07|Reject me.

Time seemed to stretch out as Ace and Dorothy stared at each other, the world blurred around them and it felt like there was no one else aside from them at that moment.

Dorothy touched her chest, expecting the harsh pain to grip her and drive her insane but nothing came. She didn't feel anything– maybe she had high tolerance to pain, that was her first thought as she stared in confusion.

Ace frowned, sensing something was wrong. He knew he wouldn't feel any pain, he was much stronger than to feel a mere pain of rejection but– he narrowed his eyes at her, leaning in closer than they already were.

The connection was still there, she was still his mate.

“Your name?” He asked without an ounce of emotion in his voice.

“W-what?” She managed to blurt out before she could stop herself.

“What is your name?” He repeated like he was talking to a child.

“Dorothy” She didn't know why she answered but it came out from her mouth. She could hear Alya call her stupid in her head and she inwardly agreed. She was about to get rejected and she still told him her name.

“I, Alpha Ace, reject you, Dorothy, as my mate” Ace said again, this time much slower but nothing worked. The hall was now silent that one could hear a pin drop, no one could have imagined witnessing this in their entire life.

Rejections were common but now the Alpha king can not reject his second mate.

He frowned and before Dorothy could comprehend what was happening, his hand shot out gripping her neck in a tight grip. She gasped in shock and tried to free herself but he didn't even budge.

“What are you?” He asked, his voice low and dangerous, scaring Dorothy. She didn't have the time to understand what he meant because she was already feeling dizzy, the lack of air had made her start to tear up.

“Why can't I reject you?” He asked again, watching her with empty eyes as she struggled against his grip.

“Let her go, You hurting her” Killian was now in front of her, holding Ace’s hand trying to remove it from her neck.

Ace only glanced at him before looking back at Dorothy, like he didn't exist. Dorothy wasn't fighting anymore and her eyes were slowly closing but before she could succumb to the darkness, Ace finally released his hand, moving back.

Dorothy fell to the ground, gasping for air. Her hands were on her bruised neck and her lungs burned as she tried to breathe. “Deep breath” She felt Killian hand on her back and she looked up to see his worried expression.

Her tears fell and she weakly looked at Ace but he only silently watched without remorse, like he wasn't about to kill her a while ago.

Dorothy's eyes managed to find her father in the crowd and even if she didn't want to admit it, she still felt hurt when she saw him not interfere when she was being strangled.

She could see Jessica smile, delight etched in her expression as she watched her in pain while James seemed like he was only watching a show, unbothered and indifferent. No one in her pack stood up for her but why did it hurt even when she knew no one loved her.

“Reject me” Ace brought her attention back to him and people instantly burst out in whispers and murmurs. Reject the Alpha king? Who was stupid enough to do that, the person would definitely want a death wish.

Killian looked at Ace with a frown. He really was a ruthless man. It would be a big disrespect for someone to reject an Alpha king, and not only that– Dorothy could die from the pain or even go insane and lose her wolf if she initiated the rejection.

But Ace left her no choice, he couldn't care if she died or not– To him, he just wanted to break the sickening bond between them.

“Alpha-” Killian wanted to get up but Dorothy beat him to it. Her eyes were now cold, shrouded with anger, and for a moment it reminded Ace of her. Ace seemed to have stared deeply into her eyes for a while, he was drawn to those pairs of eyes that invited him to them like a spell.

Dorothy’s hands were clenched by her sides as she glared at the tall intimidating man. Who does he think he was? She knew he was the Alpha king, a powerful man but there was this strange feeling in her chest– maybe it was anger or sadness but she felt he shouldn't treat her that way.

If he wanted a rejection that bad then she would fulfill his wish. Why couldn't she reject him?

“I, Dorothy, reject you, Alpha Ace, as my mate”. She said and Ace finally got out of his daze and he watched Dorothy’s eyes shut in pain. Immediately she uttered those words, she felt a force slam into her, the air around them thickened and a strong wind blew outside as if protesting against her words.

Dorothy staggered, her steps unstable and her vision blurred. She could feel her consciousness slipping away with each passing second. Just as she was about to fall to the ground, Killian’s hands stretched out, wanting to catch her but another pair of arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer to him.

Dorothy murmured something under her breath that Ace couldn't hear and she finally closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest as a strangely familiar scent enveloped her senses.

Ace stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, to everyone’s shock, he swept her into his arms and walked out of the hall, disappearing into the night without a word.

Killian moved to follow, but Lucas blocked his path, forcing him to watch as Ace’s figure vanished into the darkness. As Ace carried her away, one thought echoed in his mind—the bond hadn’t broken.