Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 124

Aiden's

pov

My heart nearly stopped in my chest when the doors to the dining room opened and Lily walked in after the maid that I had assigned to her. She was wearing one of my mother's reconstructed dresses of all the things that I had selected specifically for her in her I hoped she would like her new things, as fun as it was putting it together for her, I wanted to see the delight on her face when she wore them.

closet.

She had chosen the stunning black, bodycon sleeveless mermaid tail dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. The sight took my breath away. It was as if the world had slowed down, and she was the only thing that mattered in that moment. The dress was a perfect choice for her, accentuating her graceful figure and making her stand out in the entire room like a beacon and as she moved, the fabric flared out around her knees, adding a touch of elegance to her every step. It was like watching a real-life mermaid gracefully navigating the waters.

It shimmered and sparkled under the lights, creating a mesmerizing effect that made it almost impossible for me to look at her and when she paused to look up at the stars, her lips slightly parted in awe, I felt starstruck. Has she always been this beautiful?

Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, adding to the allure of her look and her lips were a bold blood red that seemed to make a statement. It was one of those moments where words felt inadequate to describe the beauty before me. I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and nervousness, as if I was in the presence of someone extraordinary.

I wanted to cup her face and kiss her. I wanted to tell her to ask for anything and I would grant it without hesitation. But it seems like the more I give her, the less I have of her.

But more than anything, I was just happy to be in her orbit.

However, it seemed that she didn't share the same excitement that I did to see her and up until when she sat beside me, I had to hold myself back to not say anything that I thought would set her off but she had been picking at her food for almost ten minutes since she sat down and it got me worried, especially because she had refused to eat anything last night and this plan that was riding on the fact that she was going to eat if she wasn't in her bedroom was failing.

"Is the food not to your liking?" I finally asked and she paused before raising her head to glare at me.

"It is. It's just your presence I can't stand."

And then she looked back at her food and kept picking at it as I struggled to keep a tight leash on my anger and hurt from being so blatantly rejected in order to avoid looking my worst and giving her another reason to hate me. "Well, you might not like my presence but you do like the food, so eat and no it's not a request."

She looked up at me with rage and looked like she was about to say something but stopped herself and started eating bit by bit.

The silence in the dining room was almost palpable and when my eyes caught Maya's, I could see that she didn't even bother to hide her disappointment anymore.

Suddenly feeling like the tie on my neck was too tight under such a heavy gaze, I yanked it off and wondered what I had done wrong this time. Was asking her to eat so bad? And would there ever even come a time when I would do something that was right in the eyes of everyone else for once in my life?

Why did it seem that no matter what I did, it was somehow bad and yet doing the right things seemed to come easy to everyone else?

Unable to stand being judged so heavily by Maya and knowing that she was not the only one who seemed to have something to say to me but was the least afraid, I felt annoyed and decided to send everyone else away except Lily. "Everyone. Leave us. Lily, stay."

"Of course. Why would you ask your prized prisoner to leave? Don't you love me in chains.

"Get out, all of you!" I yelled and everyone quickly made themselves unavailable, leaving Lily and I alone in the large room that suddenly seemed small as I turned to face Lily who did not hide how upset she was.

It should have been unfair that even with a frown, she still looked drop dead gorgeous and the ring box in my pocket burned a hole through my slacks as I suddenly became lost for words.

"Lily..." I started but settled for just letting my actions do the talking and I ripped out the box and reached for her hand, placing the ring on her middle finger.

"Don't take it off." I snapped, my voice coming out harder than intended when she moved to remove the ring and I saw how her jaw tightened and her eyes darken with annoyance but she nodded slowly and that small action was like a beacon of hope. Maybe I could somehow navigate through all of the wrongs I have done and somehow replace a way to make things right. And maybe this was a start.

"Lily, I..."

"I would like the hoodie back and the scarf. They belong to Ren and I want to keep them with me."

All of the sudden hope in my heart shattered like a tumbler and the small smile that was forming on my lips cracked.

"You can have all of the hoodies that you want if you are cold but you can't have that one."

"You don't understand, Aiden-"

"I understand perfectly well."

"No, you don't! And you won't even let me explain-"

"There is nothing to explain."

"I need it." Her voice trembled with a desperate need. "Please just give it to me-"

"NO!" I roared, unintentionally my shadows blasted out of me with a force that shattered the windows and glass ceiling.

It happened almost in slow motion before my eyes. One minute, Lily was pleading with me and the next, heavy shards of glass were raining down on us. Thick, heavy pieces that could hurt her.

Lily's screams pierced through the angry, jealous haze that I was in and I sprung into action, throwing myself on top of her immediately, just as the glass shards descended on us and I gasped as the shards pierced through my suit, burying directly into my skin. I winced at the pain slicing into my body, but it didn't matter.

None of that mattered as long as Lily was safe.

When I was sure that nothing else was going to fall, I let go of her slowly, kneeling in front of her, my heart stuttering in my chest when I saw a tiny s***h on her forehead and terror in her leaking eyes.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. oh no.

"I didn't mean to." I whispered hoarsely, reaching for her face, and for the first time in a long time, I felt tears well up in my eyes when she moved away from me as I tried to touch her. She looked at me like I was a monster and this was the first time since my parents died that I wanted desperately for someone to believe that I wasn't.

Feeling like throwing up and drenched in shame, I slowly rose to my feet and looked away, unable to face her.

"Someone will come for you."

And before she could reply, I walked out of the dining room, shards of glass lodged in my back and with a heart that bled with sorrow.