Chapter 18 18
POV LOIS
The sadness I felt when I was rejected—and having to face the reason behind it—broke me for a long time, almost a full year. And it wasn’t just that; knowing that my status was the reason for the rejection shattered me even more, because it was something I couldn’t change.
It wasn’t the first time an Omega had been rejected, but when you have few or no opportunities in life, at least you allow yourself to dream. Dreams cost nothing. I knew that. Thinking about the moment I would find my mate filled me with immense joy… until I was rejected.
Re-jec-ted.
Dreaming was free, but making dreams real cost far more than I could ever pay. So I had no idea what price I would have to pay for someone like Emmanuel to be my mate. He wasn’t just an Alpha—he was clearly an incredible person.
Was this really a mistake?
I accepted him, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever felt in my entire life. The color of his eyes gained a new meaning. His scent, the memories I had of him—they became treasures, and right now all I wanted was to hear his voice. But his gaze alone was enough to make me melt.
“There’s… a train that leaves in an hour,” he said. His voice did everything to my skin—raised goosebumps, warmed me, made me feel as if his hands were touching me. “I’ll take you to the station, but we still have time. It’s not far. But I don’t want you to go, Lois. I really want you to stay.”
So this is what it felt like… to have a mate?
What was this floating inside me, pulling me toward him?
I couldn’t begin to describe the feeling inside me after accepting Emmanuel as my mate. It went beyond happiness—it became wholeness. But I had to leave.
And to think he felt the same.
It made me want to cry from how wonderful the experience was.
“This isn’t my place.” I knew that very well, even if my chest pushed me toward him. I gripped my legs to stop myself from moving. I couldn’t. I couldn’t get close to him. “It’s better if I go.”
“I know, but…” He stood up. We were already dressed, but the room was still burning. It was his room, his territory, and everything smelled like him. He was younger than me, yet he felt so mature, so grounded, so… beautiful and perfect. “I feel like we can find a solution.”
“We made a deal—you’d be accepted and I’d leave. That doesn’t change, Emmanuel.”
He had the brilliant idea of sitting beside me. The bed dipped with his weight, and that small shift made my body lean against his. My hands landed on his shoulders so I could push myself away, but Emmanuel grabbed my elbow and in a second I was on my back, pinned beneath him.
“Em… Emmanuel.”
“Say it one more time, Lois.”
Damn my strength for failing me at this exact moment.
My lips parted, almost begging for a kiss, and he leaned in to give it to me, but I quickly turned my head, stopping his lips from reaching mine.
With a pain that cut straight through my chest, I couldn’t kiss him.
He was my downfall—I knew it.
I had to resist until the very last second. We were young, and everyone knew that resisting your mate at this age was like trying to stop breathing or drinking water—impossible.
And worse if he was an Alpha. The force they exerted through the bond was far stronger than mine. Even if I resisted, Emmanuel only had to push a little and all my defenses would crumble.
Weak and at his mercy.
Being an Alpha’s mate had its disadvantages—especially when you were an Omega. My position placed me at a disadvantage in every aspect of my life.
His fingers burned my cheeks when he touched me. If we did this… our bond would strengthen. And that was exactly what I had to avoid.
“Emmanuel—”
His legs slipped between mine and a wave of want rushed through me, a need to be completely naked beneath him. He must have known, judging by the smile he gave me. I closed my eyes to try to block whatever spell he cast over me.
“Let’s get out of the house. Let’s get some air. I’m hot, I want… I want to see the surroundings.” I needed to get out before this madness grew even bigger.
“Please.”
I set my hands on his chest. “I want to see the train station. I don’t get to see a place like this every day—the people, the diversity…”
I still wasn’t convincing him.
He was a difficult audience.
“Give me a kiss.”
NOT THAT. Anything but that!
“No, not again. One kiss leads to other things, and we need to avoid that.”
“Just one.”
“No!”
“All right.”
He pulled away from my body and helped me up from the bed. “Let’s go to the station.”
Why did he accept so suddenly?
“There are beautiful places to see. Better to go early. But just know I don’t want you to leave, and even less in such a rush. We could find another solution.”
“It’s fine. The bond will fade. Just be patient.”
Luckily, we managed to leave the house unscathed—and by that, I mean without brushing against each other long enough for that chemistry to ignite again.
We reached the station with Emmanuel carrying my hand, the suitcase, and the bag. Every gaze turned toward him, as if he were the sun itself. He was impossible to ignore.
“Passengers for the Windway train, please proceed to the corresponding platform. Passengers for the Windway train…”
That was my call.
The last ten minutes I spent eating like crazy, because Emmanuel bought everything I stared at for more than two seconds. He also bought things for my parents—souvenirs from the station. Who did that for people they didn’t even know?
The adorable Emmanuel.
“Lois, if this doesn’t fade in the next forty-eight hours, know that I’m coming for you.”
He…
“C-Coming for me? Why would you do that?! Coming for me for what?!”
He was scaring me.
“Because you’re my mate, Lois. If this doesn’t go away, you’re my mate.”
He cupped my face, and this time he didn’t ask—he didn’t even hesitate. He just kissed me.
He kissed me with such passion that there was no way that was a goodbye kiss. It told me he would come back for more. That’s what his kiss said. It wasn’t a farewell.
“Forty-eight hours. No more. You’ll go, and… I feel like I’m being stupid letting you leave, but you insist this is a mistake. When you see it isn’t… I know you’ll want to see me too.”
I lowered my gaze.
Because if it wasn’t a mistake, we would both go insane being miles apart.
But he would see this was nothing but an error, and it would fade. Maybe when the train traveled hundreds of miles away. Maybe after enough hours passed.
I boarded the train, strangely enough, crying—without looking back or daring to.
That was the last time I saw Emmanuel.