Page 16 of Edward’s Bunny

“Who dares call him that?” I asked, my blood pressure rising.

“Uh…. it’s just a joke, your majesty. Mike plays around. You know how he is. He says Brian is a good man, not your average prey shifter.”

I exhaled loudly and calmed my racing heart. “I apologize. I—” A tidal wave of rage surged through me. I wanted to kill a particular young lion. Talon was chatting and flirting with Brian, his body language confident and playful. Brian was smiling back. He wasn’t supposed to smile at another man like that. I couldn’t watch it anymore.

A surge of jealousy propelled me forward as I stormed toward them. How dare that impudent lion flirt with my mate? With each step, my inner lion roared, wanting to assert his dominance. He wanted to destroy the interloper. “Brian, I need to speak with you. Now,” I said, interrupting their conversation.

Talon and Brian snapped their gazes toward me, their faces etched with surprise and shock. Talon’s eyes filled with fear, and he bowed his head, clearly not understanding why his king would act so aggressively. While Brian’s eyes were wide with surprise, his expression held both understanding and a hint of annoyance. Before either of them could reply, I grabbed Brian’s arm, practically dragging him away from Talon and toward my nearby study.

Hayden called out to me, and the lingering pride members watched on. I could feel their surprise, but I ignored them all. I needed to talk with Brian. I needed to get him away from anyone else.

Once inside, I firmly shut the door behind me and spun to face Brian, who was still looking stunned by my actions. My stomach rolled and churned with the unease of acting like this. I hated feeling out of control. I was king of my damn pride and CEO of a multibillion-dollar company, and I was acting like a jealous fool, not using my words. Unable to contain my emotions any longer, I confronted the elephant in the room head-on.

“We’re mates,” I said plainly. “You’re my fated mate, and I can’t stand the thought of anyone else flirting with you, or vice versa.”

Brian’s brow scrunched, and his expression shifted from shock, confusion, and, lastly, anger. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

His outburst made me wince, feeling a sting of regret. It appeared he was going with the last emotion—anger. I opened my mouth to reply, but he lifted his hand, stopping my words.

“I’m not finished,” he said. “I am not a member of your pride. You have no right to manhandle me the way you did. I don’t care if you say we’re fated mates or not. You don’t get to control me or make decisions for me. Period.”

“Are you denying the connection we have?” It sounded like he was. The way he said, ‘I don’t care if you say we’re fated mates.’ rubbed me the wrong way. There was no denying what I was feeling. We were mates. My lion knew; I fucking knew.

Brian released a heavy sigh. I could see the tension release from his face, and the fire in his eyes didn’t blaze as brightly. “I don’t know what the fuck fate was thinking.” Brian paused before continuing. “This won’t work. It sucks to be us, but it won’t,” he finally said, bowing his head.

His voice wavered, carrying the weight of defeat and resignation. I hated it. Stepping closer to him, I gently touched his arm. Brian raised his gaze to meet mine. I stared into his eyes.

“Why?” It was the only word I could say. Yes, I knew we had some challenges, but surely we could try.

Brian shook his head. “For one, you’re a predator, and I’m a prey. I’m a prey princess, a diva, and you’re more than likely an alpha dumbass that needs to be in control.”

“Those are stereotypes and are not always true. I judge the person. And I’d never call you a prey princess. Yes, you’re a prey shifter, and I’m a predator shifter, but we’re different from our animal counterparts; we’re also human. We don’t need to conform to those stereotypes. We can get to know each other, and I can prove I’m not an alpha asshole.”

Brian released another sigh. “Even if I wanted to give it a try. There’s my second point. I’m in a committed, loving relationship.” Brian straightened and headed toward the door before looking over his shoulder. “Fate made a mistake. I’m not looking for a mate.”

With that, Brian turned on his heel and left the room, leaving me stunned and reeling from the revelation. My heart shattered as I watched the door close behind him. Despair washed over me, and I wanted to cry.

He rejected me. He rejected me and was in a relationship. My fated mate, the one person I was destined to be with, had denied me. My lion roared within me, and I squeezed my eyes. The weight of Brian’s words finally reached his limited understanding. He wanted to break out and chase down his mate, but I couldn’t let that happen. Brian had made his choice, and I knew if I acted, it would prove his point that I was an alpha asshole needing to control him.

“Ahhh!” I yelled. The devastation and frustration were overwhelming. I couldn’t contain the storm of emotions raging inside me. I allowed my lion to break free and shifted, shredding my clothes as my body transformed.

I needed to get away, to distance myself from everything. I roared. My powerful limbs propelled me forward, crashing through the study window. I didn’t care about the shattered glass. Those pieces were like the pieces of my heart. I raced toward the edge of the property, where an expansive wooded area was. It was where I could go in my lion form when I didn't want to go to the pride lands.

The wind whipped through my fur, giving me a sense of escape. But there was no escaping the turmoil I was in. There was nothing to convey my sorrow.

I tumbled to the ground, unable to run anymore, and lifted my head and let loose a loud, guttural roar. The sound reverberated in the quiet sky. It was a song of sadness. I closed my eyes and collapsed. I didn’t know what to do. It was reminiscent of the time I lost Ellen. The pain and uncertainty that gnawed at me. I never wanted to feel like this again, and yet here I was, plagued with the suffering of loss.

Should I accept Brian’s decision? He was prejudiced against predator shifters, already in a committed relationship, and we didn’t even touch on another glaring issue, our ages. I was nearly forty years his senior. How could this work? Perhaps Brian was right. Fate fucked up.

The sound of branches snapping caused me to lift my head. I barely registered the arrival of Hayden and Walter.

“Dad? Are you okay?” Hayden asked. His voice was soft, and I could feel the concern emanating from his tone.

I climbed to my shaky feet. I didn’t have the energy. I didn’t feel like the strong beast I was. I stared at Hayden and Walter. Concern was etched on their faces as I bowed my head in defeat. Closing my eyes, I allowed my human part to take over. My limbs instantly transformed, and I fell to the ground in my human form.

“Dad!”

“Majesty!”

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