Page 36 of Rejected By the Shifter King

Chapter Twelve

LYSANDER STILL WASN'Tback yet.He had excused himself after dinner, saying he needed to shift and look around the property to see how secure it was. The words seemed plausible enough, but she just wasn't buying it, even with the tender way he had placed a kiss on the top of her head before leaving, and not even when the gesture had the twins shaking their heads with disbelief.

It just shows how cold and reserved the prince used to be,Aluin had remarked dryly,that soul fusing with an ancient beast actually made him more human.

And maybe that was true, but...she just couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something more to it. After all, if it were up to the beast inside him, Lysander would be glued to her side day and night. So him choosing to be alone...something was definitely up.Her wifely intuition-—

*insert internal squealing*

You'll have me deaf before the year ends, ma belle etoile.

Lysander's murmur in her mind had Estrella gasping and she whirled around just in time to see his beastly form climb up the balcony before shifting mid-walk as he strode inside the bedroom.

Estrella still couldn't help fanning herself as her husband stood naked in front of her. He had already been impossibly gorgeous and sexy when she first met him, but now he was a thousand times hotter, and it wasn't just because he had grown stronger and more powerful. In the past, his grief and bitterness over his family's demise had created a vein of vulnerability inside of him, and his attempt to bury it under his stiff pride had only served to weaken and isolate him.

But now...he was different.

It was as if all those days he had spent battling against Ammon had brought him to his knees, humbled him to the point that he was forced to accept all his flaws - and claw past it. Even though she and the twins hadn't spoken about it, Estrella knew the two men had also noticed the changes in him. The old Lysander would have very much minded that the world knew Estrella to be the ruler of Faes now, not him. The old Lysander would have felt insulted that the twins wished more time to test his hold on his beast, and the old Lysander would have certainly baulked when the twins also suggested that he keep a low profile for the time being.

But most importantly of all, the old Lysander would have still been hung up over Misty...

Lysander's growl in her mind startled Estrella into jumping back just as her husband's fingers clamped around her waist.

Violet eyes blazed down at her in a mixture of annoyance and exasperation.Stop distressing yourself over such nonsense.

S-sorry—-

Another growl cut her off, one that made clear Lysander didn't find her apology sufficient at all.Do you not see that I am the one man in the world you would never have to worry about being unfaithful? I am literally and physically incapable of it, and the beast inside me would rather yank my cock back into my ass before he lets us harm a single hair on your head.

Estrella couldn't answer right away, her mind caught up by the picture his words painted.The beast could do that? Grab his cock from within and then tear past flesh, muscles, and bones to push his cock out through the back exit—-

Lysander groaned out loud.Focus, wife!But despite the reprimand, he himself couldn't keep his lips from slightly twitching.I was rather graphic with that, wasn't I?

You think?Estrella was doing her best not to laugh, but the moment she saw Lysander grimace, she could no longer help it.

The sound of her laughter filled the room, and a smile briefly softened Lysander's handsome face. This was how he always wanted her to be.Happy and content, without a worry in the world.But because she had chosen to be his mate...

Estrella was surprised when Lysander suddenly cupped her face. "Husband?"

"Let this be the last time you worry about your brother's wife."

The imperious tone of his voice made Estrella feel like a rookie soldier being ordered around by his commander.

"She is in the past, and whatever attraction I initially felt for her was obliterated the moment you became mine. Do you understand?"