CHAPTER 5 : I Refuse

I took a few steps away from him. “I just got here… I don’t want to make any trouble for the sake of fun. Apparently, I might have to work for you for most of my life so let’s not make it weird…” I’d have to work for Sadia too when they get married so that’d make it even worse.

Lexus walked back in front of me, and we were practically pressed against each other. “You’ll have to work for me for a long time, a part of that is doing whatever I say.” He seemed like the type to abuse his power and position which was disappointing.

I was going to agree because it was the easier thing to do, but my ex’s words ran through my head. ‘You’re just too submissive and that’s not really what I’m looking for.’ “And what if I let the king and queen know?” I didn’t want Lexus viewing me the same way and getting bored of me. I also didn’t want to be the woman he cheated on his fiancée with.

Lexus grabbed my face by my jaw but surprisingly gently. “Fair enough.” He let go of my face and backed away. Something told me that he didn’t actually care if I told his parents, he was humoring me.  “Let me know when you change your mind Aqua.” Hearing him say my name sent a chill through my body. “No one will notice we’re mates. We used to be able to tell when two people were mates by sensing it but it’s so rare now, they won’t really realize it.”

I watched him leave and I replayed everything in my head but in the scenario where I would have let him do whatever he wanted to me. I was fine with my choice not to because I had so much to think about and so much I didn’t know. 

I got on my bed and stared out the window at the dragons flying in the sky. I bounced my leg around against the bed as I watched.  This was all really happening. Now that I knew Lexus I didn’t miss my ex in a weird way. My heartbreak is almost nonexistent. I might have had a new heart break because it’s not like I could be with Lexus. The more I thought about it the more I questioned why I couldn’t. Maybe he loved Sadia and I’m not worth leaving her for. I had only just got here and there was already drama.

Ugh I didn’t know Lexus well so why did I feel like this? It had to solely be the mate bond. I can’t really feel like this about someone I just met. As time went on, I paced, stared out the window, and laid in bed thinking. I concluded that I could hate Lexus instead. It’s a strong emotion too although the problem is that it would get in the way of work. Maybe I wasn’t the holder, and I could live the rest of my life in this kingdom not working in the castle. 

The only thing I was really scared of was this place being worse than the human world. I didn’t belong there and now I know it was more than the fact that my brain was differently wired. It was also because I was an entirely different species. The only thing I could be sure about was that I was going to work hard for a better life here. That’s why I took the risk in the first place. 

I still had my phone on me, so I took it out and turned it on. I didn’t have service here, but it was still nice to look at the pictures. I had three younger siblings and there were in a lot of my pictures. I put my phone away because my sisters and brother might have hated me now. I was adopted anyways. 

I needed to get rest now that the sun was down. That didn’t stop Lexus from coming back. This time I sensed he was outside of the door. Since he was my mate, I could feel he was close. He must have been standing around, but I wasn’t sure if he was going to try to come in or not. 

After thirty minutes of knowing he was outside my room I got up and walked to the door. I stood there for a little while then opened it to see him walking away. He was already pretty far down the hallway and didn’t bother turning around. I looked at a worker who was wiping down picture frames. “Was he standing around?” I had to ask.

The worker turned to me and looked away as if he weren’t supposed to say anything. “He was just talking with me…” It wasn't hard to tell when someone was lying. I guess it was half true but that’s not the main reason Lexus was out here. 

“I didn’t take him as the kind of person to chat with his employees.” Because employees were exactly what we were so why did my head keep trying to convince me I’m different?

“It was work related.” He turned away from me to continue wiping down the frame. “It’s nice to meet you, you’re Konn’s daughter, right? There were rumors all throughout the castle about a debate to bring you here.” He looked young to be a worker here, but I had no idea how things worked in this world. “I’m Stewart.” He had straight short gray hair.

I leaned against the door frame of my room. “It’s nice to meet you, I guess I am Konn’s daughter. Do you know anything about him?”

Stewart let out a light laugh. “Maybe some basic things I’ve picked up in the last few years. Everyone here has their secrets so it’s hard to really get to know each other unless you’ve known them your whole life.” He stood up and put the painting back into the frame he had cleaned. “You shouldn’t look around for secrets, instead you should just spend time with your Father. Then you’ll know exactly what kind of person he is.” 

“Yeah…”

Konn and Lexus just seemed out of my reach, I wanted to get to know both but how could I if they weren’t open to it?