The Rejection
1058 Words
BRISEIS
I couldn’t sleep.
Even after everything, the council, the firelight, Lyra’s little arms wrapped around my waist before bedtime, I lay awake in the dark, staring at the ceiling, heart pounding like it was trying to warn me.
This wasn’t real.
It couldn’t be.
Kings didn’t just choose broken girls and call it fate.
And I… I didn’t want to be wanted out of pity.
I sat up, pulled the quilt around me like a shield, and stared at the door across the room.
If I was smart, I’d run.
If I had courage, I’d ask him to unbind the bond and send me back.
But I wasn’t brave.
I was tired.
So I got up, barefoot, and walked down the silent hall until I reached the one place I shouldn’t have gone.
His room.
I hesitated.
Then I knocked.
The door opened before I could even drop my hand.
He was already awake.
Orion stood there, dressed in dark sleep clothes, the moonlight casting soft shadows on his bare throat and jaw. His eyes locked onto mine like he’d been waiting.
He didn’t ask why I was there.
He just stepped back.
Letting me in.
I walked slowly into the space. It was larger than mine, but not extravagant. A fireplace, a heavy bed, a sword hung above the mantle.
And quiet.
So much quiet.
I turned toward him.
“I need to talk.”
He nodded once.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered.
His brow twitched. “Do what?”
“This,” I said, motioning between us. “The bond. The claiming. All of it.”
Orion didn’t move.
“I didn’t ask for this,” I continued, voice shaking. “You chose me. But I didn’t choose anything. I wasn’t ready. I’m still not ready.”
He stayed silent. Let me speak.
“I’m not your equal,” I said, barely breathing. “I don’t even know what I am yet. You want someone strong, someone trained, someone who knows how to rule beside you”
“I want you.”
His voice was low. Calm.
Final.
I shook my head. “You don’t even know me.”
“I’ve seen enough.”
“You’ve seen me broken.”
“I’ve seen you stand anyway.”
I looked away. My throat burned.
He took one step closer. Then another.
I didn’t move. But my whole body felt like it was made of glass, one breath away from shattering.
“I know what it’s like,” he said softly, “to be told you don’t deserve the power that’s burning inside you.”
“I don’t have power,” I rasped.
His hand rose, hesitating, then cupped my cheek.
“You do,” he whispered. “It’s in your voice. Your eyes. Your wolf.”
“She hasn’t even shifted.”
“She’s listening.”
He leaned closer, forehead nearly touching mine. “And she’s angry.”
I trembled.
Because it was true.
Something inside me was stirring. Not just fear. Not just hope.
Rage.
Old rage.
And longing.
And something almost… feral.
“You’ve been caged your whole life,” he said. “You don’t have to stay caged now.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks.
“I don’t know how to be free.”
“Then let me show you.”
His voice didn’t plead.
It promised.
I broke then.
My arms clutched around myself, shoulders shaking. I expected him to back away.
He didn’t.
He pulled me into his chest, arms wrapping around me like armor.
And I let him.
Because for once, I didn’t feel claimed.
I felt… held.
....
I didn’t know how long I cried.
It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t violent.
It was quiet and hollow, the kind of crying you do when your chest is so full, there’s nowhere else for the pain to go.
He didn’t say a word.
He just held me.
And the strangest thing happened.
The longer I stayed there, the warmer I felt.
Not just on my skin, but inside.
Like something flickering to life in my blood.
A heartbeat that wasn’t mine.
A sound just beneath my thoughts.
‘I’m here’.
The whisper came not from outside, but from within.
Soft. Fierce.
Female.
I’m here.
I gasped and clutched his shirt, suddenly dizzy.
Orion pulled back just slightly, alarm flashing in his eyes.
“What is it?”
“I… I think…” My breath hitched. “She’s—”
I didn’t finish the sentence.
Because my knees buckled.
And everything changed.
The warmth inside me exploded into flame.
My skin tingled, stretched, itched.
Not pain. Not quite. But pressure.
Every bone in my body felt like it was humming. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Could only feel...
my wolf.
And she was done waiting.
A cry tore from my throat, half-sob, half-growl, as I fell forward. Orion caught me just before I hit the floor.
“Briseis,” he said, voice calm but sharp. “Look at me.”
I tried.
But my eyes had gone gold.
I saw it in his face.
Shock. Awe.
Possessive pride.
“My gods,” he breathed.
My hands were shaking. No, my claws were showing, barely, the tips of them curling just beneath the surface.
Not a full shift.
But a surge.
A beginning.
And she was fighting for space in a body that had never let her breathe.
My back arched. I cried out again.
“Easy,” Orion said, gathering me into his arms. “Don’t force it. Let it pass through you.”
“I..can’t...”
“Yes, you can. You’re not breaking. You’re becoming.”
My body trembled, my skin alive with fire and memory and rage. I saw every face that had ever hurt me, saw them burn.
My wolf wanted blood.
My wolf wanted the crown I never asked for.
And then
The surge crested, everything seized.
And broke.
I collapsed against him, panting, sweat damp at my temples, my heartbeat racing in my ears.
The gold faded from my eyes.
The claws retracted.
And I was still me.
But not the same.
Not anymore.
Orion held me like I was something holy.
He leaned down, breath warm against my ear.
“She’s waking,” he whispered. “And she’s magnificent.”
- Writer
