Page 35 of Rejected and Regretted

Why was I reacting to him like this?

“Avril,” he mused, his husky voice barely audible, yet it resonated through my ears like ringing bells.

Stunned, I watched as his hand slowly reached up. Instead of stopping at my sweatshirt, his fingers floated up to my chin. Tenderly, he swiped his thumb against my skin, cleaning up the coffee. It then moved to my bottom lip, pressing it.

Next thing I knew, his mouth was on mine.

A surge of conflicting emotions washed over me. His kiss was soft yet possessive, sending a shiver down my spine despite my best efforts to resist it. His hand cupped my cheek, his touch igniting a fire within me that I struggled to contain.

For a moment, I hesitated, torn between the desire to push him away and the intoxicating thrill of his unexpected gesture. Yet, as his lips moved against mine with a gentle urgency, all rational thought fled from my mind, leaving only the undeniable pull of attraction. And my tongue searched for his.

As we kissed, time seemed to stand still. I was transported to a fantastic world where the bad blood between us didn’t exist. But even as I surrendered to the pleasure, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered warnings of danger, reminding me of the consequences of being at his mercy. To my surprise, it wasn’t Kea reaching out to me - in fact, she seemed to be even more lost in the moment than I was.

When Koen finally pulled away, leaving us both breathless, I realized my fists were clenched to his shirt, instinctively pulling him closer to me. What was I doing? As the trance of the moment dissipated, I was overcome with a surge of fear.

Fear, not just because of what I had just allowed to happen, but also because of the unsettling realization that I actually enjoyed it.

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K O E N

Fuck, what hadI just done?

My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath, yet I didn’t move, continuing to support my former mate’s weight with one hand. Her swollen lips glistened, a testament to my latest crime, while the predator inside me shimmered with pride having finally claimed the one he had been chasing. With wide eyes, the omega studied me, horrified. Goddess, she looked scared.Iscared her.

For an instant longer, I remained silent as disbelief settled in. How did this happen? I had managed to keep my emotions under control ever since she returned to me. A moment of distraction was all it took for Columbus to hijack my body, shamelessly crashing my lips against hers. It was not the right time. I had moved too fast; I knew it even before I finally stood back up, letting go of Avril.

She immediately turned away from me, making my heart fall as I heard her whisper, “I’m tired. Can we go back?”

Good job, Koen. You have ruined the perfect night with her because you couldn’t keep the beast in.

The last thing I wanted was to leave, especially with this tension hanging in the air, putting a million miles between us. However, I couldn’t find it in me to deny her request, not whenI had just stolen a kiss from her. Our first kiss. Once I found my voice again, I called the driver, who had already arrived by the time we exited the building.

We rode back in complete silence, yet my thoughts were louder than ever. Amidst the turmoil of emotions raging inside me, what unsettled me the most was how my feelings clearly diverged from my counterpart’s. We were usually in sync, but now, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Col was gleaming with pride, utterly pleased, and strangely joyful. Honestly, it made me angry - how could he be this satisfied after forcing himself on Avril?

“I didn’t force myself on her,”he argued, slightly offended by my accusation.“I could feel Kea reaching out to me. She wanted this.”

“If that’s true, why does she not look thrilled in the slightest?”I countered, struggling to keep my cool.

“Maybe Avril and Kea are not on the same page about what they want and how they feel,”he observed, and I fell silent.

Through the whirlwind of thoughts, I suddenly stopped to digest my wolf’s suggestion. I had to admit, it wasn’t impossible. It was only logical for Avril to resent me for what I had done. All this time, I assumed her animal side felt the same way about me, but perhaps I was wrong. What if Kea could still sense some faint fragment of our long shattered bond?

A spark of hope lit up inside me. I stole a glance at the beautiful woman sitting next to me, and I contemplated the possibility of earning her trust again. After all, if her wolf hadn’t completely given up on us yet, maybe she could have a change of heart.

Once we returned to the territory, I offered to walk her to her room. Although she didn’t argue, I couldn’t say she was fond of the idea. Upon reaching our destination, I gathered the courage to break the silence.

“Avril, about tonight-” I began, but she quickly shut me down.

“Goodnight, Alpha Koen,” she spoke sternly. For the first time, when she addressed me by my title, it hurt. It felt as if whatever progress I had made in the past two weeks was gone, the distance between us growing even wider.

When she shut the door, leaving me alone in the cold of the night, I realized chasing her wouldn’t make our situation any better. It was time to take a step back, because I had moved too fast. As hard as it would be for me, I would do my best to give her space.

A V R I L

As soon as I was safe, away from Koen and his spell, I slammed my back against the wall, needing some sort of support; for the past hour or so, it felt as if my legs would give out at any minute. I sucked in a deep breath, desperate to fill my lungs, because it was hard to breathe in his presence. I was afraid inhaling his scent would send me spiraling.

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