Page 16 of Rejected By My Shifter Billionaire

“ W hat was that about?” Ellie demanded in a low whisper the moment Kassia reached her side. Out of curiosity and concern, she had joined the throng of fans outside the dojo, watching the fight inside through the viewing wall.

Everyone around Ellie was obviously in love with the professor, with the way they screamed at every little thing he did.

When the professor spoke, the girls had swooned as the sound of his voice came through the hall’s speakers.

When the professor crossed his arms over his chest in observation, all the girls had gone mad, flooding each other’s Instagram newsfeeds with the professor’s photos.

And when the professor had moved with lightning speed – well, everyone had just about died.

Privately, Ellie thought the professor had been inhumanly fast but then, what did she know about martial arts? For all she knew, that kind of speed was normal for ass-kicking, heart-breaking ookami-kata instructors.

What she did know, however, was that she hadn’t liked having so many girls crushing on the professor. She had felt mad on her best friend’s behalf and had wanted to shout at all of them. The professor was Kassia’s first!

As she and Kassia headed towards the building’s exit doors, Ellie repeated her question.

Kassia was visibly confused. “What do you mean?”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “He went to you, hello? He went to you first and he had a very jealous look in his eyes. You can’t tell me you didn’t see that.”

At Ellie’s words, Kassia said shortly, “You were imagining things.” Just as she had imagined things before she caught herself in time.

“I know what I saw,” Ellie insisted.

“And I know the kind of man the professor is.” Someone so cruel, he had allowed her to fall deeper and deeper for him before breaking her heart.

She could see Ellie wanted to argue, but Kassia forestalled her friend with a shake of her head.

“Drop it, please, Ellie. I mean it.” She didn’t want to be the na?ve girl again.

As far as Kassia was concerned, the professor was dead to her.

SWEAT TRICKLED DOWN the side of Alessandro’s face as he fought to counter every thrust and swipe of his opponent, who always seemed to be one second faster than he was. A fraction of time for humans, but for their kind, it was long enough to kill.

The sound of steel clashing was the only thing that destroyed the silence inside the fighting hall, which occupied the entire basement in the Moretti complex’s main building. Spectators circled the fighters, all of them holding their breath as they waited to see who would emerge as the winner.

Alessandro’s opponent retreated a step, and he saw his chance to attack. But before he could move, a flash of red in the crowd caught his attention, a shade that reminded him of Kassia’s strawberry blonde hair, and he stilled.

Could it be her?

Had she come here to talk about what happened earlier in class? Did she want to explain about the boy? Did she still want him?

Alessandro’s concentration wavered, and before he could stop himself, his head had already whipped towards its direction, his incredulous gaze searching, his body stiffening in the event that it was really Kassia—-

It wasn’t.

Instead, it was one of the servants, whose dyed hair under the light had appeared a lot like Kassia’s.

Behind him, he heard someone curse, and Alessandro realized too late he had actually forgotten that he was in the middle of fencing practice.

He turned around, already positioned to block the blow coming his way, but it was pointless, and everyone in the fighting hall knew it. His opponent realized the same thing and tried to diminish the force of the blow, but it was too late.

Alessandro flew across the room at point of impact, his back hitting the wall before he fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

“ Fuck .”

Footsteps thundered towards him.

When Alessandro opened his eyes, several pairs were staring back at him in concern. He shook his head and groaned at the pain that resulted. “ Fuck ,” he said again.

His twin laughed. “Fuck is right. After winning five – no, I heard, your worst fight was ten – against one in public brawls at Lyccan Hall, you now get knocked out by our ancient lovesick brother?”

Said ancient lovesick brother casually but subtly gave Alejandro a shove, which was also strong enough to have his twin flying to the opposite wall with a grunt.

Above Alessandro, Domenico pulled off his mask and offered him a hand, asking formally, “You are all right?”

Alessandro wasn’t able to answer immediately.

Fuck, he thought for the third time.

Since Domenico’s public fall from grace, Alessandro hadn’t been able to look at his older brother in the eye. He had been afraid that if he did, he would lose all respect for him.

But now, with Domenico towering over him——

How in hell had he gotten everything wrong?

All this time, Alessandro had thought the loss of his wife had turned Domenico into a shell of a man.

But the warrior looking down at him was anything but.

For one thing, Domenico seemed to have stuffed himself with Lyccan-friendly steroids since Misty had disappeared to Faerie-la-la-land.

Even so, the impressive show of testosterone was just the tip of the iceberg.

No, what made Alessandro realize how blind he had been all these months was in his brother’s eyes.

There was a hint of sadness to it, but there was power in his gaze, too, like nothing Alessandro had ever seen before.

If something had changed, then it was that his older brother appeared stronger now.

He looked wiser, more humble – but somehow, all those simply lent Domenico an aura of almost-tangible strength.

Suddenly, a sense of urgency gripped him.

Kassia.

He had to leave right now.

Kassia. Kassia. Kassia.

Desperation turned her name into an addiction, and Alessandro knew he would not rest until he saw her again. He had to talk to her and make Kassia see that his decision to cut her out of his life was a mistake.

Kassia.

He saw her in his mind, her eyes once filled with so much love and trust, blurring with unshed tears of betrayal.

Kassia.

He had cut her out of his life because he had thought Kassia would make him weak the way Misty had made his older brother weak.

But he had seen the truth now. Domenico was at his strongest. He didn’t understand how that happened, and right now it didn’t matter.

All Alessandro knew was he had made the biggest mistake of his life, and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to fix it.

Domenico caught him just as he was about to get inside his car. “Alessandro.” An indirect command to stop, and Alessandro had no choice but to heed it.

“You have not been yourself the entire week.”

Alessandro only looked at his older brother stoically.

Domenico might not be the weakling he had feared him to be, but it didn’t mean everything was all right between them.

Domenico had still chosen to allow other Lyccans to treat him like shit, and in so doing allowed their entire pack to fall into disgrace.

That was something he still couldn’t make himself forget or forgive.

When Alessandro didn’t say anything, Domenico pressed, “Perhaps it has to do with a certain redhead?”

Alessandro stiffened.

“It’s clear that she already wields influence over you.”

Was that Domenico’s way of saying Alessandro was no better than he? That he was falling fast and hard for a woman like Domenico had?

“You have nothing to worry about,” Alessandro said coldly.

Domenico stilled. “You misunderstand—-”

Alessandro cut him off. “You were right when you said I haven’t been myself the entire week.

I haven’t been able to make a decision, but now what I must do is clear.

Through her, I will keep to my end of the bargain.

” Even as he spoke, he knew it was a lie.

He was not going to Kassia because of any damn bargain.

He was going to her because he needed to.

“I’ll fuck her for thirty days, as promised, and when it is over, I expect you to honor your word.”

Domenico’s face had become unreadable. “That is truly how you see her? A mere pawn for you to use and dispense?”

“ Yes.” It was the opposite of the truth, but he didn’t take it back. The word felt like his only defense against the unknown, his only way of protecting himself from the unfamiliar feelings that Kassia evoked in him.

Misty might not have taken away Domenico’s strength, but she had destroyed her husband’s pride. Alessandro was determined not to let the same thing happen to him.

He would keep Kassia, his strength, and his pride, and if he had to lie for this to happen – then so be it.