CHAPTER 6

Axel’s pov

I thanked the healer but told him that he could leave while I conferred with my siblings.

He nodded and left us alone in the garden as I turned to my siblings.

My siblings were still arguing as we sat in the garden. Alaric paced back and forth, muttering angrily under his breath about how disrespectful and bold Karla had been to reject us.

Kai, ever the hothead, kept tossing sharp words at Lysander, who was trying to defend her. None of them noticed when I leaned back against the wall, deep in thought.

The prophecy was clear: our mate couldn’t reject us unless she hated us so much that she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with us. That thought gnawed at me.

Did Karla truly hate us to such an extent? Or was she just overwhelmed? She was an omega, after all—weak and unused to standing up to power. And yet, she’d stood before everyone and rejected not one, but all four of us.

As the oldest, I had to think logically. If we were honest with her—if we told her that rejecting us was actually possible if her hatred was deep enough—then she might find the strength to follow through with it. The bond would break completely, and we’d lose her forever. I wasn’t ready to let that happen. None of us were.

“I have an idea,” I said, cutting through their bickering. My voice was calm but firm, and they all turned to look at me.

“What kind of idea?” Alaric asked, his tone laced with irritation.

“We don’t tell her,” I said simply.

“Don’t tell her what?” Lysander asked, confusion creasing his brow.

“That she can reject us,” I explained.

For a moment, the room fell silent. Alaric stopped pacing. Kai’s usual smirk faded, replaced by curiosity. Lysander tilted his head, clearly thinking about what I’d just said.

“Why not?” Kai asked, crossing his arms. “She already rejected us in front of the whole pack. What difference does it make if she knows she can actually follow through with it?”

I gave him a small smile, the kind that told him to listen carefully. “It’s simple. If she knows she can reject us, truly reject us, she might actually do it. Right now, she doesn’t know. She probably thinks her words were meaningless, just a show of defiance. If we keep it that way, she’ll stay connected to the bond. She’ll feel its pull, just like we do. And that might make her think twice.”

Alaric frowned. “So, you’re saying we should lie to her?”

“It’s not lying,” I replied, leaning forward slightly. “It’s called withholding information. For now, it’s what’s best. The bond is still there. If she doesn’t know she has the power to break it, she might come around. But if she knows…” I trailed off, letting the weight of my words sink in.

“She’ll try harder to get away from us,” Lysander finished, his voice quiet.

“Exactly,” I said.

Kai scoffed. “And what makes you think she won’t hate us even more for keeping this from her? She already hates us enough to reject us publicly. She’s not stupid, Axel.”

“She doesn’t have to like us right now,” I said firmly. “She just has to stay. The longer she stays, the harder it will be for her to fight the bond. That gives us time to figure this out—to make her see that rejecting us isn’t an option.”

Alaric folded his arms across his chest, deep in thought. “You think she’ll give in to the bond eventually?”

“She will,” Lysander said before I could answer. His voice carried a note of hope. “The bond is stronger than any of us. Even if she hates us now, it won’t last forever.”

Kai snorted. “You’re always so optimistic, Lysander. But fine. If keeping this from her is what we’re doing, then I’ll go along with it. For now.”

Alaric nodded slowly. “I don’t like it, but Axel’s right. We can’t risk losing her completely. Not yet. That curse must not stand.”

“Good,” I said, standing up straight. “Then it’s settled. We don’t tell her. Not about the prophecy, not about how she can break the bond. Agreed?”

They all nodded, though Kai’s agreement came with an eye roll.

“Now,” I said, pushing the door open, “we wait for her to wake up.”

We entered Karla’s room quietly. She was still lying on the bed where I’d placed her earlier, her small frame looking even more delicate against the plain bedding.

Her dark hair framed her pale face, and her breathing was steady but shallow. For a moment, I felt a strange pang in my chest. This was the girl who had rejected us, yet she looked so fragile now, so defenseless.

It would take nothing to take her out yet she had the gods to reject us. It made me chuckle as I tried to keep my calm.

I took the seat by the window, where I could keep an eye on her without being too close. Lysander pulled up a chair by the bedside, his expression soft and thoughtful.

Alaric leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes never leaving Karla. Kai, as usual, looked restless, pacing back and forth near the door.

“So we’re just going to stay here and wait for her to wake up?” Kai asked as Alaric shrugged.

“You have a better idea?” Alaric retorted.

I frowned and folded my arms.

She was the only mate we could have in life and she had rejected us. Fate had a cruel way of playing with us but I wouldn’t allow this to go like this.

With a sigh, I leaned further into my seat as she slowly stirred awake while all of us stared at her.

She yawned and then looked at us as she was shocked to see us there.

“Why are you all here?” She looked at all of us one by one.

“You can’t reject us,” I blurted out coldly, which had her growling.