Rejected by the Alpha of Fire

This is What Rejection Feels Like

Cindra’s POV

Helio’s grip on my elbow was firm as he led me to a nearby parlor, his anger simmering beneath the surface. Once the door was closed, he shoved me forward.

“Sit,” he hissed.

I obeyed his demand, perching on the edge of a chair, my gaze unwaveringly fixed on my hands rather than him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stride across the room to the fireplace. He flicked his fingers at the wood in the hearth. Soon, the fire crackled, and the air began to heat, pushing through the chill that had settled in me.

I bit my lip. Nothing had been worth it. Maybe my mother’s room had been cursed, and everything that was happening now was my punishment.

Maybe I deserve all of this.

I glanced up at Helio. He stood by the fireplace, his brooding presence casting a heavy shadow in the room, lit by the glowing embers. There were no windows in the room, so the entire other side of the parlor swam in deep shadows.

The weight of his displeasure pressed down on me. It was apparent that Helio was angrier than usual, and I couldn’t help but think it was because I had taken the dress and ignored his mother’s wishes. What had I been thinking? Was dealing with Queen Bridget, or even this, worth it?

More and more, that thought seemed right.

I shouldn’t have gone.

The silence thickened while I waited for him to do something, to say something. Goddess, I wished Queen Bridget had just beaten me in the hallway or something. It wouldn’t have been the first time. I’d heal. Anything would have been better than this.

When Helio finally turned to face me, his eyes smoldering with intensity, his question took me off guard.

“Knox?”

I blinked. Before I could stop myself, I nodded. Helio’s nod in return only deepened the awkward silence that enveloped us. It felt heavier than any silence before. Was he upset? Maybe he thought I didn’t deserve it either. I wanted to tell him that Knox agreed with him, but as I looked at the prince, it didn’t seem like he was thinking about my mate catastrophe. He stared at the space between his feet, his hands clenched at his sides and his jaw so tense I could see the veins in his neck.

Unable to bear the tension any longer, I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry about wearing the dress. I—”

He held up a hand to silence me. “I don’t give a f**k about that dress or Mother’s stupid rule. It’s your mother’s room. If anyone has a right to enter, it’s you.”

I swallowed, stunned that he would say something like that to me, that we could agree on something like that.

“If you didn’t care about that, then why did you pull me away from her? What do you want?”

He didn’t reply, but I heard him mumbling under his breath to himself. I strained to hear what he was saying.

“It just doesn’t add up,” he muttered as he massaged the crease between his brows.

I watched him intently, my curiosity piqued. I wondered what he meant, and if he was referring to the Moon Goddess Ball, I had no idea what he meant other than me being mates with Knox.

He continued muttering, and I heard a name: Kora Zephyr.

Helio shook his head slightly, and I went still as it dawned on me. Kora had to be his mate. A part of me wanted to laugh. I had thought that was the case when I saw them dancing. Helio was polite to people he had to be polite to, but he didn’t believe in wasting time. I bet Kora was the only woman he danced with last night.

She was beautiful and strong—probably too strong for his tastes, but it didn’t matter. He should be happy. A trade agreement would go smoother if they were mated, but his tone and expression left me uncertain about whether he couldn’t believe his luck or whether he had reservations about the match.

He said nothing else I could catch, but I could tell that he was sinking further into his thoughts and frustrations. With my luck, he was probably trying to figure out how to soften Kora so she was more to his taste, and he’d completely forgotten about me.

A few minutes passed, and it seemed like Helio was beginning to emerge from his brooding thoughts. His scowl settled squarely on me. He straightened to his full height and glared down the length of his nose at me.

“Stop getting into unnecessary trouble. You may have a right as her daughter, but your rights don’t matter so long as my father and mother rule Ember Moon. Follow their rules, dumbass.”

His gaze landed somewhere above my head, not on me.

“Understand?” he said, finally looking at me. “Was that clear enough that even you can understand?”

I nodded. “I understand.”

“Get out.” Helio swung his arm toward the door, pointing the way to the exit, his stare returning to the flames.

I jumped to my feet and practically ran for the door before he could change his mind. However, just as my hand touched the doorknob, he posed a question that took me by surprise.

“Do you like him?”

Confusion washed over me, but it didn’t take long for me to realize he was referring to Knox.

“Answer me,” he snarled, glaring at me over his shoulder.

I fretted with my hands. “I don’t really know him. He seemed… princely.” I tried not to shake my head at such a stupid answer. What did that even mean?

The crease in his brow deepened and the shadows in the room cast his features into darkness, but his eyes continued to glow in the light from the fire. “It doesn’t matter. Knox is going to reject you anyway. You know you’re not good enough for him.”

His words struck me like a blow, not because I didn’t know, but because I did, and it seemed like he was almost happy at the thought that I would live the rest of my life marked as someone who had been rejected.

My emotions surged, burning my eyes as I blinked back tears. I tore the door open and rushed out, my heart pounding. What was worse was that I wasn’t sure if I was more upset at Helio’s attitude or the dread of being marked.

I didn’t stop running until I reached my room, and finally, I let all the tears I had been holding back fall.