Page 8 of A Dose of Agony
Elixian eventually hunted down her attackers, but this only added to her trauma.
To Elixian, this event was proof that humans were even more dangerous than his kind. He passionately argued that she should trust him. Unfortunately, that wasn’t how his chosen saw it. She continued to run. He continued to pursue.
Elixian’s chosen, name unknown, always associated the prince with danger. She called him a monster.
She called him a demon.
And eventually, she formally rejected him.
He only wanted to protect her, but because he didn’t understand her customs or her fears, his pursuit caused a rift that even the deepest devotion could never overcome.
Elixian is known now as the Rejected Prince. Though other Orizians have since failed to earn a mate, Elixian is the most remembered because this failure had a significant effect on the politics of Oriziah.
He is the one and only first born Orizian heir to be refused the throne, because he could not successfully earn his mate’s trust. If his mate could not trust him, the people of Oriziah could not trust him either.
He was labeled as unworthy.
Instead, the line of succession changed to his sister and continued with her children from then forward.
Orizians can only earn the throne once they have earned their mate.
Worse than losing the throne, the Rejected Prince, Elixian, lost his sense of self and, eventually, his world.
It is said that the rejection of his chosen mate crushed his soul, leaving him to live only half a life.
This prince turned violent in the years after his rejection. He lost control of his magic to a destructive degree. He became the very beast his chosen believed him to be. He became unrecognizable, even to his friends and family. His depression led to violent outbursts and cruelty. His crimes led to his banishment from the planet.
Though there could be many explanations for his change in behavior, this rejectionremains, to this day, one of the largest fears of Orizian males.
Orizian culture states that to be rejected by your mate is to lose your very soul.
4
The Girlfriend to Bonded-Mate Pipeline
“I wish you wouldn’t read that.” Laithe’s nose wrinkles.
My attention shifts to the demon sitting across from me in the speakeasy. Laithe watches me close but gives away no more emotion.
I sip my coffee.
I’ve been scouring this book in particular for weeks because it’s the one Liz guided me toward before I knew she was still alive.
Behind Alien Eyes.
When I first found this book, I didn’t think it had much information about chosen mates, but as I read through it, I realized there was a fair bit of information scattered through it, like the chapter about The Rejected Prince.
I’ve only found a few books that can help me understand more of what’s happening with the conflicts on Oriziah. They tend to be secretive about their traditions and how their politics work. I’ve begun studying the different species on the planet and their role in society, but it still feels incredibly vague.
For example, Laithe is from the same planet as Jarron, but is a different species altogether. From what I’ve read, Laithe’s species is one of the weakest on Oriziah and bound to the magic of the soil they were born to. The only reason Laithe is free to roam other worlds is because of his magical link with Jarron.
What I’d never have learned about Laithe from the textbook is that they are genderless. Neither male nor female. Laithe has never seemed to care much about gendered pronouns but once I learned this I decided it didn’t make sense to call them he/him. It’s a challenge to change how I perceive someone, and remember to alter my langue correctly, but it’s felt like the right thing to do.
Though Laithe doesn’t express much emotion, I don’t miss the subtle hints they’re more at ease when I use the neutral langue with them.
I’m not perfect, but I’m trying.
My brows pinch. “Why?”
