A suffocating silence embraced the room, one which a pin drop can be heard. The only sounds in the room were the steady heartbeat of the king, and my own, fast paced and erratic.
When I had made that request, I noticed Alexander's shocked reaction, like he hadn't expected it, before his eyes narrowed with a fierce, dark anger that made my stomach churn in the most unpleasant way.
"Reject you?" He repeated, his voice low and deadly, "You want me to reject you?"
I flinched at the cold fury in his tone, yet, I forced myself to meet his cold gaze, the same one that could make anyone pee on their pants. "Yes..." I said weakly, avoiding his gaze that pierced into my bones, "I want you to reject me."
"Is this a joke to you, Penelope?" His voice was calm, too calm for someone that seemed mad, terrifying me even more. I could feel the controlled rage in every word. "Do you think the mate bond is a joke?"
I shook my head, my heart beating like I'm on a rollercoaster ride. "No, It's not a joke. I can never think it's a joke. I just... I can't do this. Not after..." I nibbled on my lower lips, swallowing the words I found so hard to say.
'What my first love did to me,' I completed in my head. Saying this to Alexander will rile him up even more.
A vein worked it's way up to Alexander's jaw as his eyes darkened even more. The aura he excluded made my wolf cower in submission. "What makes you think I'll reject you just because you asked me to? You think you have the right to request this from your king?" He growled, "Do you think I would abandon my mate?" "Answer me!"
I jolted in fear as tears gathered in my eyes, but I blinked them away, trying to stay strong.
I know I hate how the bond made me attracted to Alexander, how I longed for him when I would never have these feelings for my king, even if he was the most handsome man I'd seen, because our worlds were completely different.
Some things were just not meant to be together, I don't care what the moon goddess thought while she was giving Alexander to me as my mate.
But my feelings right now, like my heart was about to be ripped out, was way worse compared to the longing. I didn't even feel this way when I was badly hurt from everything Damian did to me.
"I've been hurt before. That's why I want you to reject me." I fidgeted with my fingers.
Alexander's brows knotted, "You're running away from hurting again, yet you want me to reject you? Do you know rejecting you, and breaking the bond will hurt ten times more?"
I looked into his eyes, "I can take this now but I can't guarantee if I can take being hurt in the future," I lied.
I'd grown immune to pains to some extent, so this wasn't a problem. The problem were the rumors I'd heard about Alexander Fenris.
I'm not really a fan of rumors. If there's anything I'd learnt from growing up in my father's pack, is that rumors were deadly and made up stories. But in every rumor, there was an underlying truth. A wild spread fire starts from somewhere.
There were rumors of the inhumane things Alexander had done, some of which were not spoken of because he was a king, and that was treason to the crown. Regardless, I grew up to the knowledge of him being a Lycan known to have no understanding of the word 'mercy.'
Even if he saved me, accepting the mate bond with a man more deadly than Damian was signing a guaranteed death, and I wasn't planning on dying anytime soon.
Alexander's eyes burned with fury, "I. Am. Not. Damian..."
The shock in my eyes couldn't be missed at the mention of my ex-husband's name.
He knows about Damian?
"I am your mate, Penelope. Your king. I won't ever reject you, Penelope. Never. You're mine," I could hear the distaste in his voice as he said those words, "Don't ever test my little patience with these foolish words like rejection again. You're stuck with me forever, Princess. I'd glue you to this bed if I have to."