, powerful, invincible warrior! And when you do find your mate, you will see! Even the heaviest burden will feel loads lighter, and he will cover your back even in your personal battle. You’ll see.”

And so Alys’s faith in the mate bond was renewed. There must be a reason Jayden did not say anything or did not claim the fated bond during her eighteenth birthday. Perhaps he was worried about what people would think, given the wide age gap between them. Maybe he was also anxious about the reaction of her family. Now that she’d thought more about it, she had to admit, it could be a bit awkward, especially because she grew up thinking of him as an honorary big brother.

Almost eighteen years older than her, it might raise a few eyebrows seeing as how close Jayden was to the royal family. Not that he had ever been improper, but there would always be people who judged so harshly.

The following days, she tried again and again to find Jayden. And yet somehow he always found ways to be somewhere else. He even went on to take a couple of weeks off and traveled abroad. Undeterred, she sent him a message telling him they had to talk, and he simply answered OK.

She almost called him but she still wanted their first time seeing each other as mates to be special, not just on the screen of a mobile phone.

When he finally returned, she rushed to his quarters, unable to wait any longer, but to her dismay, her brother was there already, and the jerk seemed to have no intention of leaving anytime soon. She tried to catch Jayden’s eyes, to silently tell him to send Teddy away so they might talk. But Jayden would not meet her eyes, focusing on the prince enthusiastically telling him some lame story about a game he missed.

That’s when Alys realized that Jayden was trying to avoid the confrontation. He never meant to go inside the ballroom that night. He probably even went abroad on purpose. She had been building castles on clouds, and in one blow, he scattered them into nothing.

The disappointment was so overwhelming that she swayed on her feet and had to hold on to the wall for support.

He didn’t want her. Her fated mate would rather not claim her.

She had been so excited and so happy to see him but he could not even be bothered to look at her for more than a split-second.

Alys left without saying goodbye. They probably didn’t even notice.

She locked herself in her room and cried for a long time, feigning sleep whenever someone would check. After that, she decided she would no longer pursue him. If he wanted to talk to her, he knew where to find her. She refused to humiliate herself any further for someone who didn’t think she was worth his time.

The next day, she stayed in bed all day, claiming to be feeling unwell. As if on cue, her period came and she had more reason to stay in bed. That evening, there was a knock on the door and her maid brought with her a tray with a gift-wrapped package and a note.

“It’s from Sir Jayden.”

Of course her st*pid heart started pounding excitedly once more, ready to forgive him already. What if it was all just a ruse? That pretending to ignore her was a preparation for something special? Maybe he even went abroad to find her the best present ever and that the note contained an instruction for a special rendezvous he had planned for them.

She quickly opened the gift, ripping the wrapper to shreds in her haste to find out what his present could be.

“Oh…”

It was lovely. A beautiful porcelain doll that somehow looked like her. But it’s… not exactly something you’d think of giving to your fated mate. She was no longer a child and this doll seemed more appropriate for someone younger or even someone who collected dolls. Alys was neither. She was more interested in books, really, and her collections were earring and necklaces.

Very slowly she reached out for the note and opened it.

“May you find the happiness you deserve. Happy birthday, Princess.”

The note slipped from her cold and numb fingers as she stared unseeingly at the floor.

She just got rejected, didn’t she? Through a note.

It wasn’t the formal words but he said it nonetheless. The happiness she deserved was yet to be found. And it was not with him.

He didn’t even deign her worthy of doing this in person. But then, what was he waiting for? Why didn’t he just reject her already and be done with it, instead of breaking her heart over and over again!?

The answer came immediately to her. He was trying to do the gentlemanly thing. He wanted her to do it. He wanted her to be the one to choose to break the bond.

Alys had never been a violent person, but she suddenly saw red, and in her anger she grabbed the porcelain doll and threw it at the wall. There was a resounding crack as the doll’s delicate face crashed against the wall, before it fell to the carpeted floor with a muted thud.

She realized too late what she had done and she rushed to where the doll had fallen. The doll’s face has a crack, from its temple down to its rosy cheeks, its forehead permanently marred by a jagged crack. Tears of regret welled in her eyes as she cradled the broken doll in her hands, the weight of her mistake settling heavily on her heart. Frantically, she searched for a way to fix it, but the damage was irreparable. Just like her heart.

Alys sobbed as she slept with the doll in her arms that night.

She had decided that if Jayden didn’t want this, then there was no point fighting the inevitable. She would accept that her first mate bond was doomed from the very start and just resign herself to look forward to finding a second chance mate.

However, since it was Jayden who decided without consulting her that this bond would never work, without even trying, then he could damn well do the rejection himself instead of making her do the dirty job.

If he wanted so badly to be freed of this fate, then he’d better have the balls to look her in the eyes and see her pain as he broke her dreams and her heart.

She was done running after him.