Page 137 of Rejected By the Shifter King

“I’ve answered your questions.” His voice came out harder than he intended, but he was past caring about diplomacy. “Three times.”

The Panthera official swallowed hard. “Yes, but protocol requires—”

“I don’t give a fuck about protocol.”

The man took a step back.

Smart.

Hexius turned away before his control slipped further, resuming the pacing that was the only thing keeping him from shifting right here and tearing through the walls. His leopard was clawing beneath his skin, demanding action, demandingher.

Samira.

The memory of her face—devastated, disbelieving—played on repeat in his mind. The way she’d looked at him when she asked that question. The way her voice had broken.

“If you really love me, why can’t you still read my mind?”

Because he’d been an idiot. Because he’d been so focused on what the bond meant politically, strategically, that he’d missed what it meantpersonally. Because by the time he’d figured out he loved her—truly loved her, not just wanted her or needed her butlovedher—it was too late.

She was already running.

And now—

His hands clenched into fists.

Now she was out there somewhere, believing he didn’t want her. Believing the mating bond was just biology. Believing she meant nothing.

The door opened.

Hexius spun, ready to snarl at whoever dared interrupt, but the words died when he saw who’d entered.

Etienne Hirsche stepped in first, his Caro features carefully neutral in that way that meant he was here on official business. Behind him came Alphonse, and the look on his brother’s face—

No.

No.

No, fuck, no.

“I’m sorry, Hexius—”

Samira.

He knew right away that something had happened to his mate.

Something that he had not been able to sense, locked as he was in a prison reinforced by spells that prevented him from sensing her presence.

“Where. Is. My. Mate.”

“Samira was attacked—”

Those were the last words Hexius heard before going berserk.

And if they thought they had seen something earlier, the moment Hexius realized that Samira was walking away from him because he had broken her heart—

It was nothing—nothing at all!—compared to the sight of the Leopard King bursting out of his prison.

It was the most frighteningly violent sight.