Chapter 34: Her rejection
Aira’s POV
I pinch my eyes shut when the sun’s morning gaze falls on my eyes. A groan leaves my lips as I angle my body away from the light.
Ah, that’s a lot better. Now there is no light penetrating my eyelids. But why do I have the feeling that something is boring into my skull? It seems like someone is staring at me incessantly.
Slowly, I peel my eyelids open, and my breath catches when my eyes lock with a pair so dark.
Alex.
He has his eyes glued to mine, his face void of emotion. What is he doing in my room anyway? I am about to ask him when the memories of the previous night come flooding back in. My eyes grow as wide as saucers before falling on my naked body, shielded by his blanket.
A shriek leaves my lips as I hold the blanket to my chest.
“Good morning to you too,” Alex says sarcastically, and my face grows hot.
“Um, good morning,” I said awkwardly, and there was a moment of silence between us. He does nothing but stare at me with that blank expression that makes me nervous. He is in nothing but a pair of boxers, and I wonder how it is possible for someone to look so effortlessly handsome.
His sculpted torso is on full display, and the way his hair falls slightly above his eyes makes him look like some sort of Versace model. I don’t know why I feel so hot beneath his gaze; maybe it is because of the moment we shared last night.
It was so magical.
I have never been with any other man aside from Jace, and our sex was nothing like last night. When Jace and I had sex, it didn’t last up to three minutes. He always got done early, and I was never even close to being satisfied. I thought I could put up with it because he is my mate and I care about him.
But last night was the best sex of my life.
There was something about the way Alex pinned me against the bed and thrust in and out of me with so much power, all while keeping eye contact with me. I have never been so out of breath yet felt so good at the same time. And aside from the physical aspect, I felt something in me during those sweet intimate moments.
I felt like we were connecting. Like there was a part of us getting tied.
I am crazy, aren’t I? This is most definitely one-sided. I am certain he didn’t feel the same. It was probably just normal sex for him. It makes me wonder how many women he has been with.
You are overthinking, Aira!
I guess there was only one way to find out.
Clearing my throat, I say, “So about last night.”
“Was a moment of weakness,” he finishes, and my body freezes. He continues, “We were both feeling tense and gave into our desires. It didn’t mean anything.”
Slowly, I sink into myself. I want to tell him that it meant something to me-it meant everything! That feeling I got while staring into his eyes and holding his hand as he pleasured me so passionately meant everything.
It felt like our souls were connecting.
Ah, what a fool I am. I should have known it was only me; it meant absolutely nothing to him.
“Yeah, it meant nothing,” I say solemnly, but I still feel his eyes on me. I couldn’t look at him, not right now. I can’t risk breaking down in front of him. He has made it clear from the beginning that he doesn’t feel anything for me.
“I will give you some time to dress up,” he says, and I nod in appreciation. He gets off the bed and heads straight into the bathroom. When I hear the shower start through the door, I spring to my feet and pick up the pieces of my clothes from the floor. Once I am done, I bolt out of his room and straight into mine.
Slamming the door to my room shut, I press my back against it and slide down to the floor.
Why did I ever think that things would change after what happened between us last night? Tonight is dinner night. All the alphas have arrived with their mates and are currently downstairs with their mates. I am unable to get my eyes off my reflection in the mirror as the makeup artist does her job on my face.
“Could you find a darker shade of red? “I say, making what feels like my tenth suggestion on my makeup, and I know she is doing everything within her power to hide her irritation. At this rate, I might as well have done my makeup myself.
I just can’t help it. I need to look perfect for the show Alex and I are about to put on tonight. Speaking of Alex, after our brief discussion yesterday morning, I have seen neither his hide nor his skin. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I have not left my room ever since.
The maids would bring my meals to my room because I was not in any way ready to bump into Alex after what happened. Tonight would be our first time seeing each other after what happened. I just hope we can actually pull this off.
My seamstress puts the finishing touches on my dress just as my makeup artist puts the finishing touches on my face. My hair has already been straightened to perfection, so now it is time for the final analysis.
My dress is the bloodiest shade of red. It handles me and lays much emphasis on my cleavage. The dress hugs my upper body so snuggly; it clings to my curves and pools around my feet like a pool of blood. My jewelry is gold, which only complements my dark makeup.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, and the both of them release a relieved sigh. My cheeks heat up, and I feel bad for making them work so hard on such short notice. I turn to the two ladies and take both of their hands. “You two outdid yourselves; thank you so much.”
The both of them smiled appreciatively. “You are welcome, ma’am.”
A knock comes from the door, and my heart skips a beat. I already know who it is.
“Come in,” I say, and Alexander walks into the room, looking like the most handsome devil to ever walk this earth. My breath catches in my chest when I take in his attire.
His pants, shoes, and shirt are as black as night, but he has a red tuxedo on that is the same shade as my dress. We are actually matching.
His hair is gelled back, and his sideburns are neatly trimmed; somehow, they all make his enchanting eyes pop out. For a moment, neither of us said a thing. We both take in each other’s appearance, and we are just in awe of each other.
My stylist’s eyes glance between the two of us, and they silently take their leave. It’s just Alex and me now.
He clears his throat and breaks the silence. “You look gorgeous.”
My cheeks heat up a bit, but I try to act stoic. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
He grins at my words and offers me his arm. “Are you ready? “He asks as I take his arm.
“I doubt I will ever be, but we might as well get it over with.”
“That’s right. Now, chin up and put on the biggest smile you have ever put on your face,” he says just before he opens the door. “It’s going to be quite a show.”
We step out of my room, and he leads me down the stairs. The chattering of our guests fills the air, but it stops as we descend the stairs. All eyes are on us, and I can’t lie, I feel a bit intimidated by all their staring. Nevertheless, I do as Alex said and keep my head up and my smile wide.
A waiter comes to us with two glasses of champagne, and we take them. My eyes meet Jace and Ana’s, and the corners of my lips twitch when I see the envy swirling within their eyes.
“Welcome everyone! I am so pleased you all decided to honor my invitation to spend the night with me and my beautiful mate,” Alexander says, addressing the small crowd. He picks up my chin and pinches it softly. “I thought that it would be a fabulous idea to formally introduce her to you all. So, this is my queen, Aira, and I expect you all to accord her the same respect you do with me.”NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.
All the alphas and lunas present smile and nod in agreement with Akex. Their gazes are welcoming, all except for two certain individuals, of course.
“Thank you all for coming. This night promises to be a fun night for us all. So sit back, eat, drink, relax, and enjoy the evening,” I say, and we all cheer for that.
The alphas come to speak to Alex and me one by one. Each of them was kind to me, and their friends treated me like their friend. I learned most of their names and even promised to visit a few of them as well.
It saddened my heart that I might never actually visit them; all of this is just a pretense. Once our plan to take revenge on Jace and Ana is complete, everything will go back to normal between Alex and me.
I will be nothing but a maid, and he will be the strong, powerful alpha.
I feel a tap on my shoulder, and I spin around to come face-to-face with Jace. I notice that there is something off about him; his eyes are a shade redder, and he is oozing alcohol.
“Aira, may I speak to you for a moment?” he asks.
Alex and I share a glance, and I can easily tell he is telling me not to, but I offer him a reassuring smile. “I will be fine,” I whisper to Alex. He gives Jace a hard glare as I slip out of his grasp and follow Jace out of the mansion.
The second we step into the garden, Jace says, “Come with me.”
My eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean?”
He closes the distance between us and places a hand on my cheek. My skin crawls, and I want to push him away and put some distance between him and me. Whenever he is this close to me or even touches my entire body, he reacts in a vile way.
“I mean, leave all of this. Leave that bastard and come with me. I have already realized my mistake, and I swear we will go back to how we were. You can come back home, and we will forget all about Ana and Alex. It will just be the two of us, just like old times. And I promise that I will treat you a lot better; I will never leave you again.”
Silence.
I stared up at him with a blank expression, letting everything he said sink into my head. Then I throw my head back and laugh. He frowns at my reaction. “What’s so funny?”
I wanted to drag this moment out a bit further, but I suppose it is time to unleash the final stage of my plan.
Rejection.
“You, of course. I mean, how could you possibly think I will ever go back to you?” I say in between laughs, and his eyes harden.
His fists clench along with his jaw when he says, “But you said you have forgiven me. You said that you are willing to move past our differences.”
I shrug lazily. “I guess I lied. Read my lips. Jace.” I pause before drawing out my words. “I will never, and I mean never, go back to a miserable bastard like you.”
A scream leaves my lips as my head snaps to the side with brute force. I lose my footing, and my head slams against a tree nearby. Pain shoots up my skull and cheeks as my body collapses to the floor.
“I am going to fucking kill you, you bitch!” Jace seethes as he storms up to me. I try to get back on my feet, but my vision is blurry, and I feel something warm trickle down my head. The metallic scent that fills my nose tells me exactly what it is.
I try to crawl away from him, but black dots taint my vision. I find myself slowly losing consciousness as my body grows weak.
Jace’s approaching footsteps suddenly stop; in fact, it sounds like he is running away.
He is running away from someone.
The last thing I remember before succumbing to the darkness is Alex’s voice.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you.”