The Grateful Rejection
Chapter 24

Nora's POV

I shuffles through my bag for the damn keys as I walk inside the elevator. I cursed under my breath,I swear I kept it separately this time! But I don't remember where that separately went! Urgh Goddamn it!

I walk out if the elevator when I reached the top floor, "Hey babe" I heard Sebastian's voice. I lookup to see him smiling at me, "Hey honey" I say and peck his lips then go back to the struggle tosearch my bag, "Can you open the door for me? I think I lost my keys" I sigh in annoyance. I heardhim chuckle, "Have you checked the pocket inside the zip?" He says, stifling a laughter.

My eyes narrow at him, "What you laughing at?" I say with a snort and open the zip, "Don't youthink I have already lo--" I bite my lips where as he is grinning like a Cheshire cat. I bite the insidesof my mouth and pull out the elephant keychain that had the house keys, "Fine" I say string to stopmyself from smiling.

"You don't need that anyway..." He said and curved his arms around my waist pulling me towardsthe lift. I furrowed my brows in confusion, "Why? Where are we going?" I ask as we stepped into theelevator, "Well... You do deserve an explanation for... Kristen" he trailed off, I rolled my eyes, "Fortalking about something so private you surely are doing a great job by taking me.. where exactly?" Iask him sarcastically.

"Park" he replied clicking his tongue. I frowned comically mocking him, "A PARK instead of ourhouse... Well done" I patted his shoulder. He gave me his side smirk and pulled me to him, wrappinghis arms around my waist. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, "You see love.. I did wanna talkto you about it in our house... But you... You know where the sharp and dangerous objects are keptand I am not in the mood to heal my broken bones and torn muscles.” He said, I looked at him likehe has gone crazy, "I would never!" I say looking at him wide eyed.

He raised a brow at me giving me the "Who are you kidding?" making me roll my eyes, “Fine butthat doesn't mean I'd break your bone.." I said as we walk out of the building to the backyard of thebuilding. We sat on the bench of the empty park, thank the gods.

We sat in an awkward silence for a while, I knew he was trying to form the right words to tell me.."It was after Laura and Arthur got married, that they wanted to spent some “alone’ time together."he signed looking in the space

"I couldn't stay in the same house where my best friend who I see as my sister is screaming on topof her lungs" he said in disgust.. maybe remembering something. His nose scrunched up inabhorrence, "They wouldn't even let go of each other for a second, it was annoying. Reallyannoying.

But truth to be told I was jealous" he pressed his lips together. The air around us suddenly became alittle bit depressing.

"I also wanted what Laura and Arthur had, an Erastis. One who chose to love you over beingdestinated. My soul mate whom my soul chose.” He said and intertwined my hand with his andbrought the back of my hand to his lips and peck it.

"I used to gloat most of my time going on runs and hikes. And that's where I met her..." My lycangrowled inside my head when I saw a twinkle in his eyes.

"Daisy" he sighed with a small smile. My breathing suddenly became ragged but thank fully hedidn't notice it.

"When I first met her in a hill trail I thought she was lost. When I approached her, thinking ofoffering help. She started beating me with a wooden log and screamed “bloody murderer’ on top ofher lungs. literally" he chuckled leaving my hand and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Only when a man I used to see regularly on that trail came and yelled at her, did that fire crackerstop hitting me. God I remember that day” he chuckled with a big smile on his face, my poor heartstarted to slow down with his blows.

"She had this big green eyes which looked at me with so much embarrassment. Her soft cheeks hadturned red.. then she further hit me with her innocence by biting her ruby lips and profuselyapologising. Even the man said he was sorry for his sister's behavior. He offered her to check mywounds but I denied and went on my way. Days passed but I couldn't get rid of her face from mymind. Her eyes, her nose, her lips, her hair had invaded my mind. She was haunting me. I hadenough and went back to that trail and lucky enough I found her. I acted like I was lost and went toget her help though she didn't believed my poor acting skills, she accompanied me to the a newtrail. We started getting to know each other and before we knew, we'd meet everyday and startedfalling in love. I was madly in love with her, even my lycan didn't refuse. He was just quite.. almostseeing what my next move is and never stopped me from doing anything.” He said leaning back onthe bench.

I could hear the breaking sound from my insides, a hollow had been formed inside me. I don't knowwhat broke though.

"It was only after two months that her parents saw me with her and shunned her for staying with aman in a jungle. They said so many mean things to her, calling her a whore was my breaking point. Iyelled at them saying that we never even kissed each other, sex was a different thing. Theyquestioned her chastity even then. Having had enough I told them I wanna marry her. The four ofthem looked at me crazy. The parents were shocked, her brother was relief and Daisy, my Daisy wasecstatic. And within a few weeks we said the wows. My parents were a enraged when I told her Ilove her even though she was not my Erastis. But I was young and madly in love. I didn't listen tothem, they warned me of the consequences of my actions but as usual. I didn't listen. I told themthat I would reject my Erastis if she comes for I my soul mate was Daisy.” My Daisy? My heartcracked a little more and a tear rolled down my eyes thinking what if he would have rejected me aswell. I would have nothing to live for.

"I didn't care. I was happy finally. That I had someone that I could love. The only problem was.. shewas a human and I am a lycan. I feared that she'd leave me but I had to tell her before we said ourwows. She was a little superstition so she forbid me to see her before our marriage, mind you wehad the human traditional marriage. But somehow I convinced her to just talk to me through a bigscreen separating us. I told her everything. About me being a supernatural, about having an Erastisand my pack. She didn't speak for a minute, I thought she left but she erratic beating of her heartwas enough to tell me other wise." He said touching the ring finger of his ring hand.

"She just asked me one question, “What would you do when you'd meet your Erastis?' to which Ireplied that I'd break our bond by an witch.” My head snapped towards him in shock. He hung hishead low in shame. My heart started thumping strenuously against my ribcage. Breaking a bondwith an Erastis is a sin, it means instant death. No matter how strong you are, mentally, emotionally,physically, psychologically. You. Are. Dead.

Both of them,

"Continue" I whisper creating some distance between us. I saw him reaching out for me but decidedotherwise, to which I was forever grateful.

He sighed, "She wasn't exactly happy with my answer as I expected. She told me if I ever found myErastis, I'd first tell her then we'll decide what to do. But I knew her better, she would have sacrificedherself for me. She told me that she didn't care who I was and she loved me regardless. That when Iknew she was the one. I didn't need my soul to decide for me when I didn't know any better. We gotmarried the next day and consummate our marriage that night. We were just like any other coupleat that time. Deeply in love and couldn't get our hand off each other." He sighed, I could hear hishear fluttering. I closed my eyes consoling my lycan who was howling in grief.

"That night I tried my level best to mark her but my lycan for the first time ever opposed. He didn'twanna mark Daisy.” My hand shot to cover my mouth that was just about to divulge a sob. I lookedat him, I don't even know this guy anymore. Marking someone else other than your Erastis meansdeath of your Erastis. I shook my head as tears ran down my eyes. He tried to pull me to him butsuddenly I became repulsive to his touch. I sat on the other side of the bench with my back facinghim.

For a few minutes he didn't speak, I gave a side nod telling him to go on. He sighed, "I was enraged.I hated my lycan from stopping me from marking the woman I love. My only fear was that shewouldn't be with me till the end of eternity. My stupid mind came up with a plan of killing my lycanand become a human" disgust ran through ever vain in my body for that man.

"But Daisy somehow got a hunch that I'd be doing something stupid and stopped me. She hadalready wrapped me around her fingers and when she angrily yelled at me I Did nothing butobliged.

It was when Laura gave birth to her fourth pup when a 37 year old Daisy came to me and put myhand on her stomach. I was over the moon, after 21 years of our marriage. We finally were having achild.” From the peripheral vision I saw a huge smile take over his face. Jealousy had stabbed intomy guts. I hated that woman who so easily took away the heart of the man whom I loved. I can stillsee that she still has an effect on him.

"The next four months were absolutely bliss. Like a good husband I tend to all her needs, broughther everything she whished for even before it came out of her mouth. I laid the world on her feetand in return I saw my child, my first child growing inside her. I was the happiest man in the world.And when my little princess was born I couldn't imagine the joy flooding me. And when sheclutched my finger in her hand I cried. I couldn't hold it anymore. My little one couldn't even curveher entire hand around my one finger. She was so precious, even though her eye color was likemine, she was an exact replica of her mother.” He said with a huge smile on his face. I could feel hislycan showing up in happiness.

"My Kristen was a very different than others. We had expected her to shift on her 12th birthday butshe didn't, I feared that my baby is a human, which means I will outlive her. No parent in the worldwants to see their own blood die in front of them, it worst than hell. So Daisy and I went to a witchwith her. The witch said she got all the powers of a lycan but she is not gifted with a lycan. She'llhave everything but her lycan, it felt like a huge weight has been lifted off my heart. As long as sheis happy and healthy with her Erastis I was happy. My Kristen and Daisy were very close for she hadalways wished for a daughter and she got one. They were inseparably, their love for each other wasbeyond anyone's imagination. But my fear was only Daisy for she was now over 60 years of age. Weconstantly had fights over the fact that soon she would leave me with Kristen so I wanted to turnher into a werewolf. Of course nobody can turn anyone into a lycan untill you have proven yourselfworthy of being one to Zeus himself. But one day she broke down crying in front of me.

That day she accepted that she didn't wanna become immortal because when my Erastis wouldcome I'd leave her for my Erastis. And she'd rather die knowing that I love her with all my heart thanto live till the end of eternity with me in the arms of another. I promised her that anything like thatwould never happen but she didn't listen to me. For she had seen the love of Erastis’ and nothingwas compared to that. Not even the love of your children. And before we know it at the age of 86she died in her sleep..." He said and tears rolled down his eyes. Even my jealous heart strained withpain for the kind hearted woman.

"Kristen hated me for years. She was a fully grown woman and I had to explain her why I had tohonour her mother's words. When I told her it took time for her to digest it and when she did, shethrew herself on me cringe for her dead mother. Even now she visits her mother's grave twice ayear, one on Daisy's birthday and one on her death day. It took time for her to come around butafter a century when she met her Erastis, she finally understood what her mother ment and shefinally forgave me.." he said and looked at me.

"I have done and said a lot of things without fully knowing and understanding them. My lycan knewthat you weren't born in that century so he gave me the permission to be with Daisy but didn'tallow me to mark her. Even before we were born he was fully dedicated to you. Only when I met youdid I under the gravity of my words, I loved Daisy, I really did and I still do. She is the mother of mychild, my first born, of course I will love her. But with you.. you are more than love to me. You aremore than a person we chose for each other. You are my best friend, my serenity, my salvation,myValhalla. I can now finally understand my lycans devotion to you. I cannot imagine my life withoutyou. Just the though of you in someone else's arms makes my blood boil and the need to burndown the world to ashes.” He said pulling me to him. This time I didn't resist. His eyes were blowingblue showing his lycan and the vehement love he has for me.

"No body will take you away from me. You're only mine. MINE." He let out a growl and pushed hisface on my neck. He rubbed his face all over my neck mumbling “mine’ over and over again.

I can understand that his lycan needs reassurance that I am still here, with him and going no where.So I wrapped my arms around him, "It's okay" I whispered softly and rocked him untill his fears gobut nothing of that sort happened. Instead he became more possessive. He started growling at theair that started coming frequently.

He soon got up with me with me in his arms. He carried me back at my penthouse. He laid medown on my bed and hastily came beside me, cocooning me, "Please don't leave me. Please don'tleave me. Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me. Please don't leaveme." He kept on whispering and shaking in fear. His arms were bruisingly tight around my waist butI didn't care, he needed me right now. I cannot leave him, I won't leave him. No matter what.

I cannot just pin him down for his past. He really did nothing but want to love and when otherswarned him he shrugged him off. Others may have thought that he'd leave her, but he didn't. Hesaid he loved her and he did. He gave her every happiness a woman could ever desire. That is aman. My man.

He did say a lot of things without understanding them and now that his words hit him. He himselffeels suffocated with the idea of me being dead.

As I have said before, one would not pin down one for the past because who ever they are rightnow is because of the past choices. Good or bad. You are what you are because of your past. Learnto let go and embrace the future with experience and love.

In a few minutes he was snoring peacefully. I then pushed his hands off my waist and went to thebathroom to freshen up. When j came back showered and dressed up I saw a message from Kristenon my phone.

“Hey Nora,

Are we still on for today?’

Her text said, I shook my head and replied,

'Hey sweetie,

I am sorry but I won't be able to make it today. Can we please reschedule it for tomorrow? If you'refree?’

I replied and lie down next to a sleeping Sebastian. I smiled at myself and reached his face ever solovingly with my fingers. My phone went off with a text,

“Yeah tomorrow will do for me,

Early in the morning? I have to show you something." her text came

I confirmed and told her to meet me at 8 am in a new ice cream parlor. What does she wants toshow me? I shrugged it off and pulled the blanket on me and snuggled towards my Sebastian. SoonI was out like a light.