Chapter 3

“What the hell are you doing here?!” was the first thing Orion wanted to shout out at Cory. But Cory had already inherited the title of the Kingdom’s Alpha. He was his superior. It would be disrespectful to say that.

Suppressing all the anger in his chest, Orion just addressed Cory dryly, “Alpha.” Eleanor pressed her lips and said nothing while staring at this young man who had just broken her daughter’s heart. And tears started to run out of Elena’s eyes again. 

Slowly, Cory walked in front of the three of them. His handsome face was covered with painful guilt. His voice was also in anguish. 

“Could you please give us a minute, Madam and Sir?” He asked Orion and Eleanor in agony, afraid of looking at Elena. 

Eleanor changed a look with Orion. She didn’t want to leave Elena in Cory’s hands again. He might cause her more misery, but it’s not her decision to make.

“Do you want us to leave, sweetie?” She asked Elena softly.

Elena’s eyes had been fixed on Cory since the moment he appeared. Hearing her mother’s voice, she nodded her head randomly. Tears just wouldn’t stop.

Eleanor let out a heavy sigh, and then walked to her husband. She put her hand on his arm, suggesting him to leave. Orion hesitated but eventually left with his wife. 

After their footsteps disappeared at the entrance, Cory finally got the courage to look at Elena. Seeing her swollen eyes and haggard face. Guilt drowned him all over again. 

“I am sorry, L,” he whispered, standing at a faraway place from those bars. He sneaked into the prison to visit Elena two minutes before Orion and Eleanor arrived. He hid his footsteps when he walked in. Elena was too sad to notice him. 

Elena responded to him with silence. She lowered her head, letting the tears stream down her cheeks. She wanted to shout at Cory, to scream and to question how he could do those things to her. But it was just not her. She was never good at expressing her disappointment or anger.

“What are you doing here?” After a few moments, she finally spoke. Her vocal cords were bruised by all those cries. Her words were almost too light to hear.

It made Cory feel more guilty. He didn’t hesitate too much when he decided to propose to that dragon princess. But it didn’t mean he had stopped loving Elena. It was just the sacrifice he had to make as the Kingdom’s Alpha.

“I am here to check on you,” he spoke to her softly, taking two steps forward. “Are you alright?”

“You tell me,” Elena couldn’t help but smirk. He had just dumped her in front of almost everyone in the kingdom and put her in prison. How could he ever ask her that question?

“I am sorry, L,” Cory apologized painfully. His heart was literally bleeding. “You know my father and you know me. If I don’t marry Lennie…” He didn’t finish that sentence. But Elena knew what he meant.

“You could have called me, you know,” she said. “If you had explained to me on the phone; if you had informed me in advance. I would have already accepted your rejection. No need to humiliate me like that in public.”

“But I don’t want to reject you, L,” Cory explained hastily. “Lennie was just being childish. I assure you of that. Once she finds out what a great person you are, she will let you stay. I swear.”

Lennie. He called that name so naturally and intimately, sounded like he had already known her. Elena couldn’t help but wonder whether there was someone for/ce Cory to marry Lennie or not.

Anger and pain started surging in Elena’s chest. She tried hard not to scream.

“Stay as what?” She asked. Throughout the entire time with Cory, she had never felt so disappointed and betrayed. What he had just said was more difficult for her to process than a rejection. “A mistress of yours? The third person in your marriage? Or do you want me to be the s*ex toy of yours?”

“That’s not what I meant!” Cory hurried to explain, but he couldn’t find a proper explanation. Because that was exactly what he meant. He couldn’t give up his dragon fiancée. And he didn’t want to lose his mate. He wanted them both and he couldn’t see anything wrong with that.

“I am the Alpha here, L, and the King,” he defended himself, “Kings are entitled to multiple wives, you know it. There were precedents in history.” 

“Only because the King had multiple mates himself!”

“You could be my multiple mates!” he said. “You are my fated mate, and Lennie is my chosen one. So I have two mates. What’s wrong with that?”

“Everything is wrong with that!” Elena yelled powerlessly. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation.

There were cases of multiple mates in the kingdom, but very rare, and only happened in twins or triplets. She always got goosebumps hearing instances like that. She wasn’t biased or prejudiced. She just couldn’t stand the idea of sharing her mate with others. She couldn’t even picture that. Her education, and the things she had learned and seen, told her that it was unacceptable to share her man with another woman, whether he was the King or not. This idea of being Cory’s one of two mates was purely crazy, and disgusting.

“I will never accept that!” she yelled.

“And I will never reject you or let you go anywhere else, ever.” Cory’s voice became harsh. Elena knew it was a sign of him being angry.

Cory rarely got angry. He was the Alpha but a very amiable wolf, sometimes even too amiable, which displeased his father. She knew when he said it in that tone, he meant it. 

“Then what?” she smirked. “Are you going to lock me here until I agree? Or are you going to use your Alpha order on me and force me to be your mistress?”

Cory clenched his fists. He knew he shouldn’t be angry with Elena, but no matter what, he would never let go of her. She was her mate. He loved her. And he wanted her, even just for his wolf. 

“Get some rest, L,” he said, “I will talk with Lennie. I will find a way to persuade her to forgive you, but you will go nowhere before you agree to stay as my mate.”

“And your dragon wife will be on board with you?!” Elena almost shouted. She felt so angry.

Cory’s deep blue eyes went dark, “Even if she disagreed, you are still my mate, L. Forget about the rejection. Whether you accept or not, I will never allow you to have a second chance mate.”