Page 172 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

"You are, though. You’re an alpha."

"That’s not fair. I wouldn’t treat you like him. Please, at least tell me you’ll think about it."

She shook her head. "I can’t do it again. I won’t."

"Bells. It won’t be the same. I’m not him. If you come with me..."

"I won’t."

"Please. There’s nothing keeping you here anymore. You don’t have to take my mark right away if—”

“Did you have anything to do with the explosion, so I had no reason to say no?” Bells suddenly asked.

Her eyes widened, as if she hadn’t meant to ask, but the words were out there now. If she had plunged a dagger into my heart and kicked me in the balls, it would have hurt less than her words. I stood up, and she took a step back, afraid, putting the proverbial nail in the coffin of what I thought could have been an amazing relationship. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing.

I felt the cracked pieces of my heart shatter and scatter across the winds. Bells was accusing me of sabotaging her. She was afraid of me. In that moment, I knew everything was lost. I may have thought I held her heart, but without trust, it was worth nothing. I couldn’t compete with an asshole ghost. I couldn’t live my life trying to convince her that I wasn’t like him, when I’d done nothing to show her I was.

“After dinner, I looked for you, and when I couldn’t find you I went to talk to Violet. I was hanging out with her and Chris until we felt the explosion,” I said, my voice cracking as I cursed myself internally for not being able to keep the emotion from it.

I opened my eyes, and could see the regret written on her face, but she said nothing. I waited for what felt like forever but was likely only a few minutes. When she still didn’t say anything, I broke the silence.

“We’ll be out of here by the end of the week.”

I walked to the door and opened it, but before I left, I had to say one last thing.

“I never asked or wanted you to submit to me. I only wanted a chance to show you how much I loved you.”How much I’ll love you for the rest of my life,I thought.

I walked away, my heart pulverizing into dust when I realized she wouldn’t follow. That wasn’t my princess. It was one of the reasons I loved her so fucking much. She was proud and stubborn.

‘Get everyone ready to leave by Friday,’I told John, cutting off the mind-link before he could answer and sitting down on my bed.

I looked around the room. I’d barely spent any time in here since I started sleeping with Bells. It felt cold and empty now. I walked into the closet and pulled out one of my suitcases. There was a knock on the door, but my small glimmer of hope fell as I heard John asking to come in.

“What’s going on? I thought we were leaving next week?”

“There’s no point. She’s not coming with me,” I answered as I started dumping most of my clothes in.

I started grabbing the small little bobbles I was too much of a sentimental asshole to put in storage when I came here. Keepsakes and photos of Mom and Dad.

“But—”

“She doesn’t want me, John. Let’s just leave at that and move on, yeah?”

“Yes, Alpha. I’ll get started on making sure everyone is packed and ready to go by Friday.” John answered and left me to my misery.

I paced the room, wondering where it’d all gone wrong. Nyko took that moment to speak.

We could stil—

There’s no hope when there’s no trust. We were fools to think we could overcome whatever trauma she went through for eight years in a couple of months,I interrupted him.

Maybe we can woo her again when she’s in Crescent Moon? We’ll be close enough,he asked, unable to keep the desperate hope from his voice.

She never planned to accept us, Nyko. Didn’t you notice she never bothered to ask where our new pack grounds were? She wasn’t even curious, because she never considered taking us as her chosen mate. We only le—

That’s bull! You felt the same connection as I did with her. There was nothing like making love to her. She is it. We just have to give her more time,He growled.

And what? You think a relationship will survive a rejected proposal? And one like the one we just had?I growled back.

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