The Bully's Hated Mate
The Bully’s Hated Mate – Chapter 44

LUCIUS’ POV:

Days had rolled into weeks of this empty silence and excruciating pain that filled both the hallways, the palace and my heart.

As I walked past the familiar halls that crossed my bedroom, I was shocked to see that the door had been unlocked and opened.

A part of me yerned to see her. I could just knock and seek her audience. I stopped at the double doors, hoping to maybe see her reflection or have her scent waft through my nose and fill my lungs but as I stood there.

I knew ew she wasn’t here.

Obviously, she wasn’t here because she had kept the doors firmly shut since and it was obvious that if she ever let the doors open, she wouldn’t be here.

My wolf waned in disappointed and my heart shrunk even further down my chest.

I breathed a shaky sigh out of mouth and with shame and guilt trailing my footsteps, I strode towards where I was originally heading. The dinning hall.

As the doors were opened for me, my head kept down counting my feet as I would once again endure silence from the dinning hall, I immediately started to get the sensation of a familiar scent.

My wolf began to get very excited at the scent, I didn’t need my wolf to howl in excitement before I knew who it was that was here but that didn’t allow mean I wasn’t shocked to see her, already walking to a seat, a plate in front of her as she sat down.

I was even more excited when I saw my father quickly sitting across her with a smile growing on his face, I walked even faster to get a seat that was close to hers but as I moved towards the chair that held the proximity I required, she placed a hand on the seat and I paused.

Taken aback, I was forced to realise that she didn’t want me sitting close to her. Immediately, my shoulders slumped but I couldn’t have expected her to want me to be close to her so soon, it was going to happen but not now. I took the seat that was after that, leaving a chair between the two of us.

Father had ordered the maids to have the best foods brought to the table, his smile grew bountiful, as the food kept on coming, I had the chance to really take a look at cassia. She had not spoken a word and her expression was grim. Her hair was in disarray but she had managed to get a clip on it. Her clothes seemed to be a bit oversized now, her skin was pale and clammpy and even though her scent was there, she had an underlying smell now. The smell of dried tears and sweat and grime mixed together.

My eyes held disappointment but not at her, to myself because this was all happening because of me, because of what I had done to her.

Once the maids were all gone, father held beams of smiles as he looked towards cassia, I watched as she gave him a smile, even though her lips were insanely chapped and she actually stretched her lips, it seemed to be enough for father as he motioned for us to eat.

I began to eat, hating myself that I dared to have an appetite even though cassia was majorly spooning the food around her plate.

“I am so happy that you decided to join us cassia!” My father began to speak, careful not to speak while he had food actively in his mouth while I kept to myself,cassia nodded in agreement.

“I have tried to get you out of your bedroom, servants, maids, whatnot but I’m so glad you came out of that room and decided to get some fresh air and join us for breakfast” he said, amid smiles.

Cassia cleared her throat, making all of us to actually look at her as she dropped her spoon on her plate without touching the food or taking a spoon.

“I have something I’d like to request of you sire” she began. Her voice had grown cold and again, my wolf made sure to let me know how it was my fault for turning her into a shadow of herself.

My father’s smiles had dimmed a bit but traces were still there as he continued to eat and steal glances at cassia.

“Anything my dear, it is yours. What do you want?” He asked her, fondness echoing in his words as he spoke.

“I’d like to have my bond revoked”

I choked on my food and the sharp clang of my father’s spoon hitting the plate made my ears ring. Surprise moved across the room, touching my dad’s expression and making my hands to shake.

Father took a good look at me, a look that was now morphing into an angry stare as cassia cleared her throat again.

“But I realize that I’ve been marked as his, so according to my research, I can’t leave him unless one of us dies.” Something about the way she said ‘dies’ made my hands shake even more and my throat constrict, I mentally gasped for air but in reality my eyes were wider than saucers.

“So, instead I’d like us to seperate. I could still live in the palace but I’d like to have a seperate life from that of Lucius. We don’t have to be together for anything other than for public events and when the time comes, children which again would be thoroughly discussed and decided on. I want to have my own room, have my own meals in my own areas except breakfast, which can be made to be held here, been that we started this tradition upon my arrival to the palace. I want to have my own ride to school, we can pretend to be a couple in class but immediately school ends, we go out separate ways” she paused for breath.

The more I heard what she said, the more my hands shook.

“Then, I want my own bedroom, fitted to my taste, I want my own wardrobe, my own personal servants and maids. I want my bedroom on the other side of the castle and my own place for relaxation, I do not want to have anything to do with lucius again” she said, a note of finality firmly planted in her voice.

Father cleaned his mouth with the napkin that had been carefully folded on the table and sat up straight as he normally did with serious subjects.

“But my dear, may I ask what prompted you to ask for such a request?” He asked, she looked at him square in the face, not a fright growing in her Iris as she took a deep breath before speaking.

“Lucius and I can’t work out and I can’t leave. This option soothes all of us” Cassia said, her voice icy. Father looked at me with a distant stare, with a sort of disappointment I have never seen before, I shrunk in size as he gradually returned focus back to cassia.

He let out a nervous chuckle as he regarded her, maybe finally taking in her serious pose.

“But relationships have their ups and downs. Even mine, while my Luna was still alive, we had it rough too. There’s no relationship that doesn’t have their lollies and their waterfalls, these things take time and patience and commitment” he stressed the word commitment to emphasize what he meant but cassia didn’t bat an eyelid as my eyes travelled back and forth between father and Cassia.

“Are you sure about this? I’m sure whatever it is, whatever is going on—” Father took a stern look at me and again I felt a huge part of me liquidate, “—it can be fixed. It can be made anew and everything would be ok”

Father finished on an expectant note but cassia had her eyes fixed on the point between my father’s eyes.

She leaned back into her chair and with a stretch growing on her lips, she gave a smile.

“I want what I want sure and you said anything I want can be gotten. I’ve already made up my mind on this and I’m afraid there is little to nothing you can do to change it. If you don’t mind, it was lovely having breakfast with you” she said and without glancing at either one of us, she stood up and started to walk out of the hall.

I watched as the double doors opened for her and as she stepped out, I got up and ran after her frankly because there was no way she wanted this. I couldn’t bear the fact that she wanted to stay away from me, I needed to do something.

I caught her arm as she was about entering into our former bedroom and she instantly flinched in both surprise and an anger that formed explosively as she recognised who grabbed her arm.

“Cassia?” I began, anxiety clawing at my throat and my desperation boring into her eyes as I looked at her with pleading eyes.

“Don’t! You ever. Ever! Touch me again! Don’t cross my path either” she spat in anger

” Cass…” I tried again but she put her hand up to stop my movement and my lips

“Just stop! Everything that is happening is your fault and yours alone. Deal with it and get out of my way” she said and shut the door in my face.