Chapter 123 - At least give me a chance first

EMMA

*Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.*

The fall from heaven to earth is long and terrifying.

Everything was perfect the moment I woke up. I was securely strapped in Hadrian’s strong arms. The haziness from the little sleep was slow to disappear. The soreness between my legs and in my thighs was severe, but still, I relished the pain. His presence enveloped me and I couldn’t get close enough.

Everything felt just right.

Until the moment he left me to get food. The moment he was gone, I was struck with reality. I slammed back onto the face of the earth where the world is cold and scary.

*What have I done?*

Panic sears through me and my heart pounds against my ribcage. The air in the room is shallow. I crawl further under the blanket and curl into the warmth left behind by Hadrian. His scent is overwhelming and there’s an immediate longing that searches for him. I close my eyes and my pounding heartbeat rings in my ears.

Hadrian has marked me.

The throb in my shoulder is prominent and feels more urgent than last time. I want to whine and whimper at the hollowness in my chest. It’s so intense in comparison to last time. Actually, I am whimpering.

*Get a grip, Emma.*

I take deep breaths in and out to calm myself down. I’ve been through this before, I can do it again. How could I have been so stupid? It was like I didn't even have a functioning brain anymore.

The blanket is lifted from me and panic grips at my chest. Hadrian frowns as he looks down on me. He has a plate in his hand and places it away. His big hands settle on my skin and a wave of belonging calms me down.

He pulls me into his lap. “My mate, what’s wrong?”

Everything is wrong and at the same time, everything feels right. My body cannot catch up quickly enough. I feel panic through bliss and I start to lose it. “I don’t know.”

I cling to him and the aftershocks tremble through me. There is cold fear and hot shivers. There is hate and anger, but also love and happiness.

His rough hands run in smooth strokes over my body. “Shh, don’t worry. It hurts me when you worry.” He kisses my shoulder and the sensation is warm and loving.

“What are we going to do?” I whisper and I barely dare to make a sound.

“Everything will be fine.” Hadrian kisses my hair. “But you need to go back.”

———————————

One foot is barely settled on the floor when Alex bursts through my bedroom door. “Where have you been?”

She’s unfazed with the fact that I’m half hanging through a window and Hadrian is holding onto the gutter.

Her eyes are a mix of worry and annoyance. I climb the rest of the way through the window and the robe falls down my shoulder.

Alex zeroes her attention to my exposed skin. I quickly lift the sleeve but Alex grabs my wrist. “What is that?”

“It’s a… bite mark." The visible imprint of teeth throbs under her scrutiny. The muscles in my shoulder feel strained and stuck.

“He fucking bit you?” Her eyes move from me to Hadrian. There’s a lack of understanding that will never change her perspective.

“It’s not like that…” The words couldn’t sound more cringeworthy if I tried. I never thought I would be someone that would make excuses for someone injuring me.

“Just get changed.” Alex rubs at the worry lines on her forehead and has a hand perched on her waist. “Grace made breakfast.”

The annoyance she holds is not only from me. Alex has been on edge ever since Graciella appeared. She has a hard time overcoming the adversities she has held for so long. Which is completely understandable.

I do as she says and change into jeans and a sweater. Every movement reminds me of last night. The soreness in my muscles becomes apparent when I step into my jeans. The fabric scratches over my sensitive skin. And my knitted sweater falls on the throbbing mark.

Every step down the stairs is a reminder of the soreness in my core and the time Hadrian spent inside me. The rawness is enough to make my knees wobble.

“Good morning Emma,” Graciella says with a chipper in her voice. Alex rolls her eyes when she walks past her.

Graciella places a plate of baked bread on the table which is filled with an over-abundant amount of food. She dusts off any crumbs from her hands. “Why are you hiding your mark?” There’s confusion, but no surprise.

“Maybe she wants to,” Alex says as she plops down on one of the seats and bites into one of the buns. “Most of us don’t tend to parade fucking bite marks.”

Graciella scowls at Alex. “This food is for Pri—“ She shakes her head at her near misstep. "This is for Emma. She needs to refuel.”

“You knew what was going to happen,” I conclude.

“You were in heat, you needed to mate,” Graciella explains. This is how the world works for her. This is what she knows. Graciella and Alex stand on opposite sides of the spectrum.

The lock of the front door twists as it unlocks. *Dex.*

“You need to hide,” I say and quickly guide Graciella towards the stairs. I push her shoulders in that direction. Hadrian has told me what happened.

“What, why?” Graciela turns her head my way, but steps forward anyway.

I don’t answer her until we get to her room. “Everyone thinks that you were in Hadrian’s room last night.”

Her blue eyes widen so far that I fear that they might pop. “What?”

“Dex heard us last night and he assumed that it was… you.” I lower my voice when I can hear his voice travel up the stairs. The idea that anyone assumes Hadrian was with someone else turns my stomach.

Graciella shakes her head with a sense of urgency. “We have to tell him.” The alarm is clear in her voice. “Prince Hadrian is your mate.”

“No, he cannot know it was me.”

—————————

Dex lights up when I walk into the room. His affection becomes abundantly clear now. I didn’t want to acknowledge it before, but I can’t keep ignoring it.

He holds a large bouquet of flowers. It makes me reluctant to accept them. I really need to talk to him.

I look at Alex for help, but she backs away. “I think I hear Kelsey, I should probably check on her.” Alex darts out of the living room fast. Kelsey isn't even in the house.

Dex offers me the flowers and I don’t make a move to take them from him.

The flowers are beautiful and become more exuberant every week. It started with a single cornflower but expanded to a whole bouquet of vibrant wildflowers.

I didn’t want to accept that he treated me differently than the others. He didn’t at first, but over the months, his attention shifted my way more and more. It is painfully clear now.

I have to listen to what others started saying months ago. “Can we talk?”

“You don’t like the flowers?” He asks in confusion.

“It’s too much.” I bite the inside of my cheek as I search for the courage to confront him. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I have a feeling that—“

His smile slowly falters and the flowers drop to his side. Dex rubs his jaw as he tries to school his face and his jaw ticks. “If you're going to reject me, at least give me a chance first.”

How do I tell him that I gave my heart away before I even met him? Dex is driven, caring and charming. He’s inspiring to so many people and easy to be around. There’s no weight of the throne or supernatural differences. But I cannot consider anyone else, my heart is already with Hadrian.

I sigh an exasperated breath. “Dex.”

Dex takes my hand in his and pulls me towards him. His chest is pressed against mine when he hugs me and my body freezes when he rests his chin on my marked shoulder. “Be my date to the wedding. After that, you can reject me.”