Page 16 of Rejected By the Shifter King

The sound of his voice came out all wrong even to his ears, almost as if he was no longer used to speaking with a human tongue, and the Fae in him...it struggled to accept such barbaric changes. To the point that he almost didn't want to speak at all, knowing that the sound of his own voice would only fill him with self-disgust.

But when he saw the way her lips started to tremble, he didn't even have to think about it.

STAR.

And then he waited, knowing that this time she would either accept him as he was or—-

Oh my God. I'm finally being true to my name. I'm shining. Or rather, I have The Shining—-

She could also think her life had just become a page straight out of Stephen King's book.

And Lysander laughed.

For the first time in so many years, helaughed,and though it sounded fucking awful in his ears, it felt good. And right. Just goddamn right that it would be his mate to make him laugh. Just so fucking right that while he had been terrified she wouldn't be able to accept that his soul was one with a beast's, her first reaction was to think that she had suddenly obtained powers described in a work of fiction.

Looking down at his mate, he told her gravely,Sorry...to disappoint. But it's...just...me.

He waited for her to laugh, thinking she'd act embarrassed, but instead her gaze flew up, and he was stunned to see that her eyes were suddenly shining with tears. A moment later, and her gaze was moving over him frantically, and with her mind completely bared to him, her thoughts played out like a movie shot in 4K. He saw her take the changes in him, and he stiffened. The ram-like horns, fangs that could tear out flesh, claws that could gouge out a man's innards - he saw her staring at them one by one, and he sucked his breath. There could be a chance she'd still run away from him. Still a goddamn chance—-

Until he heard her whisper his name.

And he realized that despite seing all of these...she still also only sawhim.

Her prince. Her husband. Her Lysander.

Those were her exact thoughts, the words like silent notes of music that serenaded his tired soul, and dark, raw pleasure blazed through both beast and man.

My...beautiful...faithful...Star.He just had to say it. Just...fucking...had to.

And the moment he did—-

She threw herself in his arms.

"Yes," she sobbed."I'm your Star."And her arms tightened around his neck like she would never let go.

Chapter Four