Rejection and Consequences
1044 Words
Chapter 2
Xander’s POV
I stared down at the tombstones in silence, letting the cool breeze of the afternoon which was turning into nighttime move through my skin.
Fredrick Vaughn and Cordelia Vincent-Vaughn. The names written boldly on the tombstones.
I'd been standing there in silence for minutes, not saying anything, not doing anything after I placed the flowers.
Then I placed my hands in my pockets as I said a few words. "I hope you're both happy wherever you are." Then added, "I'll talk to you later."
Striding towards the car, I got a call.
"What?"
"Some just dropped from the train," my friend's voice, Victor went through.
I got into the car. "What train?"
"That train."
I paused. "Oh." Then I said aloud, "Drive back to the hotel."
"Yes, Sir."
I ended the call as I prepared myself. Even after everything that's happened over the years, people still wouldn't leave my city alone.
They already took everything, what more did they want?
It certainly wasn't because of tourism.
I was in a bad mood already when I got to the hotel and used up all the cigarettes I could find to calm myself down. It wasn't enough, but it'd do.
I caught voices a few feet away with my sharp hearing and waited. It seemed it was a woman.
I was prepared for her to get in when my nostrils were filled with the scent of... chocolate. My favorite sweets...
I stopped. Curiosity clouded me as I watched her get closer.
She was beautiful, her bright green eyes, the sway of her hips and her nervous shuffling enticing me.
She was definitely my mate.
My heart never raced like this for a woman before, and neither did my hands itch to touch one like this.
However, there was something I wanted to know first. And I was getting angry at the possibility of her being just what I didn't want.
"Who are you?"
She shivered. "I'm... Charlotte Starry from Light C-"
I instantly shut everything I felt down. "You should leave," was all I said.
She stared at me in shock. "What?! I just got here and we just found out that we were mates!"
My men glanced at me, but I ignored it.
"I'll make this easier for you then." I leaned forward as I spat, "I reject you as my mate."
I watched her in silence. The light that I noticed from her, dimmed. And she seemed to be near tears.
My grip on the table tightened as I tried to relax back.
"W- why are you rejecting me? What did I do? I... I just met you now and all of a sudden you don't like me."
I groaned. I didn't want to feel so sorry for her that I'd take back my words. My body and soul were literally trying to fight against me now, wanting to comfort her. Why couldn't she take a hint?
"I told you to leave," I ground out.
Her pitifulness turned to defiance. A shaky one, at least. She had her fists balled as she gazed at me with unshed tears in her eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said shakily. "You're not my father to order me around. I'm not doing anything wrong by being here." She made a move to leave, then stopped to give me her finishing line. "And when I find my Dad, I'll get out of your city. And you'll never see me again."
She stepped out, slamming the door hard behind her.
The room was tense, and her words echoed in my head.
I let out a breath.
"That was... interesting to say the least," Victor broke the silence.
I motioned for the others to leave.
Victor frowned, sitting before me. "Also, did you just reject your mate?"
I didn't respond for a moment. "I don't want to have anything to do with her."
"Just because she-"
I glared at him.
"Alright, alright." He raised his hands up in surrender. "But she has nothing to do with this, Xander." He now had a concerned look on his face. "Aren't you worried about this backfiring? You've always wanted a mate... Rejection of mates always ends up hitting hard, you know. There's way too many stories of death from rejection, people going crazy..."
I rested my head back on my chair, closing my eyes. "I'll be fine. I've been through worst."
I had. But at the moment, my heart felt like it would rip out of my chest from all the pain I was feeling. I knew what it was telling me that I was trying to ignore.
My mate was in pain. And so was I. f*****g hell.
***
"Shouldn't you be pleased that one of my citizens decided to visit your... wonderful city?"
I held down my curses. "Just come here yourself to take her by tomorrow. She's obviously lost and I don't want your kind here."
I didn't let him know about the mate bond. It was none of his business anyway.
He let out a laugh. "You're always so grumpy, man. It's annoying sometimes."
"Just come and pick up your citizen, Stanley," I finished, hanging up.
I hated the fact that I was in contact with him, but I had no choice. It's been like that from the beginning.
I was back in my room, facing the window and glancing at the bright moon, dialing another number.
"Keep an eye on her," I said.
"Yes, Sir."
I kept my phone aside and went to my study.
Rejecting your mate meant you didn't want anything to do with them forever. I would've been willing to be with Charlotte if she were someone else. Someone like me.
A disadvantage of finding your mate, whether rejected or not, was that you'd almost always be thinking of them. And you'd want to keep them safe.
I gritted my teeth in frustration. If only this was so easy.
I sat by my desk and opened my laptop. I received a notification from my email.
I clicked on it.
[Her father is missing. Finlay Starry, the researcher.]
Some articles were added.
I froze when I realized that I knew who he was but I didn't know if he was still alive.
- Writer
