Taming Her Beastly Mate

“Are you rejecting me?! Because of some man you have never even met?” Okay. Hearing that said out loud hurt her more than she thought it would. “Aken. His name is Aken, and he is my fated mate. Not just some man I have never met.” Alexis kept her voice controlled as she stared back at the young man in front of her. “A fated mate who wants nothing to do with you.” The man winced slightly at his own words not meaning to come across so harsh. Alexis bit her inner lip as she stared up at the guy in front of her. That one really stung because she wasn’t sure if it was completely untrue. Her mate has never come to her… not once. She wanted to have a proper conversation at least one time, but her mate never bothered to come and see her. “Please… try to understand… I haven’t been looking at you like that. Jared, I think you are a great guy-” “Lex…” Jared’s voice was soft as he reached out and grabbed onto her hands. “I have fallen in love with you Lex. I can’t stop how I feel. I want you and I will cherish you. Just give me a chance. I’ll be coming back for the mating party. Just promise you will think about it… and me. I’m serious Alexis. I love you and I just want to make you happy. Don’t turn me down waiting for a ghost. He doesn’t know what he was blessed with. He has no idea how incredible you are. But I do. I will treasure you if you will only let me.” She opened her mouth and stopped unsure of what to say. She didn’t want to hurt him. He was a close friend of hers, but she had never looked at him romantically. She knew she had a mate out there. Her mate recognized her while she was still a baby in her mother’s womb. But he has chosen to hide his aura and refused to go to her. She was told it was for her protection, but she was having doubts about that. Her father had met with Aken a couple of times. Her mate told her father to tell her to move on with her life and find happiness. But that he wouldn’t be claiming her so to forget about him. How could she do that without talking to him? She was just supposed to never be with her fated mate. He got to make the decision all on his own. Well then, he should at least have the decency to give her a formal rejection and break the bond between them. She wouldn’t be satisfied until he did at least that. She planned to meet him but him rejecting her was the last thing on her mind. She could see no reason why they couldn’t be together. She was a strong independent young woman who also had a say in her life. What Aken was doing was unfair. She wasn’t saying he didn’t have a say in this but that he needed to at least meet with her properly to discuss it. If at the end of the conversation she felt like he didn’t want her then she would accept his rejection and move on. Aken was a deity, the Kraken and she was only a demigod. Well, not only a demigod. Her father was a tier one deity, Leviathan (Lee, Levi) and her mother was part werewolf and part fairy. But not just a normal fairy. In fact, her mother was the fairy queen but she wasn’t the reigning queen yet. That made Alexis the fairy princess. She wasn’t exactly a nobody but… maybe he didn’t want to be with someone like her? It was this insecurity that made her chest constrict and feel anxious. Maybe he was trying to do her a favor by not seeing her. He was trying to spare her the humiliation. She felt so… unwanted. It hurt. “I will wait for you Lex. I’ll wait until you are ready. I’m not going anywhere, and I will prove to you how serious I am.” Jared lifted her hands up to his lips and gently kissed her skin. “Jared, I can’t ask you-” “You didn’t.” He smiled at her as he caressed her hand with his thumb. “Don’t say anything else. Promise to be my date at the dragon party, please? We can talk more about this then. For now, you just take this time to think… about us.” Jared stared into her blue eyes and gave her a faint smile. “Don’t overthink it. Don’t worry about sparing my feelings either. All I want is for you to consider us.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her forehead and then took a step back. “I couldn’t continue to pretend anymore… don’t feel like I am pressuring you. I would never.” “I know that Jared. You may be an arrogant dragon who thinks too highly of himself…” She smiled as she teased him. “But you have always been someone of high moral standards. Plus a very dear friend to me.” He frowned slightly when she mentioned the word friend. “I’ll always be your dear friend but maybe I can also be someone more dear to you…” He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled quietly. “Okay, maybe I should just quit talking now. I don’t want to make this awkward for you.” “It isn’t. I don’t know if I can give you the answer you want…” She watched his sweet smile as he nodded his head slowly. “I sort of just sprung this all on you. I’m sorry for that. Like I said before… just think about it.” He glanced up at the sky and shrugged slightly. “I’ll see you soon beautiful.” Alexis watched as he shifted into a large dark green dragon. His beast stared at her for a moment before he flapped his wings elevating into the sky. He flew off in the direction of the Southern Dragon kingdom. She watched him until he disappeared and then let out a sigh. She looked around in the night air glancing in the dimming light. The fireflies were starting to light up and dance in the air as the crickets began to play their music. Not to be outdone the treefrogs also joined in on the nightly chorus. Besides these creatures she was alone. She inhaled the cool air filling her lungs before slowly letting it all out. She hadn’t planned on a love confession. She was close with Jared but was completely shocked when he told her how he felt. She wasn’t sure what to do with it. She tightened her fingers in her hand and clenched her jaw angrily. “Is this what you really want? Do you actually want me to just take another mate?” She shook her head angrily. “This isn’t fair of you! We should at least have a proper conversation instead of me talking to myself as if I am crazy.” She could feel the stinging of her nose as her eyes watered up. She hated this. She has been waiting for Aken to show himself to her but how long should she wait? Maybe she should really consider Jared. He was kind, sweet, and strong. Plus, he had a good relationship with her family already. She did really like him but she never really took the time to explore those feelings. The whole situation was frustrating. If she knew there was hope she would wait for the mate she never met. She looked out in the now darkness staring blankly waiting… for anything. She felt slightly nauseous at the idea of giving up on her mate. She wanted what her parents have. What her relatives have. She wanted the deep connection that a fated mate had with your soul. But the idea of being unwanted was making her feel indignant. “FINE! Just stay away if that is what you want! You don’t want me?! Fine!” Alexis spat out angrily before turning on her heels to head back towards her home. She was tired of searching for a ghost. There was no trace of Aken. She didn’t even know if he ever heard her. Yet she often would talk to the darkness just in case. It was the only thing she could do. In the darkness, another figure watched her until she headed back inside the western dragon castle. Once he was sure she was inside safely he turned to leave as well. “It is better this way princess…”