CHAPTER 4: THE WALK OF SHAME

ISLA’S POV:

My eyelids flutter open, I shield them from the sunlight seeping in through the window with my hand. Rolling onto my side, I notice the soreness of my body.

The sensitive flesh between my legs, but most of all, the fresh mark throbbing against my neck.

I smile softly into the pillows, inhaling Axel’s delicious scent.

I stretch my arms out, reaching for him on his side of the bed, but come up empty. I blink an eye open. The sheets are ruffled and cold, like he’s been gone for a while.

Rolling on to my back, I halt my movements when I catch sight of him in the center of the room, wearing nothing but boxer briefs, his hair tumbling over his shoulders.

He’s walking in a straight line, hands on his hips as he paces back and forth.

“Morning,” I say with a smile, sitting up on the bed.

He stops, turning to me, just now realizing I’ve woken up. His eyes trail over me in his bed. Taking in the ruffled sheets and the clothes strewn all over the floor.

He looks away from me, going back to his pacing.

“Axel?” I say with a frown, “What’s wrong?”

He ignores me completely, like I hadn’t said a word. Moments later, he stops, turning his body to face me.

“You need to leave.”

My head draws back, “What?”

He waves a hand towards my clothes on the floor, “Get dressed and get out.”

My mind goes blank. He wants me to leave?

“What?” I ask again, unsure of what exactly is going on.

His eyes darken, “You’re not short of hearing, are you? Pick up your shit and leave.”

My mouth opens, then closes. What the hell’s going on?

“You want me to leave?” I ask him, my voice small, “Why?”

“Because, last night was a mistake. This?” he gestures between us, “Was a mistake. And it’ll never happen again.”

His words hit something deep inside me, tears prick my eyes, “You don’t mean that.”

He turns his back to me, like he’s done with the conversation, done with me.

“You said you loved me,” I whisper.

Axel barks out a sharp laugh. It’s an intentional, grating, mocking sound.

“You believed that?” he turns to me, shaking his head. “It was all for the sex, Isla.”

My breath hitches, “That’s not true.”

“No?” he cocks his head, “You’re such a naive little thing. You think I’d actually be in love with you? When I’ve barely known you for a day?”

The way he words the question, like I’m the dumbest thing to exist for even considering the possibility, frays at the edges of my heart.

“You don’t mean all this, Axel,” I shake my head, refusing to acknowledge his hurtful words, “It’s not true, you meant it. I saw the way you looked at me.”

“Don’t embarrass yourself, Isla,” his expression grows bored. “I got what I wanted out of you, now you need to leave.”

“No!” I cry, “We’re mates!” I press my hand to the mark on my neck, “You claimed me. You marked me.”

He stares at me with bland disinterest, “Ah, my bad. Heat of the moment, I guess. Have someone carve it out.”

My brows furrow, bitter hurt coursing through me, “What?”

He bends down, picking up my dress and chucking it at me. He snaps his fingers, “Leave.”

“You can’t do this to me,” my voice is barely audible to my own ears, “We’re mates.”

“No,” he growls, “We’re not. And we never will be. Last night was fun, but that’s all I wanted out of you. You can forget about anything else. I’m not interested in starting a life with you, I’m not interesting n claiming you. Get that through your head, Isla. To me? You’re nothing.”

A tear falls down my cheek, “No,”

His face hardens to stone, “You get on your feet and walk out of this room right now, or I will throw you out.”

“Axel, please don’t-” the words die on my tongue. He’s lightning fast as he lunges for me, hauling me off the bed by my arm.

“Axel, stop!” I yell.

With the comforter still wrapped around my body, he drags me across the room.

“Axel, please stop this.”

Flinging the door open, he tosses me roughly outside. I fall onto my side. He returns with my dress, flinging it on the ground next to me.

“Pathetic,” he seethes, “I don’t want you, and I never will. I, Alpha Axel Pendragon, reject you as my mate.” the door slams with a deafening thud in my face.

Through the rails of the stairs, multiple eyes stare straight at me. It’s obvious they were just witnesses to the spectacle. I fold my lips together, trying to hold back a sob.

I stand on my feet, grasping my sore arm from the fall, while trying not to loosen my hold on the comforter covering my nudity.

I walk down the steps slowly, keeping my eyes fixed on the ground. A few of the guests from last night’s ceremony linger around, spectators to my embarrassing walk of shame.

“What a joke.” someone says.

“Like the Alpha Heir would ever choose to stay with someone like her.”

“Holy shit, he rejected her?”

Their words hit my skin like sharpened knives. I try not to let the tears fall, but they do anyway. Staining my cheeks and blurring my vision.

I trip over the comforter on the last step, tumbling to the ground and twisting my foot in a bad angle.

The shutter of a camera sounds somewhere in the room. I bite back a whimper as I limp to the doorway, holding the comforter tighter around me.

“Pathetic.” Someone laughs.

Pathetic.

I wipe my tear-soaked cheek with my arm, limping past the entrance. Sore from last night and beyond heartbroken from today.

Pathetic.

Why did I think he loved me? Just because he said he did? Just because he looked at me like I meant something to him?

So pathetic.

How could I ever think I’d be so lucky to meet a man like him. Someone who swept me off my feet, someone who actually loved and cared about me. Someone who’d actually want me.

So fucking pathetic.

I should’ve known better.