Rejected, Now An Untouchable Lycan Princess

Dream Girl

Axel’s pov

Of course, I was ecstatic about her decision to return home and marry me. But to say I was glad she was rejected would be a lie.

I wasn’t happy that she endured so much pain. I didn’t like that she fought for him so hard, and I disliked Luca for turning her away like that. However, when I heard she agreed to marry me, I was over the moon. Marrying her was a dream I thought would never be fulfilled. I wanted to be her husband long before I knew our parents had made an agreement to marry us off. She was my dream girl, and I wanted her to be mine.

She was a hopeless romantic, though. Finding love with her destined mate was her desire, and no one objected to her hankering, despite the agreement they made. We all thought I was her mate anyway.

I understood why she wanted to find love with her soulmate. Her parents were destined mates, and she always dreamt of the day she could have what they had. She saw how beautiful life was when they cared so deeply for each other.

At first, I was convinced that we were meant to be together. So I didn't mind hearing her fantasies. I used to picture living with her and lavishing her with the attention she deserved. I promised myself that I would offer her everything she desired from a life mate and more. I wanted her to feel so loved that she would never be sad. Because Sam earned it. She was the sweetest, kindest, and most gorgeous person I had ever encountered. Her attractiveness extended much beyond her outward appearance. It was difficult not to fall in love with her.

Love… that was such a powerful emotion. I didn’t even realise when I fell for Sam. Perhaps I loved her before I understood what love was. It was on her twelfth birthday that I acknowledged it. We were all really taken aback when she switched to her golden Lycan. Lycans and werewolves often shift for the first time around their eighteenth birthday. A late bloomer could shift as late as their twentieth birthday, but shifting on their twelfth birthday was unprecedented. Yet she did, and her Lycan turned out to be the rare golden one.

Everyone was amazed and happy. Me? I was pleased and proud of her, but when her Lycan didn't recognise me as her soulmate, I was disappointed. It was then I noticed how I hated it when male classmates gave her too much attention. Jealousy almost blinded me on several occasions whenever she was friendly with other boys. But thankfully I did nothing stupid. I felt the need to protect her at all times, and my heart fluttered whenever I saw her. As a thirteen-year-old going through so many emotional and hormonal changes, I needed to address them. I was madly in love with her.

So I pursued her once she finished middle school, and it worked. We started a romance in high school. I wanted to show her that even though we weren't soulmates, we could still care intensely for each other. I believed I was succeeding. Everything was going great until the day I dreaded: my eighteenth birthday. It was the day my worst fears came true. My Lycan awoke and confirmed that we weren't mates.

She broke things off with me, and I pretended I was fine with it. I loved her, but that didn’t mean I would force her to stay with me. Yes, I wanted her to be mine… but fate was cruel.

Oh, how I loathed that day. I mourned at home during the night and pretended to be the same friendly guy at school every day. It was exhausting, but seeing Sam smile was worth the heartache. Every day I spent with her was a confirmation that I wanted her to be happy. If her happiness was with someone else, so be it.

I graduated one year ahead of her and joined college. At first, her memories kept flooding my thoughts. It was hard to concentrate on my work. As the days passed by, it got a little easier, but there was a void in my heart that nothing could fill.

My Lycan believed that if I found my soulmate, it would be easier to move on. So I looked for her during college and even on official trips with my father. I didn’t find her. As I said before, fate was cruel.

I thought about getting into a relationship with someone else, but I failed. None of the girls even compared with Sam. She was the embodiment of perfection.

Then came the news of her finding her soulmate. My heart shattered with the news. That night, I drank myself to sleep and woke up the next day with an excruciating headache. My Lycan complained about it and made me promise to never touch a drink ever again. He wanted me to stay sharp at all times for the sake of our kingdom. I was the Crown Prince after all.

That was it. I made it my life's mission to live and die for the kingdom, rejecting the idea of mating with anyone. If that were to occur, it would. Surely, fate isn't always unkind, right? Or perhaps I was meant to remain alone forever. Regardless, I had no complaints.

I kept in touch with her parents for political reasons and with her because she was my dear friend. The news I heard from them wasn’t pleasant. She swallowed the pain and endured it all by herself each time he rejected her. One would think one rejection was enough, but Sam… her determination didn’t waver even after several rejections. There were times I wanted to knock some sense into Luca, but I didn’t. Sam wouldn’t appreciate it if I caused a scene.

Furthermore, if I did that, images and recordings would be all over the media. Such material would circulate for years, and I might never show my face in public due to embarrassment. It would not be nice. My folks would definitely punish me. Most importantly, I did not want to destroy my family's centuries-old reputation by acting on instinct.

Then came the news I thought I would never hear. She accepted his rejection and was returning home to marry me. I was ecstatic and had no intention of hiding it from anyone. So I went to fetch her from the Black Hunter’s pack. I thought I would find a terrible disaster. I assumed I'd have to hold her hand and offer a shoulder to cry on. Seeing her radiant, ever-smiling face was a pleasant surprise.

I had a lot of questions, but I didn’t ask her any. I just accompanied her home.

When her Lycan emerged and told us everything, I was so glad I had kept my mouth shut. According to Luna, Sam cried in silence each time he rejected her and faced the public with a smile. She silently bottled up months of torment until she couldn’t hold it in her heart anymore. The agony was so great that she erased every memory involving her ex-soulmate on the day of his twelfth rejection.

Twelve rejections… I had heard that even one was enough to send a wolf into depression. Over the past year, she put up with twelve. She wasn’t only kind-hearted but also the bravest and the most patient. She would definitely be an exceptional queen.

Anger and sadness overwhelmed me. I desired to punish Luca for what he did to her. But then, my Lycan reminded me that it was the past… a past that she didn’t remember. I once again made a promise to myself. I would shield her from every pain and would do everything in my power to heal her shattered soul. She might not remember it, but her heart had gone through too much.

Weeks passed. We got engaged. Now I could officially call her mine… well, at least I can call her my fiancee. I made sure she was comfortable the whole time she was with me that night. It was a night of celebration and relaxation. After that night, both kingdoms will start working together. There would be so many adjustments‌ made. Although those changes could be made gradually, it was a lot of work, and I assumed Sam and I would be pretty busy.

We were having a chat with her friends from college when she stood up to get a drink. “Would you like one?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No. I don’t drink now.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Oh, when did that happen?”

“About a year ago,” I said, looking at her.

“Hmm, maybe I will also follow your example someday,” she said, “but tonight is not that night.”

We laughed. She walked away. I could easily tell that she had nothing bothering her. No worries, no negative thoughts, and no memories of those nasty heartbreaks.

“I am so glad you are there for her, Your Majesty. Luca completely destroyed her with all those rejections. I was afraid she might give up on finding love,” Lina remarked, catching my attention.

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that she was out of earshot.

“Well, to be honest, she doesn’t remember any of that, so that helps,” I told her.

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You know she is the golden Lycan, right?”

She nodded, the wrinkles of her frown still creased on her forehead.

“Well, her Lycan has powers. She erased those memories for her sake. The pain was too much for her to handle.”

Lina’s facial expression softened until her lips turned into a sorrowful grimace. Ana’s lips parted as she cast an apologetic glance at Sam, who was now choosing a drink at the bar.

“I understand… She tried so hard,” Lina whispered.

I nodded my head. “She did.”

“My brother is a jerk,” Lina mumbled as she fiddled with her fingers. Her lips twitched. “I am so sorry.”

I shook my head. “You did nothing wrong to be sorry about. I have one request: don’t let her know anything. I don’t want to trouble her with useless thoughts.”

“You have my word. She has gone through enough pain,” Lina said, Ana agreeing with her with a nod. Their joyful demeanours had turned more serious as our conversation progressed. “So she can erase memories, huh? I am so glad she didn’t forget us.”

I smiled. “She wanted to remember you. She remembers everything else.”

“I am glad,” Lina said, smiling. Her eyes darted over my shoulder. “She is coming back. We should change the topic. But one thing… Please… help her heal.”

I nodded. “I assure you, I will do everything in my power to heal her.”