Rosaline blinked, her heart thundering in her chest. "Y-you're the king?" Rosaline asked again, her voice barely above a whisper. She needed to hear it one more time, to be sure. The same man who had kissed her, held her like she was everything he'd ever wanted...was actually the king?
Darius gave a slight nod, his golden eyes dimming a little. "Yes, I am."
The silence between them crackled like a storm waiting to break. Rosaline took a small step back, needing space to breathe, to think.
He saw the disbelief still dancing in her eyes. It was a lot to take in...he knew that. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something else, but no words came. The gravity of it all was clearly still sinking in.
They stood alone now. Marcus and Ciara had tactfully left them some space, sensing the conversation that needed to happen.
Darius took a step closer, hands buried deep in the pockets of his dark cloak. "Where are you from, Rosaline? I'm guessing you're not from the capital. If you were, I would've found you long ago. My council elders have been pressuring me relentlessly to find my mate."
"Pressuring you?" Rosaline repeated, brows raised in surprise. "Why? Do you… not want your mate to be found?"
There was a long pause. Darius's jaw clenched. His hesitation said it all before he even spoke. "No," he finally admitted, his voice low. "I didn't."
Rosaline blinked. That answer hit harder than she expected. She stared at him, stunned. "Why?" Her voice broke slightly. "Why wouldn't you want to find your mate? Aren't we supposed to be sacred? Chosen by the Moon Goddess herself?"
He looked at her then, really looked at her, as if trying to memorize every detail of her face before he shattered her heart completely.
Darius exhaled sharply and looked away, jaw clenched "Because I don't believe in all that fate nonsense. Not the kind I've been fed since birth. I don't want a life that's been decided for me by forces I can't see.
I don't want a mate the moon goddess picked for me. I want a choice... I want .. control. " Darius said, his voice rough, almost bitter. "I want someone I can understand. Someone whose loyalty I can be sure of. Someone I can control."
He looked at her then, really looked, and his voice softened. "Not someone who has power over my emotions.". "She could be everything I'm not prepared for. Everything I can't control."
His eyes stayed locked on her face, as though he couldn't help himself. His wolf was stirring inside him, whispering her name like a prayer, desperate and wild.
Rosaline felt her heart splinter. "So what, you'd rather have someone you can manipulate? Someone who'll do your bidding?"
"No. I want someone whose intentions I understand. Someone who doesn't have power over me," he said, eyes dark and conflicted. "But the moment I saw you… my wolf lost its mind. I lost control. That doesn't happen to me, Rosaline. Ever."
Rosaline took a shaky step back, her eyes wide. "Then why… why did you do it? Why did you kiss me like that?" Her voice cracked, and she wrapped her arms around herself, her whole body trembling. "Why did you come looking for me?"
"I'm sorry," Darius said, voice barely audible. "I shouldn't have done that." He exhaled sharply. "I couldn't stop myself. I didn't even plan to leave the palace tonight...I just needed air, needed to clear my head. I didn't know I'd meet you."
He swallowed hard. "If I had known… I wouldn't have come. I would've stayed away."
Tears welled in Rosaline's eyes, and she took another step back, her heart cracking with each beat. "Are you rejecting me right now?" she whispered. Her voice was so soft, so broken, it barely carried.
Today when she came to the capital she just wanted to purchase the needed fabric and get home immediately. But things didn't go as planned, life never did.
When she felt the need to venture out tonight, she wanted to ignore it, heck..she's been ignoring it since she came. But tonight felt different, the pull so strong she couldn't ignore anymore.
And now she knew why. Fate.
To find her mate or for her mate to find her.
But never in her entire life did she think that she'd be rejected by her own mate.
Fate had never felt so cruel.
"Yes, Rosaline," he said slowly, like each word burned his tongue. "I'm going to reject the bond."
A sob escaped her lips, and her tears came in a silent flood, pouring down her cheeks like a broken dam.
Darius's heart twisted at the sight. He hated himself for it....for being the reason her light dimmed, for putting that pain in her eyes.
"This is for the best," he said quietly.
"No," she snapped, wiping her cheeks with the back of her trembling hand. "This is best for you. You never wanted a mate, so this is convenient for you, right?"
Her voice was thick with hurt. "It's okay. I understand now. You may be a king, but you're also a coward."
She turned, ready to leave, but paused after a few steps. Tilting her head slightly, she looked back at him. Her voice was soft, but it cut like a knife. "I hope you don't regret this. I hope you find what you're looking for. I hope the one you choose brings you peace. I hope she's perfect and obedient and everything you can 'control.'
"I don't know you well enough to hate you… I wish I did. But I don't. Not yet. But I do pity you."
And with that, she turned and ran, her sobs echoing into the night.
"Rosie! Rosie!" Ciara's voice rang out as she chased after her friend, panic lacing every syllable.
Marcus watched Rosaline run past, her tears shining under the moonlight. He already had a sick feeling in his gut, but seeing her cry confirmed his worst fears.
He turned and walked to where Darius stood alone, fists clenched at his sides. Marcus arrived just in time to watch him punch the stone wall beside him with a feral growl. The stone shattered beneath his fist, dust falling to the cobbled ground.
"Tell me you didn't reject her, Darius," Marcus said quietly. "Please, tell me you didn't."
Darius was breathing hard, his hand bloodied. He raked it through his hair in frustration, unable to meet Marcus's gaze. "I don't want to talk about it," he muttered. "Let's go back to the castle."
"You can't just walk this off," Marcus said, his voice rising. "This isn't some fight with the council. This is your mate! You're both going to suffer."
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Darius snapped, turning sharply to face him, eyes glowing faintly with suppressed rage.
Marcus didn't flinch. "Then tell me this..why are you angry, Darius? Why do you feel like your chest is about to explode? Why does every step away from her hurt?"
Darius's face twisted, and for the first time in a long time, he looked utterly lost. Darius opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. He looked down at his bloodied hand, at the broken stone, and then up at the night sky, desperate for clarity.
"I don't know," he confessed. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside."
Marcus nodded slowly. "That's the bond, Darius. That's what you're trying to fight."
Silence stretched between them like a chasm.
"Let's go," Darius finally said, his voice hoarse. "Let's just get back to the castle."
Then, quietly, Marcus said, " Ok, let's go then."
Neither of them spoke as they walked back toward the castle, the night around them heavy with things left unsaid.
And in the shadows behind them, a figure stepped out from his hiding place. Cloaked in darkness, the man had watched everything unfold....the kiss, the bond, the rejection. The figure watched them leave, the hood of his cloak pulled low over his face.
A slow smile curved his lips.His lips curled into a wicked grin.
"Well, well," he murmured, voice laced with amusement. "This is getting interesting…"