Chapter 48Axel's POV Blake stood still by my side, unmoving. I had been sitting in the same spot for quite a while, thoughts swirling and racing. I felt ashamed of myself. I wasn't even strong enough to protect my mate and now, she was to be with someone else. My brother. "Don't beat yourself up over it", my beta comforted me. "You can't do anything about it""She's my mate and I can't even do anything to protect her. I have to give her to my brother to ensure no harm comes to her. I don't deserve to be called an Alpha if I can't protect one person I treasure"Blake sighed, settling next to me. "Can you stop? Not many people may know you as much as I do so I think I'm in the best position to say this", he started. "If you're giving her up, then there must be a really good reason for it. When you're able to get rid of all those threatening you, you'll get her back"I didn't believe his words, not a single one, but I grasped onto the hope that Selena would one day understand why we
Chapter 49Selena's POV Three servants, one make-up artist and two hairdressers fussed over me. They had arranged my dress four times in the last ten minutes, the make-up artist had applied an extra layer of blush every fifteen minutes and my mood was extremely sour. "What jewelry would you prefer?", a servant questioned, pointing to three different jewelleries on the table. I simply ignored them, sitting as still as a mannequin. They passed a knowing look amongst themselves before randomly picking one, shackling me to it. "The ceremony is just about to begin", the dressers announced. "Get her ready"Lily walked into the room, standing right by me. She placed a firm hand on my shoulder, comforting me. "Everyone's waiting", she started. "Are you sure about this?"In all honesty, I wasn't. But I nodded. "Let's go girls", they clapped in excitement. I almost rolled my eyes. Of course, they wouldn't have an idea what it was like to be handed over to someone you may just hate, like
Chapter 50Selena's POV Everyone stared with smiles on their faces, as I walked down the aisle alone. My stepmother, stepfather and Elsa's faces held more glares than smiles but I didn't care as I was more focused on keeping my tears and anger at bay. Asher was standing at the altar, his face conveyed how happy he was though I was certain it was all for show rather than his true feelings. He offered me a hand, providing support as I stepped on the makeshift stage carefully crafted for the two 'love birds'. That was the decorator's words, not mine. I nervously glanced around the guests, searching for Cecelia or any semblance of hope that this wedding would not hold. But there was no one. Even Axel was missing. "Do you, Selena, take Asher to be your lawfully wedded husband?"I took a shaky breath. Just how shocked would they be if I suddenly declare my disinterest in marrying Asher? Elsa would probably have a field day about my plight, stepmother would all too willingly give Elsa t
Chapter 51Unknown POV Asher felt something stir in his heart the moment Selena smiled brightly at him. He realized then, just how much he wanted to see that smile again."Gosh, it's beautiful", Selena breathed out. "You'll love it more in the morning", Asher chuckled at her innocent awe filled eyes. "You've never seen one?""Never", Selena answered almost immediately. It was the only conversation they were having where Selena indicated the slightest bit of interest and she wasn't glaring, scowling or looking at him like a ticking time bomb. "My step family once went on a vacation", she gave a sad smile. "I couldn't tag along because obviously, stepmother thought it would be too much of a financial burden to take me"Asher listened intently. "When they got back, Elsa blabbered on and on about how beautiful the ocean was. I was so intrigued and I thought I'd never get to see it even after I die", she shook her head. "It's so silly""No, it's not", Asher refuted. "That's a beautiful
Chapter 52Axel's POV "Just calm down. Maybe she doesn't mean it", Blake tried to comfort me. "I mean, she was obviously upset so she may have said some things she didn't mean""She meant it", I shook my head. "How desperate could she be to just spite me that she had to get married to Asher?", I questioned. "It's just crazy""Well, don't worry too much. Have you tried calling?", he asked. I nodded in the affirmative. "Yes. But apparently, she blocked me""Okay...", he dragged out. "You can just settle things with her once she gets back after a few days""They'll be there for a month", I mumbled out, growing more hopeless. Blake kept silent this time, finally giving up on finding the 'bright' side of things. After Asher and Selena left for their honeymoon, I felt completely downcast and heartbroken. Selena had every right to be upset at me, even I felt upset at myself but I only wished she could understand just how desperate and helpless I was. I'm trying my very best to ensure sh
Chapter 53Unknown POV It took a considerable amount of effort before Selena was able to fall back asleep after Lily had broken the news to her. She felt bare and exposed, secretly blaming him for her predicament. When Asher had walked into the room that morning, she involuntarily brought the blanket up to her chest, throwing him an awkward smile which was a dead giveaway that she was hiding something. Asher didn't feel anything was off, taking her sudden kindness as a way of warming up to him. He took a bath, walking out of the bathroom, clad in nothing but a towel hanging loosely on his waist and a towel for his hair. He ruffled it, drying the hair mechanically. Selena slowly appreciated his beautiful body, a sad attempt in distracting her from repeatedly checking her phone after less than a minute in hopes of seeing Axel's name flashing across the screen. It was pathetic but she still missed him. It hasn't even been seventy two hours. "When are we leaving?", Selena questioned
Chapter 54Selena's POV Ever since Asher told me about the conversation with his brother, I had beaten myself up about everything. Because of my stupid pride and the unnecessary anger, I jumped into marriage with an asshole. But, Asher had been treating me well which made it even more difficult to hate him. He had kept his promise. On one hand, I'd be willing to run back to my mate but he would never mark me or tell the world I was his mate. Then there was Asher who turned out to be a lesser jerk than I had originally thought. He was surprisingly understanding and I knew I could live a comfortable life with him.If I stayed here long enough, the mate bond holding Axel and I would wane without him marking me, and I could forget about him. I felt so confused. The possibility of falling for Asher had never crossed my mind, yet here I was. "You up?", Asher peeped into the room, smiling brightly the moment his eyes met mine. I returned his smile. We had fallen into some routine. Eve
Chapter 55Selena's POV The ocean was breathtaking though I remained a bit afar off, for fear of the large waves. The crashing dance of the large waves was almost hypnotic. Asher stood next to me, a small smile on his face as he watched me. The wind caressed my skin but mercilessly ruffled my hair, the long minutes of brushing it down was wasted in no time. Lily stood aside, setting out the food and drinks. Amidst the noise of crashing waves and howling winds, there was a serene calm that came with it, like the winds whispered words of comfort until you couldn't think of anything but the spellbinding effect of your surroundings. Asher's phone rang loudly. It was a bit surprising because we barely received any calls out here. The ringtone was shrill, unlike his usual ringing tone. "Excuse me", he threw me a small smile before walking off. The moment I was about to continue staring at the ocean, I caught his hand pulling out a small flip phone, like a burner. I spent a minute pond