By the time I reached the entrance of the combat hall, my pulse was already thudding with a mix of nerves and irritation. The irritation was expected. The nerves… inconvenient. Very inconvenient.
I wasn’t here to train. No, not really.
I was here to try again, to convince Aklan to reject me.
Maybe the first time had been too sudden, too raw. Maybe he had been overwhelmed, hearing “mate” and “reject me” in almost the same breath.
Maybe he needed time to stew over it, to realize it made sense for us to go our separate ways. Because it did make sense. He didn’t want me; I didn’t want him.
He hated me for reasons best known to him, not that he ever bothered to hide it. I hated him for reasons he probably didn’t fully understand.
I had rehearsed it all morning, every single word sharp en
