VULPINE: Her Second Chance

The Perfect Pairing

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The Perfect Pairing

Too bad she'd never been that wise.

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"Before we begin, I must admit that I've had no time to rid our Thalia of her previous connections, unfortunately." Scott began, speaking more to the neutral human officiant than the king's group. "So much paperwork is involved in transactions like these, you must understand."

-Lies.- Thalia thought, as well as projected to her companions. Even if he had been working until the very last second, cutting Thalia from the skulk would have taken mere minutes. Hell, Scott could even have done it in the space between the two Alphas' arrivals.

He sought and pounced on every little chance he could find to humiliate her further. Thalia had even felt the pains of his infidelity come rocketing through their bond while waiting for him earlier, when Scott likely thought the king and his retinue had either arrived or were also waiting. He'd sorely missed that first opportunity to have her writhing in pain before the Moon King, and now he thought it wise to try again.

Fortunately for her, Thalia had been dealing with the excruciating pains of a cheating mate for eight or so years, and she only showed evidence of the agony on her face when she knew Scott's spies were watching. She could weather this as well, she was almost sure.

"Not to worry, Skulklord, as it shouldn't take more than a moment or two," the king's beta spoke for him, as though the king was unable to use the common tongue. Thalia could see, through Beau's eyes this time, that the tall male sensed something was off.

No shifter would willingly display weakness like that, especially a 'fox. Scott was showing too much of his hand in his side quest to embarrass his mate. "You should be able to do it right now, and then we'll be able to get started."

"Ah, yes, well. We should just get right to it, then." Scott tugged Thalia towards him with the hand he had still not released. By maintaining that skin-to-skin contact, he was likely trying to bring their souls that tiny bit closer and cause more pain in the end, she realised.

Scott smiled with closed lips, hiding the leering contempt he'd shown earlier from the others present. He then manufactured a piteous look, and spoke to her as though she had been begging to stay, behind closed doors, "This is for the betterment of our two countries, my darling. I hope you will begin to see this truth for yourself, in time."

So Scott wanted to paint her as the unwilling sacrifice? Thalia smiled up at him with just the barest gap between her lips. She wished she had been allowed to eat anything this morning; she could vomit on him and pass it off as nerves.

"My Lord, I am already well aware of the benefits of this union to our nations, as well as our selves. I will not deny you that truth, and I will not defy your wishes." She kept herself from speaking any further.

Let him think her angry to be tossed away so easily. Let him think she didn't want this. This was the only way to get free.

Still holding her hand, Scott made his face go somber as he finally spoke the words she'd been wanting to hear for more than a decade:

"I, Scott Fiodoré Kane, reject you, Thalia Weiß-Kane, as my mate. I banish you from the Western Carnelian Union and from the Sardonyx Skulk." He finally let go of her hand as the mate tingles intensified into a throbbing ache along the surface of her skin. "Do you accept this rejection?"

She smiled with all of her teeth and hoped he knew she wasn't gritting them against the burn of their breaking bond. She was promising him, in her mind, that she would end his life the next time they met. He'd made a mistake in releasing her, in separating her life from his.

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"I accept, Skulklord Kane." As the words passed through her lips, the bond's ache intensified until it seared through her every cell, cycling through her body as though seeking the connection that was abruptly gone from her soul.

This was most certainly worse than the cheating pains, which had been localised to her core. This feeling of cauterisation was all over her, inside and out, from her skin to her psyche.

A more gracious shifter would have taken the rejection injury onto themselves, protecting their mate even while they were separating, but of course Scott had never been kind to Thalia, unless he was doing so for show. It was worth it, though, to finally be Thalia Weiß once again.

Her aura flared up in response to the mounting pain, the only reaction she would allow, and the witch let out an almost silent gasp. Thalia heard the beta whisper to the king, "An omega?"

The king did not respond, and she took this opportunity to really look at his face, both to distract herself and since she may as well see what she was getting herself into. And it seemed that she truly was exiting the frying pan for the fire, because this shifter was hot. And quite tall, as well.

He had a square jaw and full lips that were slightly pursed in displeasure, presumably at the delay in events. His hair, which fell in shiny loose curls to the base of his neck, was a stark white all over excepting the innermost layer, which was a shade of contrasting black that looked as though he'd dipped it in ink. High cheekbones on a clear brown face led her eyes to his, which were turned towards Scott.

They were beautiful, the king's eyes, a forest-y green with a golden corona and deep blue flecks that captivated Thalia and stood out from his copper toned skin. He stared hard at the Skulklord until he turned to face the king, after which the king smiled wide.

Thalia noticed Scott's hand twitch and heard him swallow as the king's sharp teeth made an appearance. He quickly backed away to the left of the altar, leaving his ex-mate between himself and the king. He gestured to the human, schooling his face and disguising his fear as readiness to continue with the mating ceremony.

What a disappointing humanoid, she thought to herself only, as the Chat would be "down" until the others were banished as well. Lord of the entire Union, and panicked at the sight of a little fang baring. The werewolves' king was apparently unaccustomed to, well, customs, and yet had not shown any true aggression, despite Scott's disrespectful actions.

Alpha Kings had the right, even, to enact harsh punishments for situations like these, but Thalia was not surprised that Scott hadn't thought that through. His last big scheme had resulted in him becoming Skulklord over all, and he hadn't really done anything too smart since.

Even then, she believed his late father had probably been the true and sole mastermind behind Scott's early successes, and possibly even his current ones. Scott, in Thalia's opinion, was merely lucky that 'foxes valued one's wit over their muscles, and thus would not challenge the results of a well-planned coup.

Her ruminations were cut short as the human priest behind the podium spoke for the first time, singing a short chant of healing over her. His voice was melodious, and Thalia basked in the divinity pouring from his tall, willowy body.

Thalia was glad for the quick cessation of the pain she had been silently enduring; she had reached her threshold and almost cried out in agony. She felt immediate relief, but the human, being a blessed saint and thus quite benevolent, would continue until her soul was completely mended.

Saints were almost always human, even though humans were the rarest species in the world. No humanoid fully trusted any other species to be the mouthpieces and hands of the gods, and the humans were in need of protection from the humanoids. Thus, most humans, if not part of a high shifter's group, were neutral clerics that headed ceremonies and liaised between the gods and their creations.

Once the chant was over, the young man held out a hand to the king and to Thalia, indicating they should join hands in front of the dais. The king, who had broken his leer at some point during the healing words, stepped forward as she did, passing his cane to his beta and almost removing, before rethinking and then replacing, his gloves.

As appealing as he was in appearance, Thalia was unbothered by a mate who didn't wish to touch her. Her self-esteem was solid, and she was quite frankly tired of physical contact with any male humanoid. She needed a break from men. Plus, she reasoned, he'd be slower to discover her defect, if he was also reluctant to be with her in that way.

The king finally met her eyes once their hands were clasped, and she could hear his heart begin to pound such that even Scott may be able to hear it. She raised her right brow, hiding the question on her face from the Skulklord, and the king grinned wildly in response. How odd. He showed his teeth so readily, and yet Thalia felt no threat or malice in his aura.

When she didn't smile back or otherwise respond, his grin lost its mirth, and he looked again at Scott. An almost silent growl rumbled from the king, and he held Scott's nervous gaze until his beta cleared his throat.

Ah, she thought, so he is insane. What a shame, such a waste, he was such an attractive male. Well, here's hoping I don't get murdered...

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