Page 46 of Rejected By the Shifter King

"Not once in the past," Alain allowed, "but no one can speak for the future."

"You need to trust me on this, A1. I've been following this lead for months."

Again with that stupid nickname the spymaster alone insisted on using, in spite of Alain's blatant dislike for it. She made him sound like a fucking steak sauce, and one of these days, if she kept on pushing him this way, he might just choose a nickname especially for her as well.

Only his would be straightforward, and his nickname for her would rhyme with itch.

Which, ironically enough, was also something Fina has desperately had for the prince for years,Alain thought distastefully,but never managed to get Lysander to scratch.

On the other side of the table, Aluin was feeling similarly pissed. Fina had actually dared suggest earlier that he and Alain stay behind to guard the princess while she and Lysander went to war. Who the fuck did this bitch think she was, with the way she was calling the shots? She might be a hell of a good spy, but spies did not soldiers make, and she had to be the dumbest thing alive to think otherwise.

When Aluin turned to his prince, he didn't even make the slightest attempt to conceal his feelings on the subject. "I think this plan is shit, and if the princess—-"

"The princess," Lysander bit out, "was raised to become some man's arm candy, nothing more." He saw the way disapproval glinted simultaneously in the twins' gazes at his callousness, but he forcefully pushed all feelings of guilt aside and told himself he was doing the right thing. "It would be lunacy to involve her in this, and we might as well execute our own soldiers if we let her play god with our people's lives."

By the time he finished speaking, the beast inside him was in the same black mood as the twins. Its displeasure stemmed from Lysander's disparaging words for his own mate, and their opposing views made him feel like his soul was being torn into two directions.

He stalked out of the conference room without a word, knowing that he might need to put space between him and everyone else. Ammon was threatening to run amok, and he found himself snarling back to remind the beast who was in charge.

My honor demands I speak the truth, beast!

With what he now knew about Estrella, and with Fina looking to him to set a rightful example as their prince, he just had no fucking choice—-

The beast inside him roared out a warning, cutting through his thoughts, and his head shot up.

That was when he saw Estrella standing at the opposite side of the hallway, and the look on her face told him she had heard everything he said.

Estrella quickly pinned a smile to her lips the moment her husband came striding towards her.Stay calm. Act normal. And no matter what - don't cry.Because if she did, then she might as well tattoo the words 'arm candy' on her forehead.

Lysander could feel his facial muscles freezing at the thoughts that were running through Estrella's head. But whether it was the truth or she was simply faking it...he just didn't fucking know anymore.And when he finally reached her, his mind remained a fucking blank. Did he comfort her or confront her? Fuck himself over so he could keep fucking her?

Everything was all fucked up—-

Why couldn't she have stayed as pure and bright as the Star she used to be?

And when he finally reached her, he could only force his lips into a smile as he simply uttered her name.

"Estrella."

But that turned out to be a mistake as well.

"H-Husband." She fought to keep her smile from wobbling as her head reeled. Lysander had always liked to call her a lot of things, even back when she was just a gawking eighteen-year-old fascinated by the depth of his knowledge and bowled over by his good looks.Ma belle etoile, he had called her then. And when he came back as her mate, he had taken to calling her other things.My Star. My wife.But one thing he had never done was to call her by her actual name, and that he had done so now...

It hurt. It just...hurt.It didn't feel right, coming from him, and it made her feel she was now like everyone else, was no longer special like she used to be.

She looked up, and his eyes...they were still haunted, but now she was no longer confused by it. Because now, after what she heard—-

It would be lunacy to involve her in this, and we might as well execute our own soldiers if we let her play god with our people's lives!

Now, she knew why he was hurting, too.

On her way back to Coral Springs, she had been so optimistic and determined. In her mind, she had imagined asking Lysander if she could be included in his plans for Ivy's capture, to which he would of course say yes. Domenico aside, Lysander alone knew just how much this kind of work meant to her. Not even the twins, who had fought by her side for over two years, knew about her dream.

But Lysander did.

And for him to say such things—-

"I'm sorry you had to hear that."