Chapter 6
1464words
"Well, I don’t know. You still haven’t done it yet. What are you so afraid of?"
I could hear the edge in Della's voice through the phone. She sounded so def up with me that I couldn’t deny it no matter what excuses I made, and my heart pounded in my chest as the reality set in. If I couldn’t reasonably do away with this feeling, then I could still ignore it.
I told myself that it was only normal that she acted like this after all that had happened, especially after she blurted out that she wanted to end things last time.
There was a bond established between us when I claimed her, the pain of leaving each other was terrible for us - both for alpha and omega.
Yet it didn’t seem as though Della was fueled by this torment, either. Her voice and attitude were completely foreign to me. During what little time we were apart, it was like I hadn’t known her my whole life.
I broke my promise, and I knew that it was my fault. Persuading Della to serve Flora’s sentence for her must have been the final straw for her. If she truly held onto such grievances with me, then she could have just talked to me about them and we could work through our problems.
However, she disappeared from the pack. Daring me to end our relationship during an informal call would be her undoing. She would pay for this disgraceful behavior, and I would show her that she wouldn’t get away with it.
"Then I, Alpha Kylian of the Dark Moon Pack, appointed leader of one of the Campbell Kingdom’s lands, reject you as my chosen mate and Luna," I blurted out. I just wanted to get back at her. Understanding the gravity of my deFloration, I braced my wolf for the pain of our falling out.
"I accept your rejection," Della replied. It was done. My wolf could feel it as well, its howls of pain ripping through my chest.
I took a breath to suppress the uncomfortable sensation. And, bound by some higher morality, I tried to right my wrongs. "Wait, let me tell you what happened with Flora. She..."
"Now that we've severed our matebond, we have nothing to do with one another. You don't have to explain anything to me." she interrupted casually.
“Hope never see you again,” And with that, the call ended.
I asked myself how things had gone so differently from what I had planned. Not once did she show any regret for what had happened. Even after I formally renounced our bond, she didn't beg me to take it back.
She gave up on me, and I should have breathed a sigh of relief that I could have a happy life with Flora from now on. But why do I feel sad?
It was then that I realized that I didn't know this woman at all. And now, I had lost the chance to ever do so. I sighed and put down my phone, noticing Henry standing silently by my desk when I finally took my head out of my hands.
"What is it?" I asked.
"The Lycan King is holding a banquet at the castle tonight, and he has extended an invitation to all of the land’s Alphas. I left the letter on your table earlier, but you have yet to say anything about it. Are you going?"
I frowned at him warily. Perhaps it was because I had been so preoccupied with official business all morning, but I didn't see any invitation. I called over one of the maids and asked if they had seen it.
"My apologies, Alpha. the Luna—I mean, Miss Della… is usually charged with tidying your study. But since she is absent, I was temporarily assigned to her cleaning duties. I cannot read, however, so I may have thrown it away," the maid stammered, her voice trembling with fear. "This was an enormous mistake on my part, but I will fix it! I’ll dig through the trash right away to retrieve it!!"
The maid gave a quick bow and fled down the corridor. Irate and exhausted, I mindlinked the head housekeeper. "How dare you send an illiterate maid to tidy up my study!!"
"My sincerest apologies, Alpha. Miss Della is gone, and I’ve had many duties to fulfill today. I may have neglected to delegate roles properly," the housekeeper apologized anxiously. Before he dropped our connection, I could hear him beginning to scold someone. "Be careful, you clumsy Omega slave! Don't touch any of the Alpha's belongings that he’s left on his nightstand!"
"You’ve sent someone to tidy up my bedroom? I don’t want any Omega’s filthy paws on my bed!" I ordered.
"Of course, Alpha. Unfortunately, Miss Della was responsible for the upkeep of your bedrooms well. We’ve had no choice but to pass her duties to a slave in training. As you can probably imagine, they aren’t very skilled."
Did Della always do so much housework? She was supposed to be my Luna, not another slave. Although I kept ignoring her, no one should have made Luna do all this work.
"Get them out of my chambers!" I roared, standing up to walk toward my bedroom. The moment I walked in, I was greeted by a scent that was all too familiar. My mind shifted to Della again.
Her scent was so special, a floral fragrance that reminded me of lilies that lingered in my bedroom even though she was gone. It was all that was left of her, it seemed. As soon as I entered, two maids quickly bowed and hurried past me.
Once they had left, I slammed the door and leaned against it, limply lifting my hands over my face. I covered my eyes, and in the darkness, Della's scent enveloped me. It forced me to think of her and made me imagine those nights before I met Flora. The first time Della had ever slept with a man, and I was determined to make it special for her. I pressed into her and buried my face in her neck, that alluring scent dancing in my nostrils and taking over my mind.
Her skin was so soft and her body so delicate under mine. Under my touch, she moaned contentedly. Over the course of the night, she would be overcome with embarrassment at times, though that never stopped our unbounded love.
Even then, she wanted me and reveled in our time together. "Please, Kylian. Take me," she whispered in my ear.
And so I did. I made her mine.
We had been so intimate with each other in that same bed I looked at now. Walking up to it in frustration, I realized that since I met Flora, I rarely returned to this room to fall asleep beside her. I betrayed her. We never spent time whispering sweet nothings to one another under the sheets. There were no small chats or comfortable banter expected of a couple.
There were times when Della would visit my study, calling me to bed countless times in hopes that I would one day relent and rest early. She had even offered to come to the study and accompany me as I worked, perhaps try her hand at sorting out some of the documents. I always refused and slept in Flora's Bedroom because of the bond.
I realized that I never thought about how Della managed to fall asleep every night when I wasn’t around. I wondered if she sat waiting for me until her eyelids fell heavy with fatigue, surrendering to slumber knowing that I wouldn’t come. I wondered what was going through her mind when I had renounced our bond.
I walked to the side of the bed where Della usually lay and lifted the sheets. It smelled of her so strongly, the fragrance flowing from the pillow she had slept on for the last time just recently. Unable to hold back, I picked it up and put it to my nose to take in her scent again.
I couldn’t say why I had suddenly become so nostalgic. I didn’t know why I suddenly cherished her scent now, but I understood that no matter the reason, I regretted letting her slip away.
But it was too late to have such thoughts. I rejected her. It was over.
A knock on the bedroom door snapped me out of my wallowing, and Henry's voice quickly followed. "Alpha, the maid found the invitation. Would you still like to attend?"
I looked around our room one last time, feeling distraught and powerless standing in the place Della I should have shared.
"No. Please convey my deepest apologies to the Lycan King."
