I stared at Cade waiting for him to answer my question about if he was okay with me replacing him as
future adviser. He scoffed before answering, “Of course, I am Aqua. It was a little hard to hear but I’m
fine with it.” I noticed Vella staring at us from a distance, but I didn’t think too much of it.
We walked back to Arma and Stewart. They got drinks and we sat down at a small table. I didn’t want
to be drunk during the rejection, so I passed. “Hey.” Calvin said when he sat down at the table.
I introduced him to everyone then we got up to dance. The singer they got was really good. They even
had other performances planned for every hour. We had watched one when we were sitting before
Calvin showed up. “You look beautiful.”
I smiled. “Thanks, you look handsome.”
When we finished dancing Konn approached us, and I introduced them. Konn introduced me to a few
people then they walked off. “You look good Aqua.” He complemented.
“Thanks for the dress, you look good too Father.” He smiled and I watched him walk back to Lynn.
Soon I noticed the moon was high up in the sky, it was big, bright, and calling me. “I need to handle
something; will you be okay alone for a little while?”
“I’ll be fine, there are some other pack members here I can talk to. Are you okay?”
He noticed my fear, but it was for the rejection I was about to go through. “I’m fine.” I went to find Cade.
“Fuck.” There were so many people to weave through. I pulled my phone out and texted him: Where
are you?
I searched around until I saw him outside on the balcony. I walked out and saw him talking to a girl.
“Yeah, I live here.” He was clearly drunk. “I could sneak you up to where the rooms are and show you
m-” He stopped when he saw me then he looked up at the moon. “You’ll have to excuse me.” He
walked to me. “Sorry time fleeww by.”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Cade walked with me out the back of the castle and up the hiking trail. I lifted my dress
as I walked, and he nearly tripped a few times.
When we got to the river I sat on a log. I waited and waited. “When’s he going to be here?” Cade
asked.
I opened my phone and texted him: I'm waiting.
“Are you ready?” Cade asked.
I covered my face with my hands and dragged them down. “No. This might win first place as the worst
moment of my nineteen years of living.”
Cade sat next to me and hugged me. “I’m sorry Aqua.”
Twenty more minutes went by and there was nothing. “Why is he making me wait so long?” I pulled my
phone out and called him. Cade was still hugging on me; he was probably only feeling more drunk as
time went by.
“Hello?” Lexus answered.
“Where the hell are you?”
“I’m on the balcony wishing I could smoke but my parents would probably kill me if I tried to here.”
I groaned. “Why aren’t you here?”
“Oh, yeah I forgot to tell you, I’m not doing that tonight.” His tone was serious.
“What?” I wasn’t only feeling fear but now I was angry. “You don’t have a choice, Lexus. If you don’t
come right now, I’ll just reject you from here.”
“You don’t know how to.”
I looked at Cade whose head was lying on my shoulder. “Cade how do I reject him?”
“Cade’s probably blacked out, he was drinking a lot.”
He was probably right. “You said it,” Cade mumbled.
I was even more frustrated now. “Then I’ll ask my Father, I’ll figure it out Lexus.” I hung up. I waited for
another twenty minutes but he didn’t show. I called Konn but he didn’t answer. Calvin was texting me
but I didn’t respond because I didn’t know how to. On top of all of that I was hearing sounds nearby. I
stood up and tried carrying Cade.
“You can put him down,” Lexus said. “I’m here, I’m here.” He walked to me. “I decided not to be selfish,
let’s do this.”
I sat Cade against the log on the ground then walked to Lexus. “What do we do?”
“It’s just a sentence, if we say it together the pain isn’t as intense as it could be. So, you’ll say ‘I’ then
your full name followed by ‘Reject you’ followed by my full name.”
I frowned. “Full names as in on my birth certificate? I’ve never seen my full name; I only know my
adopted last name but that might not be all that official. What's your full name?”
Lexus looked annoyed. “Your last name might be legally Konn’s, his last name is Andrews. Mine is
Sullivan.” Lexus Sullivan.
“What if my mom put hers?”
“Then it won’t work, and we’ll find out her last name.” Lexus said. “Ready?” He closed his eyes.
“I Lexus Sullivan reject-”
“I Aqua A...”
Lexus opened his eyes. “Why’d you stop?”
“I don’t remember what you said my last name was… I know it started with an A...”
Lexus sighed. “You didn’t take your medication this morning, did you?”
I frowned. “I forgot; you usually remind me.”
Lexus sat on a rock. “This is stupid. I don’t want to do this Aqua. Sadia told me she loves me, so I know
what we were doing was wrong.” I heard more noises and moving in the bushes. “It’s stupid to give up
something other people wish they had. So many people wish they had chosen mates. This isn’t an
everyday thing Aqua. Even if we weren’t mates, I’d still want you.”
He shouldn’t be telling me this, not now. “I don’t want to end up like my Mom Lexus.”
“You don’t have too Aqua. I’m going to call my marriage off, so Sadia doesn’t get more hurt. We’re not
going to be able to get married, but I’ll rule on my own. We’ll be together in secret so no one will know.
There have been solo kings and queens before.”
“What about Sadia? Don’t you love her??”
“No Aqua I don’t love her.”
I was even more confused now. “I don’t get it Lexus, then why were you going to marry her??”
“I was marrying her as a favor! I never loved her. I didn’t even like her more than a friend. She knew I
was doing it as a favor. She hated living in the pack house and felt like she was going to be stuck there
for the rest of her life. She was lonely and couldn’t support herself on her own, so I offered her a way
out… I knew it would make her the happiest and at the time her and Cade’s happiness was all that
mattered to me. Well before you.”
But Lexus-”
“Aqua I love you.” He stood up. “It took Sadia explaining what love was for me to realize I love you. I’m
giving you another option; we finally have another option Aqua. If you don’t love me and you don’t want
to be with me then fine, tell me.”
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