Rejected By My Mate, Now Mated To The Lycan King-Chapter 99

~ NYSSA

I rolled my eyes at Henry. "Really? That’s the best you have? How old do you think I am? Five?"

I walked over to him, chin straight and hands crossed over my chest.

"I have no interest in reading his journal. I know he’s done some bad things, but we all have. Even you. What’s your end game here? What do you want?"

"You," he said simply reaching out for me but I stepped back and out of his reach.

"Let it go Henry," I said coldly. "I am not yours, not anymore."

Henry scoffed. "You will always be mine. I was your first mate."

"And yet you rejected me. I don’t need you anymore, I have-"

"Who do you have, Nyssa? Him?" He laughed humorlessly. "You don’t even know who he is."

Rowan growled, a low warning sound. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Why?" Henry shot back. "Tell her what you’re hiding, Rowan, let’s see if she still loves you after."

I turned to my mate, brows knitted in confusion but before I could speak, Rowan had rushed over to my side.

"Don’t listen to him," Rowan said, voice firm. "Aria, please take her—"

"No!" I snapped and everyone went still.

I turned to Rowan, the hair on the back of my arms rising as my suspicion grew.

Aria tried to tug me away but I shrugged off her touch without even glancing her way. Rowan’s expression was cold, but there was a flash of emotion in his eyes. Something soft and vulnerable flickered in his eyes.

His eagerness to get me out was unusual.

"What is that?" I asked, jerking my head towards the book in Henry’s hand.

"It doesn’t matter. Just go inside, I’ll come to you after and explain everything, I promise." He took a step closer to me, hands softly kneading my shoulders. "Just please go with Aria."

I took a step back from him. "You know you haven’t even tried to deny that the book is yours. You haven’t called him a liar yet."

I turned to Henry who was grinning widely, his lips pulled back in a cruel smile.

"What’s in there?" I asked him.

"Nyssa please, I’ll tell you myself, I swear. Just... you should hear it from me and not from him."

"You had so much time to tell her," Henry hissed out at Rowan. "Why wait until now?"

Rowan growled, a loud sound that shook the very floors on which he stood. Dark veins bloomed over his arms and his forehead and a shiver of fear ran down my spine.

He took a step towards Henry and for the first time, I felt true fear. There was murder in his eyes and I knew without a doubt that he’d kill him.

"If you touch him, I will never forgive you," I warned, stopping Rowan right in his tracks. "What the fuck is going on? I need someone to tell me right now!"

For a minute, no one spoke.

Aria wouldn’t meet my eyes and Rowan... he looked like someone had gutted him. His eyes were intense and soft, pleading with me to listen to him but I ignored him.

"Is everyone deaf all of a sudden?" I snapped. "What in the name of the goddess is going on? What’s in that fucking journal?"

"I’ll tell you," Henry mused, lips curving upwards. "A few years ago, your precious mate here was on a spree. He murdered this beautiful couple; even went as far as to torture the male. He killed them in cold blood, leaving their little daughter as an orphan. It’s all written down here. I can read it out to you in his own words. It was awfully poetic, especially the part where he mentions the daughters name. It’s pretty unique, do you want to hear it?"

"Shut up!"

I wasn’t sure if it was Aria or Rowan who spoke. I couldn’t make out the voice properly over the rushing of blood in my ears and the rapid pounding of my heart.

"Say it," I murmured softly. "Who is the girl?"

"Oh, Nyssa, I thought you would have put it together by now." Henry chuckled. "The girl is you. Rowan killed your parents and he wrote all about it right here."

He threw the leather bound journal at my feet. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Look at it if you must and tell me, is he really the good man you thought he was?"

*****************

Tears gathered at the back of my eyes but I pushed them away, reaching down to pick up the journal. The worn pages seemed to mock me relentlessly and it felt heavier than it should’ve, like I was holding the weight of the world.

A hand covered mine, stopping me from opening it.

I recognized the callused scarred hands as the same ones that touched me last night, the ones that held me close... the ones that murdered—

I jerked back violently. "Don’t touch me!"

Hurt flashed across Rowan’s face. "Nyssa, let me explain."

"Explain what?" I snapped. "Are you going to tell me that it’s a lie? That he’s talking utter bullshit? That’s what you’re about to explain... right?"

He didn’t speak.

Guilt flashed through his features and that hurt more than anything Henry had said.

I turned to Aria and the same look filled her. They both lied to me. They knew, they listened to me talk about my parents while knowing... oh fuck.

A sob broke through my lips as the journal slipped through my fingers, landing on the floor with a loud echo.

I could feel my world collapsing on itself. I’d shared a bed with the man who killed my parents. Not only that, I’d let him... I trusted him, I considered making a future with him and the entire time he knew.

He carried that secret.

"You’re a real bastard, Rowan."

"Nyx... baby—"

"Don’t!" I warned harshly. "Fuck you, Rowan. You’re a murderer and you’re every bit the fucking monster I thought you were."