The Rejected Link

Chapter 13: Is he good or evil

As I stood there in the library with Mother's words playing over in my mind, uncertainty washed over me like a wave. The fear that grew inside choked me momentarily, making it hard to breathe.

I looked at Mother, her confusion mirroring mine. “I don't…wait, what?”

Mother's eyes softened as she saw me miserably try to fit the pieces together. She came to, put her hands on my arms and squeezed lightly. “Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he's just…”

“Just what Mother?” I implored.

“I don't know, really strong? We can explore what the other possibilities are later, you said something about a vision?”

“She spoke to me, Mother,” I reveal, remembering her words from the cave.

Mother takes me back to my seat, her gaze questioning. “She said, ‘The heart beats twice: once to bind, once to break. Beware the bond that bleeds, for his hand will strike true’” She looks more perplexed now, studying me.

“ I don't know what she was referring to, but the vision was something completely surreal.” I narrated to her how I had seen the three people in the white room, the details of the handkerchief, and how the other woman had attempted to attack me.

Mother let go of my hands, leaning back in her chair to think. “The Heart is full of magic; that could be what brought the vision,” she said after minutes of thinking.

“If the heart is in me, does that mean that I have magic coursing through me?” the thought of that makes me feel a little excited.

“You always did!” She murmured, she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

“You have to be very careful, little shine, from now on. The Heart is very powerful, and now that it's out of the cave, a lot will come after it.” Her voice was low and steady.

I nodded, my look intense. She urged me to go to bed, taking me to my room. Once she retired to her room, I freshened up and lay in bed; I stared at my ceiling for a couple of minutes before slumber pulled me into its embrace, the fatigue of the day getting to me.

I woke with a startle, my heart pounding. In my dreams, we were back in the cave, but this time, Ecol was defeated. The room was bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun, and the birds had begun their morning chorus. Assuring myself where I was, I laid back on the bed. I could feel the Heart of Lunaris pulsing softly within me, its energy a force that filled the room with a powerful aura. It should have comforted me, knowing that this magical relic had saved my life. Instead, it felt like an accusation.

I couldn't stop thinking about what had transpired in the cave—the searing fear that seemed to rise continuously in my bones, the suffocating weight of the darkness, and Exol.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

He had been...different there. The way he fought with the beasts, how he seemed to know where to attack, how to defeat them. The raw stiffing power he had released when we were attacked, the darkness that seemed to exude from him—it wasn’t natural.

And it wasn’t the first time I’d felt it.

Ever since we met, I’d been trying to convince myself that I had imagined it, that maybe the poison was what clouded my mind.

That Exol’s strength and control were simply who he was. The alpha that he was. But the memory of those moments lingered, a raging voice in the back of my mind.

I needed answers.

In a blink of an eye, I was standing in front of his door looking at the wood used in crafting it in the lonely hallway of the packhouse. I hadn’t even realized I’d left my house until I was there; one minute, I was in my room pondering, and the next, I was here in the packhouse, almost like my curiosity brought me here. It was strange, but I would worry about that later, I looked at the door once more, my fist hovering just above. My heart pounded, a mixture of fear and determination coursing through me.

I knocked my fingers firmly on the door.

“Go away,” came the voice from the other side. He knew it was me!

I opened the door anyway, stepping inside with determination.

Exol sat at his desk in the center of the room, leaning forward with a book in his hands. His grey eyes snapped up to meet mine, narrowing instantly. He sighed, dropping the book on the desk with force.

“Ruthni, don't be a pest,” he said, his tone sharp and bitter. “What part of ‘go away’ didn’t you understand?”

“The part where I know you didn't mean it” I shot back, closing the door behind me. I walked to him, standing by the desk, my arms crossed over my chest.

He let out a low, humorless laugh, leaning back in the chair. “Of course, you'd think that!”

I scoffed, refusing to let his hostility faze me. “We need to talk.”

“I’m not in the mood for this,” he said, his voice clipped.

“Too bad,” I said, stepping closer. I don't know where this courage came from “Because I’m not leaving until I get answers, you can't keep pushing me away with no valid reason.”

He stood, his movements slow and deliberate. His posture was stiff, his shoulders tensed. The air in the room seemed to shift, growing heavier with every passing second. For a minute or two, all that was heard was our heavy breathing.

“Fine,” he said, his grey eyes burning into mine. “What do you want this time?”

I swallowed hard, his eyes hollow and intimidating, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. “The cave” I began. “What happened there?”

“What do you mean what happened? You were there!” he said, his tone dismissive. He turned his back to me, heading for his closet. “We got the Heart of Lunaris. You survived. End of story.”

“No,” I said firmly. “That’s not the end of the story, and you know it.”

He froze, facing me, he arched an eyebrow, his expression suspicious.

“The beast,” I continued, taking a step forward. “I lost consciousness, but when I woke, you weren't there. I thought that maybe I was delusional from the pain but I remember clearly you weren't there. Instead, the creature that has been hovering around was fighting in your place. Then, all of a sudden, you appear again.”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he said nothing.

“And what?” he said finally, his voice low and menacing “You think I’m some kind of monster?”

“I think, you’re hiding something from me,” I said, my voice unwavering. “And I want to know what exactly it is.”

He let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his dark hair. “You don’t want to know, Ruthni. Trust me.” He looked at me, his eyes conflicted. Beneath that harsh look, I saw vulnerability. Whatever this was, it must have been wearing down on him.

“I do want to know,” I countered. “You are my mate, no matter how much you push me away, that won't change.”

The tension between us crackled like a storm about to break.

He turned away, his back to me. “You’re playing with fire,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper; he ran his hands through his hair again, dishevelling it.

“Then let me burn,” I snapped. “I’d rather burn than be oblivious. I need to know, no matter what this is”

His shoulders tensed, and when he turned back to me, his eyes blazed with barely contained anger. His posture, always dominant and predatory, seemed to subdue and burdened. His grey eyes avoided mine, flickering with a mix of guilt and pain.

“Tell me the truth, Exol!” I demand, my voice trembling slightly. “I’ve had enough of the distance, if you wanted to break our bond, then you would have, but you haven't. So I need to know, if this is the reason why, then I deserve to know.”

Exol’s jaw clenches. He looks torn, the battle still raging within his eyes. Finally, he exhales sharply and meets my gaze.

“You want the truth?” His voice is a low growl. “Fine. The truth is... I’m cursed. There's a demon in me. I’m bound by a dark magic that compels me to destroy everything around me… including my mate.”

I take an instinctive step back, my eyes widening. “Destroy? What do you mean?”

Exol’s expression twists with self-loathing. “You, Ruthni. My fated mate. The curse... I'm driven to kill you. Each time I’m near you, the demon in me claws at my mind. The closer we get, the stronger it grows. Do you have any idea how much I struggled being close to you in that forest and cave?”

Fear floods me, my heart beating wildly against its cage. The weight of his words presses down on my chest.

“No... no,” I whisper, shaking my head. “That can’t be true. Mates are supposed to protect each other, not...”

“I know!” Exol shouts, his voice raw with anguish. “Don’t you think I’ve fought it? Don’t you think I’ve stayed away for your sake? I pushed you away to keep you safe. But you…you’re stubborn. You keep coming back, keep getting closer, and it’s killing me, Ruthni. Every second I'm near you, I’m fighting myself not to...” He stops, his pheromones rising intensely as he roars in frustration.

“That was you, in the cave!” I say, my voice low. “You… it's been you watching me all this time. Last night?”

He sighs, casting his gaze down. “If the demon is meant to kill me, why didn't he do that? They were chances,” I asked. The demon was right there in the cave it could have easily killed me.

“I fought it Ruthni, I've been fighting for control all my life”

The initial fear that gripped my heart began to fade as I watched him. I see the truth in his agony, the war raging within him. It dawns on me that his actions, the coldness, the distance, watching from afar, were never meant to hurt me but to protect me.

I straighten my spine, “So you’re cursed,” I say, my voice steady now. “That doesn’t mean you’re doomed, Exol.”

His jaw tightened. “Don't you get it, Ruthni? It’s inside me. Always has been.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He laughed bitterly, the sound devoid of humor. “Because it doesn’t change anything. Knowing about the darkness won’t make it go away. It doesn't break the curse. And it won’t make me any less dangerous.”

“You’re not dangerous to me,” I said, stepping closer.

His grey eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw something raw in his expression. “You don’t know that,” he said, his sneered. “You don’t know what I’m capable of. You have no idea what I've done “

“Then show me, tell me. Don't go through this alone” I said, my voice trembling. “Stop hiding from me, Exol.”

He released a sharp breath, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. “You think this is about hiding?” he said, his voice rising. “This is about survival, Ruthni. Yours and mine. This is about keeping you safe. ”

“What are you so afraid of? Hurting me?” I asked, my voice softer now.

“Yes!” He shouted, his gaze dropping to the floor. “I’m afraid of hurting you,” he said finally. His voice was low.

His words scratched at my heart, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

“Afraid of hurting me?” I repeated, stunned.

He nodded, his jaw tight. “You make me weak. You make it rage, hungry. The closer you are to me, the more the struggle with it is.”

“You’re strong, Exol,” I said, stepping closer. “You can't fight it, we can…together. We can find a cure, I want to help you. Please.”

“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice harsh, shaking his head. “Don't be stubborn about this. The darkness inside me...it’s always there, Ruthni. It’s part of me, it's a f*****g curse. And when I’m near you, it’s harder to control.”

“Why?” I queried, my voice trembling, tears stung my eyes.

He hesitated, his grey eyes boring into mine. “Because you make me want things I can’t have.”

The air between us grew heavy, the tension almost unbearable threatening to consume us. My chest tightened, my heart pounding in my ears.

“Exol...” I began, but before I could say anything else, a knock sounded at the door.