Chapter 119
PRIMUS ALEXANDER’S POV
Rejected.
:
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The word itself curdled in my chest like poison. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, restless, snapping at the thought, refusing to accept it.
No. Impossible. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
But then the memories came back in a flood–the way she stared at me blankly in the hall, the way she brushed past me as if I was nothing more than air, as if Clifford’s hand at her back was worth more than my entire existence.
“She wouldn’t-” my voice cracked, too rough, too human.
Levi’s gaze was merciless. “You can’t even say it without choking. That alone should terrify you.”
I pressed my fingers against my temple, trying to force down the pounding ache, trying to steady the growl clawing up my throat. The bond was still there–I could feel it, faint and stubborn, thrumming beneath my skin like a wounded vein.
But it was weaker. Duller. Slipping.
“Alexander,” Levi’s tone softened just enough to be dangerous as he turned to the door, “you’ve pushed her too far. And if Clifford keeps holding her like that, she’ll let herself believe she loves him and he’s her new mate.”
My vision blurred for a second and my breathing seized.
Love? Mate? Clifford?
When I’m still alive?
The silence after Levi left was unbearable. His words lingered like iron weights in my chest.
Love. He dared to call it that.
It wasn’t love–it couldn’t be. What I felt for her was hunger, was lust, was…
My jaw clenched. Lies. Even in my own head.
I could still see the horror in her face when I burnt the dagger and stripped her of that pendant. The way her eyes dulled, her body folded into Clifford as if I had taken something vital from her.
That wasn’t just a weapon–it was the thread I’d given her to me. And I cut it in front of her, like it meant nothing.
Just like rejection.
8:50 Tue, Sep 16 d
Chapter 119
…
The door scraped open and closed almost immediately.
“Primus Alexander.”
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“What did you want, Fiona?” I answered, not looking up from the cup in my hand. I already caught her by her
scent.
Weird.
“It’s about Clifford.”
I took a slow shot of the alcohol. It burned down my throat and did nothing to the way my heart raced.
Not him again.
“Primus. I don’t think keeping Clifford here with the Luna is a good idea.”
“Why is that?” I set the cup down. My fingers tightened around it.
“Well, you might not know, but Clifford and Aquamarine had an affair in the past.”
My head snapped up. My stomach dropped. I didn’t say it out loud, but the word hit like a blade.
“It wasn’t full–blown but there were signs even with Clinton in view. And now I worry they might continue it here.”
Her next words came softer, the performance switching to pity.
“I might be wrong but, you know they’ve been together for weeks. She has even moved close to his room, they go outside the gates together and they even eat together alone.”
That’s not possible.
I went to her room while she was on her period and it still looked the same. And I didn’t catch his scent so what nonsense was she spitting this time?
Or does she think I believe all the rubbish she accused Aquamarine of?
Does she think I’m a fool?
“Some even say they spend the nights together locked up in her room—‘
“That’s enough Fiona,” I said, slow, each word sharp. My wolf stirred under my skin, impatient.
Her smile faltered, but she dared a step closer, tilting her head. “I only meant-
“I said shut it.” I was on my feet before she could finish. My chair scraped back, the sound echoing like thunder. “One more word about her, and I’ll rip that forked tongue out of your skull.”
She flinched and then smoothed her face into the mask I knew so well. Her eyes flicked to the door like a trapped animal seeking escape.
8:50 Tue, Sep 16
Chapter 119
“Yes, Primus,” she breathed. “Of course.”
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I watched her for another long second. Her story fit too neatly into the chaos she’d sewn before.
“Good.” I stepped forward. “Keep your eyes and your mouth on the tasks I gave you. Report only what I ask. If you step out of line, you will regret that decision. Don’t get things twisted. You’re ‘ONLY‘ a slave, do you understand?”
“Understood,” she said, and the lie sat on her tongue like syrup.
But.
The thought of Clifford and Aquamarine–close, laughing, searching for herbs and bombarding him with curious questions–pulled at something raw and shallow inside me.
Jealousy, anger, shame, the dull ache of losing ground.
I reached for the sword at my belt, then stopped.
Too messy.
I can’t kill him in broad daylight.
I mean, I could but Aquamarine would hate me more than she already does.
I needed facts.
I needed to know what Clifford and she had done when I wasn’t looking. I needed to be certain the bond hadn’t shifted.
“Let’s go.” I pushed off the chair and headed for the door.
Fiona trailed after me, still talking, her voice a swarm I swatted away without lifting a hand. I’d already gotten what I needed from her.
What I needed now was a trace. A breath of her.
And there it was.
Thin, almost gone, ghosting along the stones. My pace quickened, echoing down the corridor, pulling me outside, past the gates, across the yard.
The garden.
And then–rage.
Her smile hit me first. Wide, reckless, soft enough to pull breath from my lungs.
How long has it been since I saw her squeal like that?
How long has it been since I saw her even smile a little?
8:50 Tue, Sep 16 …
Chapter 119
Weeks? Months?
Before she took the Core Fang?
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Her eyes had already disappeared, and her laughter was still as weird as ever. Her hair was braided the way I liked it. And her hand–her hand–rested on Clifford’s arm as if it belonged there.
As if he were worthy enough to see her smile or even hear her laugh.
He bent his head lower, too close, his shadow cutting over her face. Her fingers tightened against him, and she leaned in, lips parting with words I couldn’t hear–too close, too damn close.
Till there was no space between them, and all I could see was gold.
