Chapter 35
I groan as I feel the heaviness of my body, aching from the strain of the previous night.
My mind is clouded with thoughts of how to mend the shattered pieces of our relationship and how to get Sienna to forgive me.
My mind reels with possibilities of how to repair the damages done and gain Sienna’s trust. Yet her rage has put a barrier between us, I must break it if I want to keep her safe.
However, the treaty looms like a storm cloud, threatening to rip apart everything, taunting me with its promises of destruction and chaos.
Sienna stirs beside me, and I brush a kiss on her forehead.
As she sits up to face me, I’m met with the gaze of a total stranger.
The bond between us is still strong, yet something has fractured deep within her; a chasm of hatred I can’t comprehend or bridge.
Every fiber of my being screams for her as our eyes lock, instead of passion and love, all I see is a seething hatred.
Something has shifted within her, something I can feel through the bond yet cannot fully understand.
It’s as if an abyss has opened up between us, a gaping wound that will no longer heal.
Her repulsion for me is unmistakable, yet still the bond persists, an invisible shackle that keeps her chained to me.
She springs from the bed with haste, almost as if propelled by an unseen force. Her feet move soundlessly across the floor, and I watch her with a dread that stretches out like a noose around my neck.
“Where are you going?” I murmur, my voice laced with concern.
“To shower… alone!” she retorts with finality.
“No, I need to speak with my parents. Before that, I need you to mark me. Come here,” I tell her, my voice filled with a mix of urgency and desperation.
“I’ll pass, thanks,” she replies coldly, her words like icicles, cold and unforgiving.
My voice thunders with the power of a Lycan King.
“Anna! Come to me now!” My words seem to cut through her, freezing her body in place and I feel the battle between us in every moment as rivulets of sweat form across her skin.
Though I can sense the anguish my command causes her, she holds firm before me, unwilling to break under my command.
I can sense the pain my command inflicts upon her, yet she resists, forcing me to release the command before I cause her further harm or our bond.
“You will mark me!” I tell her, determination coursing through my veins. I rise from the bed and move behind her, gently gripping her shoulders to make her face me.
“And what of Carina?” she utters through gritted teeth, covered in a veil of hate-filled despair.
I clinch my jaw and ball up my fists, barely containing the anger that threatens to burst forth. “What about her? I don’t care for her; all I want is you,” I snarl, my confusion quickly turning into frustration.
“Do you intend to still marry her?” she demands, her eyes boring into mine looking for any deceit.
“It doesn’t matter; the marriage is merely a contract, nothing more,” I admit, my words heavy with regret and sadness. All while hoping she will understand the complexity of our situation.
She scoffs at my words, the sound cutting through the air. “So, you expect me to accept marking you while you’re bound to another woman?”
My heart clenches at her words, the pain of her rejection coursing through me. “Sienna, please,” I plead, my voice filled with my desperation and frustration. “I don’t want her. I want you.”
Her eyes blaze with anger as she walks away, shutting the bathroom door and locking it. “Sienna!” I call out, my voice filled with a mix of frustration and longing.
She ignores me at first, but my persistent knocking and pleading eventually sway her decision. Reluctantly, she opens the door and steps out, a towel wrapped around her body.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she says coldly, her words like shards of ice.
“Sienna, please listen to me,” I demand, taking a step closer to her. “I know I messed up, but I need you to mark me. It’s for your safety.”
“I can fend for myself,” she snarls, her ferocity palpable in her voice.
“My mother—” I begin, only to be cut off by her harsh words.
“To hell with your mother! I don’t need you looking out for me. Don’t you get it, Xandros? I wanted to die!” she screams, her voice shaking with boiling rage.
Her words pierce me like a thousand knives. The hurt in her voice slices through me, reminding me of the depths of her torment. Instinctively, I reach out to her.
“I won’t let you die,” I tell her firmly.
“That wasn’t your choice to make, you shouldn’t have forced me back here,” she whispers. The agony in her voice rips through me, reminding me of the despair she has been feeling. I inch toward her, raising my hand to her face. She flinches away, and I continue moving forward.
“I know I caused you pain,” I murmur, my voice filled with grief. “And I’m so sorry for that. You have to accept that I need you to mark me.”
“Why?” Sienna asks contemptuously, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “So that you can own me as your property?” Sienna utters bitterly, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks. “For you to keep me as your plaything? So you can have your way with me whenever you damn please?”
I throw my head back in desperation, frustration causing me to clutch my hair. What doesn’t she get? “No, Sienna. Don’t turn away! You have to mark me; it’s the only way I can protect you. Just give me five minutes!”
Her gaze softens, a flicker of vulnerability shining through her anger. She crosses her arms over her chest, a defensive gesture that doesn’t hide the pain etched on her face.
I take another step toward her, my hand still raised. “Sienna, I love you,” I admit, my voice filled with raw emotion. “You are my mate, and nothing will ever change that. I will do whatever it takes to make this right, to mend what I have broken.”
“But not enough to fight for me,” she whispers, her voice barely above a breath.
A pang of guilt courses through me as I realize the truth of her words.
I failed her, failed to protect her, and fight for her when she needed me most. “Sienna, I am fighting for you,” I protest, my voice filled with determination.
“I am risking everything, even the stability of my kingdom, to ensure your safety. I need you to meet me halfway.”
Her eyes bore into mine, searching for something. I reach out to touch her cheek, my thumb caressing her skin gently. “Please,” I beg, “just hear me out.”
Her gaze is wary yet receptive. “What is it?” she asks, her voice tinged with a mix of skepticism and longing.
I take a step closer to her, closing the physical and emotional distance between us. “I know I can’t undo the past.”
“No, you can’t. Just get out! I won’t listen anymore to your fake promises and false words,” she says pushing off my chest. I go to argue with her but then there is a knock on the door that startles us both.
Moments later, Javier walks into the room and Sienna moves to the shower, hopping in and closing the screen.
“Xandros?” Javier calls out. I growl and wander out to the main room.
“Your mother wishes to speak to you.” Just hearing the mention of her angers me, she nearly killed my mate.
The hatred I feel for that woman right now…
there are no words to describe it. “Your father has requested your presence, too.” I grit my teeth.
No doubt he is there to play referee to our fight.
I nod stiffly at Javier, still lost in my own thoughts. “I’ll be there shortly,” I mutter, my voice laced with bitterness.
Javier hesitates, his eyes scanning me cautiously. “Is everything alright?”
“No,” I snap, my anger and frustration coming out in a harsh outburst. “My mate doesn’t want to mark me, my mother tried to kill her, and now my father wants to play the middleman.”
Javier’s expression turns grave. He places a hand on my shoulder, offering a small gesture of comfort. “You’ll figure it out,” he tells me confidently.
I snort derisively at his words, feeling hopeless and lost. “I don’t know how,” I admit, the weight of my responsibilities and mistakes crushing me like a boulder. “I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”
“What situation, the treaty?” Javier asks curiously.
I shake my head in frustration. “This… this conflict between Sienna and me. Usually I can make her comply with the bond but not this time,” I say, struggling to find the right words to express myself. “I’m torn between my duty to my kingdom and my need to protect her. She won’t fucking see reason.”
“Well, one issue at a time. Whatever your parents wanted to see you about seems urgent.” I sigh looking back at the bathroom door. Shaking my head, I follow Javier choosing to deal with Sienna when I return.
As I walk toward the throne room, all I can think of is Sienna.
I know I’m failing her, failing to be the mate she needs and deserves.
My thoughts are interrupted as I enter the throne room and see my parents waiting for me.
I instantly growl when I lay eyes on my mother, and she hangs her head.
My father’s hand reaches out to grab hers.
“Xandros, we need to talk,” my father says, his tone serious and stern.
I scoff. “If it’s coming from her, I don’t want to hear it, Father, she nearly killed my mate!” I yell at him. He looks at my mother, his eyes full of disappointment.
“I have already spoken with your mother,” he says, keeping his eyes trained on her.
“Spoken to her?” I laugh, what did he do? Scold her like a disobedient child.
“Please, Xandros, I didn’t think she would deteriorate so… qui?—”
“You didn’t think? Exactly what was your intention?” I snarl, taking a step toward her. Javier grabs my arm, and I growl at the action, he simply shakes his head.
“My mate hates me because of you, because of the distance you forced between us.”