Page 60 of Rejected By the Shifter King

"What is it?" he asked curtly.

"The princess..." The younger man swallowed hard. "She's been crying, Your Highness."

Ah.

His chest clenched hard.God.His fingers tightened around the knob.Let me not hurt her again.He closed his eyes.Please.It didn't matter if this thought made him weak. Didn't matter that it meant risking history to repeat itself. He loved her. Both beast and man loved her, and once this battle was over, he would find a way to make things right.

He would—-

The knob under his fingers rattled, the doors being pulled open from the other side.

A moment later, and she was standing in front of him, beautiful and regal, with only the faintest trace of tears marring her pale cheeks.

It was just like his Star, Lysander thought painfully,to come out and face him...even though both of them knew she had to have heard what the guard said.

"Your Highness."

Her voice was achingly soft, but what made him jerk was hearing the way she addressed him. She had always called him by his name, and his jaw clenched against the urge to demand why she couldn't do so now.

"Have you come to say goodbye?"

Lysander's nod was taut. "We'll be leaving as soon as I join them."

"I see."

"The twins will remain here for your protection."

"Thank you."

Her short, generic replies frustrated the hell out of him, and the walls that she suddenly had up in her mind even more so. Did this mean she could've always hidden her thoughts from him if she wanted to? And if so, did it mean that the thoughts she showed him were all deliberate?

For that to be true, it would mean having to think of his wife as cunning and deceitful, but he couldn't - just fucking wouldn't accept that. She was young and misguided. That was all. But the Star he first met was still in there, and he would do everything possible to have her shining again.

"We'll talk when I get back," he heard himself say.

Silence.

Lysander's jaw clenched. "I know there have been a lot of misunderstandings between us, but we'll fix it." His voice became fierce. "We can and we will fix it." And when she still didn't say a thing, he cupped her chin, leaving her no choice but to lift her gaze to his. "Wecanfix this—-" The unexpected touch of her lips put an end to his words, with Estrella suddenly raising herself on her toes and curving her arms around him.

She had never initiated contact like this before, and he was stunned and perplexed. Worried even. He tried to pull away, but her lips pressed harder just as she started rubbing her breasts against his chest.Please. You know we need to do this. You need a clear mind later.Her hips pushed against his erection as she spoke, Estrella grinding her pussy against his crotch.

Shit.

His control was gone in a flash, his hands ripping her clothes away in the next moment. But she didn't murmur a single protest, and as he pushed her to bend down and shoved his engorged cock into her from behind, he found his wife already wet and quivering for her possession.

Their coupling was fast and furious, his grunts and her pants the only sounds in the room. In moments, both of them were cumming, his fingers dipping into the silky flesh of her hips.

He was breathing hard as he slowly pulled out of her, but the moment he tried to turn her to face him, it was then her tears scented the air, and Lysander immediately became agitated.What's wrong?his wife only shook her head and instead threw herself at him. His arms went around her, just as she pressed her face against his chest. "Just p-please come back safely—-" Her voice caught, and it was only then that he realized how much she was struggling to keep her tears in check and not make him worry.

Take care of yourself. Please.She fought hard to keep him from hearing her shame. Making love to him no longer felt right, now that she knew the truth, but she also knew she could never let him go without any contact. The man in him might never have loved her, might never have chosen her, but none of those things would matter to the beast inside of him.

Lysander could feel that something was badly wrong, but time was running out on him. In the end, all he could do was look at her.I'll come back. Wait for me.

She gave him a wobbly smile. Waited for him to go before she let herself answer.

I can't.

It was time for her to leave.