Chapter 21
Scarlett’s POV
I woke with a pounding headache, reminding me I’d overdone it with the vodka last night The bitter cold and nerves had pushed me to drink too much, and now I was paying the price.
The memory of Lucian and Maxwell’s private conversation weighed on my mind. It gnawed at me, the feeling of being shut out, especially when it concerned my life. I didn’t like being left in the dark, not when my fate was involved.
After freshening up quickly, I found myself restless, my head too full of anxious thoughts to sit still. Even though the guys had lifted the chore duties, I decided to keep busy. The idleness was suffocating, and besides, I’d noticed that their staff never entered their rooms. It felt intentional, so I took it upon myself to clean up.
Once I finished, I scanned their bookshelf, hoping to find something to read. Something light, with no hint of romance. The last thing I needed was a reminder of love or mates–1 was living my own twisted version of that already.
But no matter how hard I tried to distract myself, one thought kept rising above the rest: Why hadn’t my wolf come yet? I should have shifted by now. Was I wolfless? The question sent a hollow ache through me, a sense of being incomplete, and in this world, it would
mark me as weak.
I was still scanning the shelf when Lucian walked in, catching me off guard. Reflexively, I moved away, creating space between us.
“Sleep well?” he asked, his tone surprisingly light. I nodded, unsure where this was going.
“I know you already have a drinking problem, Scarlett,” he continued, “but you should
ease up on the booze. You’re doing more harm to yourself than good, especially for a wolfless wolf.” He didn’t wait for a response, turning and heading to his room. His words lingered, twisting the knife of my own insecurities deeper. Why was he dragging this out?= If he wanted nothing to do with me, why hadn’t he rejected me yet?
I wanted to escape his presence and, at the same time, confront him. I picked a book from the shelf–something to ground me and keep my thoughts steady–and settled near the
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window. The cardigan and socks I wore kept the cold at bay, allowing me a moment’s peace to disappear into the pages, away from the mess my life had become.
A few minutes later, Lucian reappeared, pouring himself tea. It felt like now or never. I set down the book and approached him, my expression blank but determined. I didn’t bother with trying to look appealing; that ship had long sailed. The North had worn me down quickly, stripping away the beauty I’d once cared for in the South.
Steeling myself, I stood near him, trying to summon the words that had been burning within me for days. “Lucian…” I began, hoping to reach through whatever bitterness lay between us. It was time to ask him to do what I’d been waiting for since I’d arrived: to reject me, once and for all.
“Alpha Lucian,” I managed, my voice steady but laced with exhaustion. He turned, his surprise evident, as if he’d never expected to hear me address him like that.
“Please reject me so we can both have peace,” I said, and for a moment, he just stared, stunned. Just then, Maxwell entered, taking in the scene with a wary glance. His gaze moved between Lucian and me, trying to gauge what was happening.
“Is there a problem?” Maxwell asked, positioning himself slightly between us, as if ready to shield me from whatever Lucian’s reaction might be.
“Vladislav here just requested that I reject her,” Lucian replied to Maxwell, his tone cold but uncertain. Then he turned to his friend. “Has she asked you to do the same?”
Maxwell looked at me, clearly taken aback. “Did you ask for rejection, Scarlett?” he asked, his voice softened with concern. I nodded.
“Why?” he pressed, genuinely wanting to understand.
I took a deep breath, deciding it was time to be brutally honest.
“I need peace. I’m exhausted, and trying to carry all of this–my own pain, plus the resentment and emotions from the bond–it’s too much. He has someone else he wants, and I can’t keep pretending this connection doesn’t tear at me every day. It’s unfair to
to her, and to him.” I let my voice falter for a moment before I continued, a rush of emotion I’d buried for too long spilling out.
me,
“I know my father was a monster. He did terrible things, and I understand that you never
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had a chance to see justice served. So I became the target of your revenge, the reminder of all the hurt he caused. But you’ve taken everything you said he stole. You have it all now. I can’t bring back your families; I wish I could undo it, but I can’t. I’ve endured enough here. I just want to mourn him in peace, to move on and find some quiet. Somewhere else–maybe the East or the West, away from your territories.”
I looked from Lucian to Maxwell, my voice trembling with a mixture of exhaustion and hope. “Please, just show me a shred of kindness and reject me. Let me go far from here, to live quietly. I’ll go to the human territory in the West, start fresh. I’ll swear to you, the three of you won’t ever have to worry about me again. I didn’t want any of my father’s wealth or titles anyway. Just…just reject me and let me go.”
Maxwell stood there, stunned, his expression softened by my words in a way I hadn’t seen before. Lucian, though silent, was clearly struggling, but I couldn’t read his expression. I
waited, the silence heavy, as I hoped desperately for my release.
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