07: Do it with passion!

It wasn’t like Irene had already fallen for Adam because he was a very handsome and cool man, as opposed to the tales she’d heard about him and didn’t want to part with him so soon.

Irene didn’t want Adam to reject her for the obvious reason—the pain!

The pain of getting rejected was excruciating. The day Desmond had rejected her, Irene had drifted in and out of consciousness for over ten hours because she couldn’t bear the amount of pain that she passed through.

Rejection hurt. Physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Irene didn’t want to go through it again. Even if it meant being with an alpha like Adam who was the very definition of terrifying.

“I won’t accept,” Irene spoke up with a small voice, responding to Adam’s rejection offer.

Adam frowned. “Why won’t you?”

“Because rejection is painful. And my wolf soul finally feels secure again. I don’t want to be rejected. It hurts,” Irene explained, recalling her rejection experience which caused her eyes to water.

Adam’s gloved hands visibly trembled, unnoticeable to Irene whose head was cast low.

“So you expect me to accept you? An omega? To be my mate and luna?” Adam spoke slowly and menacingly.

Irene’s eyes widened as she lifted her head to look at Adam. He already knew she was an omega this entire time?? And he hadn’t asked for her head??

“I’m sorry for being an omega, I don’t–”

“I didn’t ask you to apologize for what you are. I just want to reject you. I don’t want a mate. Even if you were a beta, I would still reject you. It’s as simple as that.” Adam stood up from his wooden chair after his last word.

He marched towards Irene as though he wanted to swallow her whole. 

Maybe it was because of his largeness or maybe it was because of the dominating aura he exuded, Irene couldn’t get herself to get up and move. She watched him as he stopped right in front of her, looking down at her figure.

“You’ll accept my rejection, won’t you?” Adam said, his voice sounded so pleasing to the ears at that moment.

Although Irene was mesmerized by his face and voice, she still shook her head negatively, refusing to be rejected.

Adam’s expression twisted hatefully in that second. He reached for her swiftly, causing Irene to flinch and close her eyes, expecting to be hit.

The impact didn’t come.

She slowly pried one eye open and saw Adam’s hand hanging in the air. Adam retracted his hand slowly, realizing that his action had scared Irene.

Irene was able to open her two eyes, but she was now more afraid of Adam than ever. In that moment when he had reached for her, Irene had seen her life flash through her eyes.

She had not achieved a lot.

Adam would easily be able to end her life with a single strike if he chose to. Which was worse? Dying without achieving anything or getting rejected for the second time?

The two options were both bad. But at least getting rejected wouldn’t end her life, would it? It’d just be painful. Excruciatingly painful.

“If you accept my rejection, I’ll have your first mate take you back since he’s–”

“Really?!” Irene shot up from her seat, cutting Adam off, too excited to remember her manners.

Adam’s lips twitched. “He now works under me and my pack. I can have him do anything. Even mend your broken bond. So if you accept my rejection, you get to have your first mate back.”

A rejection was going to give her Desmond back!? Getting rejected suddenly didn’t sound scary to Irene anymore. It was just a little pain compared to the bliss she’d be in when she would be mates with Desmond again.

Irene became overwhelmed with joy, causing her brain to malfunction.

“Really? Really really? Are you sure you’re not pulling my legs? You mean Desmond will be mine again? Ahhhh! I’m so happy! Reject me! Reject me now! Take away the mate bond and smash it into pieces!” Irene bounced on her toes in happiness as she spoke.

She was too in over her head to hear and see Adam briefly chuckle at her silly behavior.

“Very good. I knew you’d accept,” Adam said. Irene could sense the immense satisfaction in his tone.

“Hm, you can reject me now. I’m ready.” Irene spoke with a smile, momentarily forgetting how painful a rejection was.

“I, Adam Aldrin, reject you, Irene Gray, as my mate. Do you accept?” Adam said.

“I accept,” Irene quickly responded.

One second passed. Two, three, four, five seconds passed… The mate bond between the two of them didn’t break.

Adam’s brows furrowed, confused at the turn out.

“It’s not broken, is it?” he asked Irene. He had never rejected anyone before so he couldn’t tell how it would feel. He only knew that he hadn’t felt anything. Which was not supposed to be so.

“It’s not. I’m supposed to be in excruciating pain right now if it did. Try again.” Irene said.

Adam nodded. “I, Adam Aldrin, reject you, Irene Gray, as my mate. Do you accept?”

“I accept,” Irene said again.

Still. Nothing happened.

“What’s happening? Why’s it not working?” Adam said, almost speaking to himself.

“Are you asking me? Maybe you’re not saying it right,” Irene shrugged, putting the blame on Adam.

The more time he wasted on rejecting her, the more time she spent apart from Desmond. He should get on with the rejection already!

“How else am I supposed to say it?” Adam asked with a slightly frustrated tone.

“I don’t know. Maybe with more anger and disgust. Really mean it. You keep sounding like you don’t actually want to reject me. Do it with passion!” Irene encouraged Adam fiercely with intense hand gestures.

He looked down at her like he wanted to fling her across the room. 

“Sorry,” she said quietly. She had briefly forgotten that he was an almighty alpha for a second and spoken to him like a regular person.

“I’ll try again like you said,” Adam said seriously. Irene nodded enthusiastically.

“I, Adam Aldrin, reject you, Irene Gray, as my mate. Do you accept?” Adam said for the third time, inputting more passion into his execution.

“I accept,” Irene replied for the third time.

Guess what? Nothing happened.

Adam’s expression turned dark as he realized something—

“There’s something wrong with our mate bond.”