Chapter 7 #3
Krevan's jaw worked as he considered his words.
"My mother came from Earth—just like you.
" His smile softened the silver in his eyes.
"She met Grusop there before traveling to Triaxe for university.
Though she's sixty-six now, she barely looks thirty.
The bond with my Triaxen father preserved her youth when she became his mate at twenty-two.
They found genuine love." He paused, fork suspended.
"Grusop noticed this preservation effect.
He wanted the same for Gillian, his only daughter and heir.
Plus, our combined family fortunes..." He shrugged.
"He offered her as my wife, assuming that meant mate as well. Could you make coffee?"
"Of course." Ancelin slid from her chair, grateful for the distraction. "Keep talking. I'm listening."
Krevan's voice followed her to the coffee maker. "I married her because my grandfather commanded it. In our family, his word is law—beyond law. It's difficult for outsiders to comprehend." His expression darkened. "He found me... challenging. We're too similar."
"How so?"
"We're both dominant forces—Alphas, if you will."
"But you chose healing instead of power," Ancelin said with a fragile smile.
"Exactly, but my grandfather felt disrespected by my actions. I was merely trying to avoid him and any potential conflict. He was furious that I didn't follow the family business path. As a Vallex male, certain responsibilities and expectations are placed upon me."
"So, you married Gillian out of duty?"
"Yes, my grandfather was adamant about merging our families for financial and power consolidation.
This time, I complied. My plan was to simply coexist with her until I found my true mate.
But living with Gillian was challenging.
She was spoiled, selfish, and narcissistic.
I wasn't fully aware of her worst traits when I agreed to marry her.
I knew she wasn't my true mate, and the marriage would end if I ever found my mate.
My grandfather wouldn't interfere with a true mating. "
"You hated her even before the marriage?" Ancelin inquired.
"No." Krevan shook his head. "I didn't like her, but I didn't know her well enough to hate her. She taught me to hate her. My grandfather hoped I’d develop positive feelings for her and find happiness in our marriage.
She was beautiful, and he thought friendship might blossom at least. However, he didn't know Gillian. "
Ancelin handed Krevan a steaming cup of coffee.
"Thank you," Krevan said, accepting the cup.
“Did you have a big wedding?” Ancelin pressed Krevan to continue.
“We had a huge, media-covered wedding. Much of Triaxe watched our families celebrate our union. It was broadcasted on Satview all over Triaxe and on Earth, too. We were celebrities. To me our wedding pictures are laughable. We hardly looked like a loving couple. We resembled the opposite. Our wedding night was not what either of us…had anticipated. We fought, and I left her in the hotel suite. We spent our honeymoon separately.” Krevan hesitated and asked, “Ancelin, can I try some of the pudding you made?”
Ancelin prepared Krevan a generous serving of pudding. “Here, I hope you like it. I’m listening to you, Krevan. Please tell me more.” Ancelin handed him his bowl of warm chocolate pudding. “You made this pudding special for me?” Krevan asked.
"Yes." Ancelin nodded. Krevan took a spoonful and tasted it.
"Gillian was consumed by appearances and status.
She wasn't my destined one. The Creator has more mercy than that.
" His voice hardened. "She refused to accept the reality of Triaxen mating.
Her frustration grew daily—she craved the longevity, the power that comes with being a true mate.
All that anger, wasted. The biological truth remained unchanged: we were incompatible at a fundamental level.
Eventually, I couldn't bear even casual intimacy with her. "
"She still believed you could choose to mate with her?"
"Her self-absorption was absolute. She couldn't fathom why I couldn't simply will it to happen." Krevan's attention shifted as he savored another spoonful of pudding. "This is exceptional." His tongue swept across the spoon, catching every trace of chocolate.
Ancelin's pulse quickened. She pressed her thighs together beneath the counter, horrified at her body's betrayal. Here he was, calmly discussing his wife's demise, while her treacherous body responded to his every movement. The contradiction made her dizzy.
"Did you share anything together?" she managed, struggling for composure. "Any happy moments at all?"
Krevan's teeth made a sharp, sibilant sound—a primal warning. He shook his head. "We maintained appearances. Separate wings of the same house. And no—" his eyes met hers directly, "—not a single moment of happiness passed between us."
"What happened next?" Ancelin asked softly.
Krevan studied his dish as if thinking hard before he answered.
“Gillian always smelled of men and sex. I can smell when a woman is interested, aroused, or if she has been with another male recently.” Krevan eyed Ancelin and his eyes seemed to look directly into her soul.
No doubt, he knew Ancelin was hot for him now.
Ancelin’s face flooded with a blush at his knowing gaze.
“All Gillian did was spend my money and enjoy herself in every way imaginable. She had absolutely no redeeming qualities. I immersed myself in my career and ignored her existence as best I could.” Krevan paused his narrative and looked intently at Ancelin.
She nodded to confirm she was still listening. “Can I have some more pudding?” Krevan asked and handed her his empty bowl.
“Sure, but don’t stop telling me your story. I’m listening.” Ancelin took his bowl to refill.
“We lived in my large house in Curtistan, Triaxe. Like I said, we lived together, but separate. We hardly ever saw each other. I worked at the hospital all the time and came home late every night or not at all. Are you going to have some pudding, too?” Krevan digressed once again as he took the bowl she offered to him.
“Yes.” Ancelin sat down next to him. “I’ll have some later.”
“I had been invited to speak at a medical conference on the other side of Triaxe. In Jordinstan, Triaxe, and Gillian knew I was going to be gone for several days. I was going to speak on a new procedure in surgery that I had developed and been successfully using in heart transplants. However, I forgot some of my notes at home, and as the story often goes, in these types of tales, I unexpectedly returned to get them. It was obvious I wasn’t expected,” Krevan stated with a chilling smile.
“So, you never made it to the medical conference?”
“No.” Krevan shook his head in grim dismay.
The regret on his face was so evident that Ancelin’s stomach ached with misery for him.
She wanted to embrace and comfort him but withheld the impulsive desire.
“Thank you for the pudding. I really liked it.” Krevan finished his second serving.
“What happened next?” Ancelin prompted him.
She was anxious for the climax and conclusion of his tale.
"I came home to find Gillian in my bedroom with an Earth man.
.. having sex with him. The guy was clearly terrified of me, and by the end of the night, he had wet himself and my carpet.
That infuriated me," Krevan remarked with a cold laugh.
"The whole situation drove me crazy. Gillian was promiscuous, but why choose my bedroom for it?
Their scent invaded my personal space. Why couldn't she use her own damn room?
" Ancelin observed the simmering anger in Krevan's expression as he recounted the event.
"Despite my rage, I tried to ignore them.
I went to my desk to look for my notes while they stared at me, shocked by my seeming indifference.
It was a bizarre scene." Krevan laughed again, seemingly amused by the twisted memory.
"When I found my notes, I stood at the foot of the bed and ordered them both to leave my house within five minutes, or I'd call the police.
I told Gillian I was filing for divorce after my conference.
Her behavior was unacceptable for a Vallex, and I wouldn't tolerate it anymore.
I wanted her out of my home. The charade had to end.
I left the room to call the police, and Gillian followed me into the living room. "
"She followed you, arguing?" Ancelin asked, incredulously.
"Yes, she was naked and yelling that I couldn't divorce her because it wasn't allowed by the agreement between our families.
She insisted it was my duty to mate with her.
She still didn't get that she wasn't and would never be your mate?
She started hurling insults at me, calling me a 'Triaxen monster’ and other offensive names.
While I attempted to contact the police, she continued to scream.
My decision to ignore her only made her angrier.
Soon, she began throwing small objects at me—anything she could find: books, paperweights, vases, candles, pictures.
I managed to dodge everything she threw, which only fueled her fury, escalating her actions.
She was completely enraged. If I had been an Earth human, she might have seriously injured or even killed me.
Finally, she grabbed a large, heavy ceramic lamp and hurled it at my head with all her might.
I blocked it with my arm, causing the lamp to shatter into large pieces.
One piece hit her on the head, killing her instantly.
Krevan watched Ancelin for her reaction.
'I called the emergency services afterward. The police came and arrested me.”
“Was there a trial?' Ancelin asked."