Chapter 187
Ella pov
I didn’t hear him, right?
There was no way he had just said those words. No way he had rejected me like that.
I must be imagining things. Yes, that had to be it. But how could Cassain reject me?
Me?
It wasn’t possible, yet the searing pain coursing through my veins, threatening to tear me apart, blurring my vision, nearly making me pass out right here and now, proved that I had heard correctly. He really was rejecting me.
The room seemed to freeze. I could feel everyone’s shocked gazes on Cassain, yet his expression remained cold on me.
And then, I screamed.
The pain was what snapped me out of my daze.
“Ahhhhh!”
My scream tore through the air as I clutched my head, tears streaming down my face, body trembling from the intensity of it.
Rejection!? How could he do that when it could kill me?
Rejection was forbidden. It was like denying the bond the goddess had specifically crafted between two people, and doing so could lead to death. That was why no one ever rejected anyone.
If they didn’t want to be with their mate, they usually saw other people while keeping the bond intact, which was what I had planned to do with Cassain. Our bond would remain, but I would belong to the king.
Yet I couldn’t believe he was truly rejecting me. Cassain was a beta, a powerful man; he wouldn’t die from rejection. But I… I was weaker. And the pain I felt now was nothing compared to what would happen if I accepted his rejection. If I did, I would truly die.
And in that same moment, I heard Cassain speak again.
“Accept the rejection, Ella,” he growled. Despite the pain shooting through my entire body, I pried my eyes open and stared at him in disbelief, tears streaming down my cheeks, my chest heaving, and dots blurring my vision.
“W–what?” I asked, voice trembling, as I pulled my hands slightly away from my head, eyes wide. Despite the agony, I forced myself to speak.
“A–accept the rejection? H–how… but I would die,” I stammered, more tears spilling down my cheeks.
Chapter 187
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Even then, my words didn’t faze Cassain. He stared coldly at me for a brief moment before responding.
“And? I don’t care about your life or death, Ella. Accept the rejection,” he growled. I flinched at his words, my wolf whimpering, hurt but whether from Cassain’s harshness or the rejection itself, I couldn’t tell. Either way, one thing was clear: he wasn’t bluffing.
“Accept the rejection, Ella. Reject me, and let’s sever our bonds as mates.”
As soon as he said this, my father seemed to snap out of his daze. In the next second, he appeared next to Cassain, frowning.
“Beta Cassain, what is this? Why would you want to reject your mate? Did my daughter do anything wrong?” he asked, then sighed, flicking a sharp glare at me. “She probably did something again, but even if she did, please forgive her. She’s only acting like a child.”
He looked back at Cassain, expression cold, and when Cassain didn’t answer, he frowned and continued.
“She must have really done something bad for the beta to react like this, but you know my daughter. She is childish and doesn’t know what she’s doing, so if she says or does anything, please forgive her.”
I bit my bottom lip, forcing back the pain and tears as my body trembled, staring at my father in relief. Yes, my father was here. He would save me. Even if Cassain held a higher position than him, Cassain usually respected my father.
Whenever my father noticed how badly I was acting, I had seen him tell Cassain not to be angry with me, and Cassain would agree, showing he didn’t truly care. If my father spoke to Cassain now, he wouldn’t force me to accept the rejection. He would protect me. He wouldn’t let the king interrogate me.
However, just as a flicker of relief reached me, I watched my father freeze. His eyes widened, and the next second, his hand clutched his chest as he fell to his knees with a loud thud. I gasped in shock.
“Dad!” I called, moving toward him despite the pain coursing through my body. But his eyes didn’t even meet mine, they were fixed on Cassain.
When Cassain’s gaze shifted to my father, my blood ran cold. That’s when I realized what was wrong. He had directed his aura straight at him.
“B–beta…” my father stammered in disbelief.
Cassain cut him off coldly.
“Childish?” he repeated with a chuckle. “You’re calling what she did childish?”
I watched, trembling, as he stood tall, staring down at my father.
“She hired a maid in the packhouse, bribed her to lure the king’s mate into the forbidden room, and when she did, she almost got killed by the king and you call that childish?” He glared.
“W–what?!” my father screamed, spinning sharply toward me. I flinched under his gaze, my breath hitching.
“Or wait, are you defending your daughter despite knowing what she did? Did you also help her with this?”
10:18 Sat, Sep 13
Chapter 187
Cassain pressed.
My father turned his gaze back to him and shook his head immediately, disagreeing.
“No, no, I didn’t. There must be a mistake. I had no idea about what you’re saying.”
Cassain’s gaze stayed cold and blank, completely indifferent to my father’s words. He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration before turning to me. For a brief moment, I caught a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, but it vanished as he hardened his expression.
“Agree to the rejection now. I don’t have time for this. The king has ordered you to be brought to the packhouse.”
Almost immediately, I noticed the two guards he had brought along standing at the door, faces cold and expressionless, waiting for his command. My stomach twisted.
Oh goddess… he was serious. He really wanted me to reject him.
My father stiffened beside me, opening his mouth to intervene, but Cassain hissed sharply,
“You won’t die from the rejection, Ella. Our bond wasn’t deep, but you might lose your connection with your wolf. If you refuse, you won’t be the only one to suffer, your father will also face the consequences. So, Ella…” He growled, eyes flashing brighter “accept the rejection.”
