A rejection.. maybe?

I shake off the nervous feeling that is crouching at the back of my throat as I walk past Lucien's office to my cubicle. I try to sneak a peek to see if he's there—he isn't.

With a small sigh, I drag myself to my cubicle ready to start the day afresh.

'Today's the day Lyanna, you can do this!'

My subconscious tries hyping me up.

Way to go subconscious.

I swallow hard, push the door open, and enter inside.

"Welcome to a day of hell," I roll my eyes as I sit down in front of the monitor before me.

"He really did want to..."

Just immediately the phone rings, and I groan.

"Hello?" I try to sound as polite as possible.

"Mr. Reynolds would like you to prepare a file for him in an hour. Don't worry, I'll send you the details, just be quick about it."

It's that dumb PA of his who follows him around like a puppet that tells me to do all this.

As if my life isn't pathetic enough.

"Alright then."

He hangs up.

"Rude," I sneer, putting the landline back to its place.

...

The landline rings again, jolting me out of my daze. I jerk as I immediately silence the landline out of panic.

"Oh, the file," I murmur as I begin to stash all the papers I've printed together.

The landline rings again, a little more furiously this time.

I grimace as I pick up the call, "Hello?"

"Miss Sanders, you do know it's a very rude thing to do when you just ignore your boss's calls."

It's him.

Ugh, his voice makes me want to smack the fucking hell out of him!

"I'm sorry sir. I was in a–"

"Hurry, and bring those papers to my office now," he hangs up almost immediately.

I bite my lower lip in frustration, then I gently pick up the stashed papers, and walk out of the room.

This is my chance, don't mess things up Lyanna!

I take a deep breath, before walking up to his office. My heart is pounding so hard against my rib cage it threatens to burst out of my chest.

Soon, I'm standing in front of his glassy office, my breath hitched, my legs heavy, my heart racing with thoughts.

"Oh well, let's do this," I murmur.

As if he knows I'm standing there, he gestures for me to come in without even looking up at me.

"Don't mess things up!" I mutter again, as if trying to reassure myself.

"Okay, let's do this," I push open the glass door carefully, walking slowly.

The rich scent of honey mixed with vanilla hits my nose again, tingling my senses in a strange way.

What kind of air freshener is this?!

"Are the papers ready miss Sanders?" His voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

I instinctively grip the papers tighter, "Yes.. they are."

"Well, give them to me. Stop wasting time around here," he gently taps on the table.

'He's doing all of this on purpose. He just wants to make my life miserable.'

I put the papers on the desk, pressing my lips.

"You can go. Thank you very much," he adds, his face still buried in the laptop before him.

I blink, trying to brace myself for the worst.

"I want to say something," I finally speak up.

"That can wait till the end of work. Go back to work," he remains firm, which is frustrating me already.

"No, it's very important," I almost snap, but I quickly steer back to the lane of the righteously polite people.

Ugh.

He stops typing, and looks up at me.

I almost flinch with the look in his eyes. His eyes have darkened so much I almost cannot see his iris. His lips are pressed together as if they're trying to restrain themselves from saying something not so good.

"Out with it, and be quick," he finally says.

I heave deeply, mentally going over my lines for the last time.

Ride on princess!

I clear my throat, placing my hands behind me.

"Lucien Reynolds," calling out his full name like that makes him arch a brow.

"I, Lyanna Sanders, reject you as my fated mate."

Time stops. Silence– loud silence.

Then boom, it hits me. A searing pain hits me in the chest, instantly choking me at the throat. The pain knocks my breath out of me, my knees buckle almost sending me crashing to the ground.

What is happening?!

My eyes roll back into my sockets, almost blacking out. For a moment, my lungs actually forget how to breathe. The burning sensation in my chest isn't helping either.

I immediately grip the desk before me, gasping for air. The air in my throat has completely escaped, and it has gone completely dry.

"What-"

Why is this happening to me right after I said those words? Is it a curse for rejecting him? Is he punishing me for trying to reject him? Why is this man so cruel?!

Panic bubbles up inside of me like a fountain.

I try to speak to say something to him, but I can only let out a strangled gasp.

This is diabolical. I am in pain.

"What are you doing to me?!" I scream at him, moving away from his desk.

He doesn't respond. He just sits there staring at me, his eyes somehow expressing the shock in them. He looks dazed.. I guess?

Well, he better be! Ain't no way I'm becoming his mate! Tsk!

Slowly, he rises from his chair, walking towards me. His expression is neutral this time. He doesn't look shocked, he doesn't look angry even. His eyes are just... blank.

A sense of panic fills me as I try to hurry to the door, away from him.

Mother used to tell me how brutal these Alphas could be, if they were angry, they'd do literally anything to their prey.

Oh no! Irene didn't include he was going to rip my head off! If I die today, I'll make sure to haunt her forever!

My legs wobble as I try painfully to reach the door. My eyes are growing heavier, and I feel so light I'm actually dropping to the ground.

A pair of strong arms catch me just before I reach the ground– Lucien's arms.

He pulls me flush against himself, making me whimper in response.

"I Lucien Reynolds, do not accept your rejection."