Chapter 4 : Break Off And Rejected

Ashley POV

A few excited shouts and cheers were heard as soon as the exit door opened. The guy broke away from my gaze and slipped out after Jax. Then it was just the two of us. It took about ten minutes for the guards to shoo the fans away and for all the staff to be let out of the building. It took me another ten minutes to prepare to confront Jayden. I stared at the worn rubber floor for that long, trying to find the right question.

Since when? How? Why? As soon as the door closed and everyone was out of the room, he walked over to me. I looked up as he stopped half an arm's length from me. His face was without makeup and the ends of his hair sticking out from under his hat looked wet. His expression was hard to read as he crossed his arms and stared intently at me. It was then that I realized he was much taller than me. When did he grow so fast?

"Why are you here?" The question that popped into my head was cut off.

"Eva invited me," I replied stiffly. His eyebrows knitted together. "And you didn't think of turning her down?"

"I did," I replied through my teeth. I couldn't believe it. What was the reason he was so angry with me? Isn't it his fault? "But since I've never been to one of your concerts, I thought, 'I'd better come.' But I didn't expect to meet your lovely girlfriend in the bathroom."

His lips twitched, but he didn't seem to give an answer. His brown eyes just stared into mine, cold and unwavering. That was enough of an answer.

"It's nice to finally meet her," I said with a mocking smile at him, even though it was painful for me. That hurts. "How long are you going to keep us apart? Until we get married? Or even after that?"

"Shhh," he whispered, looking suspicious. "I thought we agreed not to talk about this unless we were absolutely sure no one could hear."

"I thought we agreed that you and I were getting married," I said curtly. "That's a two-man show in this country, at least the last time I checked. Does she know about us?"

He pursed his lips tightly when he met my eyes again. I had always admired his long, soft lashes, but now they disgusted me. I was almost tempted to ask him not to look at me, but I didn't want to let him get away with my answer.

"No," he finally said. " She… Everyone thinks we're just family friends."

" Well," I began, feeling colder than I had all night. "As of today, that won't be a lie anymore."

He frowned, and for the first time in years, I saw something like fear and anxiety in his brown eyes. "What do you mean?"

I pulled out my ring and held it in front of him. "I'm calling off our engagement. I won't - won't marry a cheating bastard like you. You can live happily ever after with someone else, like Blair Anderson. Smile, Jayden - you're finally getting rid of me, may you live happily ever after with your dear girlfriend."

I said with a fake smile and cold eyes. "Oh, and before I forget, I, Ashley Van Smith, of the Red Moon Pack, reject Jayden Ronan Keller, of the Crimson Pack, as my mate and fiancé, we are hereby no longer related."

My inner wolf, Lea began to whine as I uttered the word of rejection to him. 'He cheated on us, he doesn't want us. He already has another girl, just remember that,' I told her. And slowly she began to quiet down and give in to me.

"No."

His tone was hard and trembling, his eyes even harder. I raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"I don't think you've decided yet," I said in as sweet a voice as possible. "As soon as I tell my mom and dad..."

"Please, you can't."

If I didn't know him better, I could have sworn that a hint of desperation crept into his words. Even his face was convincing. But I knew that Jayden Ronan Keller was never desperate. He was rude, cold, and indifferent to me. Now I could also call him a 'bad liar' and maybe even a 'phony'. He's not the kind of person who would be miserable if I left him. Right?

"You can't just break off the engagement and reject me, Ash," he begged. "Please."

I just stared at him for a moment. I had spent years celebrating holidays and occasions with him and his parents. What would happen if I broke off the engagement?

My dad had a soft heart, and he would probably still try to keep in touch with his parents. It was my mom who would cause trouble. Big trouble.

But who could blame her? My parents and his parents had been planning his and my wedding for decades.

"I guess you forced this decision on me when you decided to be in a romantic relationship with another girl," I said, surprising even myself with how hurt I sounded. "I'm calling it off. You and I are never getting married."

I dropped the ring and started to turn around when he grabbed my wrist. I glared at him over my shoulder. "Let go."

"Not until I say so," he said. "Please, Ash, listen to me for a second."

I checked my phone. Eva and the others must have been waiting for me for over half an hour. Were they still outside?

Taking my silence as a cue to speak, he slowly released my wrist. "I didn't intend to fall in love with her. It just happened. You can't blame me for that." I glared at him. Oh boy. This guy really has no shame! Cheating bastard! I cursed him inwardly.

"You must think I'm more stupid than I am," I hissed. I couldn't deny how much his words hurt. "Did you memorize a romantic drama script? Do you even listen to yourself?"

He took a deep breath through his nostrils and took off his hat to run his fingers through his wet hair. I recognized this behavior, he was getting very frustrated. But why?

"How long have we known each other?" I continued when he remained silent. "How long have we known that we were going to get married? I mean, I know we don't like each other, but at least I think we can make this work. Isn't that what you promised my parents and your parents? What did you and I promise each other?"

"I... I can explain," he managed, his gaze becoming miserable. "I just... I need time."

"You need time?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "You know," I began as I backed away from him. "I don't even want to know. Live happily ever after with her or whoever, I don't care. I'm out."

"Are you crying?"

"No, I'm not crying," I said, touching the corners of my eyes. To my surprise, my fingers were wet. "Stay away from me, Jayden," I added as he began to follow me. "I don't really want to see you. Actually, I'm sure I never want to see your face again."

"That would be hard, considering I'm a pop star."

"Don't try to be a smart ass. You know what I mean." I turned away from him and started walking. "I never want to see you again, Jayden Ronan Keller."