The God She Rejected

Chapter 2: Anika's POV

“Many people have heard of them,” Leo said smoothly, his voice a little too even as he gently extricated his arm from Eleni’s. He shot her a look I couldn’t decipher—a warning, an plea to drop it. “They are a very… influential family in certain circles. It came up in conversation once.”

Eleni shrugged, her good nature easily accepting the flimsy explanation. “Ah, that must be it. Well, Anika Hills, it is a pleasure. Let me get you checked in.”

She bustled off toward a small reception desk tucked into an alcove, leaving Leo and me standing in the tense, lime-scented silence of the entryway. The pull of the mate bond was a live wire between us.

I didn't buy that stupid excuse; I had to ask him why he was looking for information about my family.

If he knew about me, then I'm going to cut his f*****g balls off. If he didn't, then something must have happened to take an interest in them.

“Let me take your bag to your room,” he said, his voice low. It wasn’t a question.

His voice was so deep and husky that it made my heart do a small flip all of a sudden.

What kind of supernatural is he?

A vampire doesn't seem plausible. A warlock...

"He is not a warlock," Thethys replied immediately.

I rolled my eyes. "How would you know?"

"I just do."

Of.

Fucking.

Course.

Geez, I sometimes wish mate bonds would be easier.

He led me up a flight of whitewashed stairs, the old wood creaking softly under our weight. The hallway was narrow and cool, lined with doors painted the same Aegean blue as the front door.

“This is you,” he said, stopping at the last door. He unlocked it and pushed it open, stepping aside to let me enter.

The room was simple but beautiful. It had a large bed with a crisp white duvet, a wrought-iron balcony overlooking a sliver of turquoise sea, and the same intoxicating lime-and-salt scent that was purely him, though fainter here. It was clean and peaceful, but I felt anything but calm.

He set my bag down just inside the door and turned to face me. The space in the doorway suddenly felt very small, although considering how huge he was, I shouldn't have been surprised.

Another thing: He is almost as large as a wolf, an Alpha wolf, meaning he must be a strong supernatural being.

"I'll let you settle. The restaurant opens in an hour if you want to have dinner."

Goddess, give me patience because if you give me strength, I'm going to strangle him.

"I'm not the kind of person to beat around the bush, so tell me. Why were you asking about my family?"

He ran a hand through his sun-streaked hair, a gesture that seemed both frustrated and nervous. “It is… a long story.”

“I have time,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "You can talk, or I can make you."

He smirked. "You think you can make me?"

At least he is confident, I'll give him that.

"Wanna see how strong a tribrid is?" I purred. Many of our abilities have been hidden from the public, so they are not scared of us.

I'm sure he knows how strong I am, but he cannot fathom how much I can actually do.

The smirk vanished from his face. His moon-pale eyes widened, then narrowed, assessing me with an entirely new level of intensity. The air in the small doorway thickened, charged with a sudden, dangerous curiosity.

"A tribrid," he repeated, the word a low, rolling rumble. He took a half-step closer, and the space between us evaporated. I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. The intoxicating lime-and-sea scent of him was overwhelming this close, a heady mix that made it hard to think straight. "I had heard the rumors. I thought they were exaggerations."

"I can assure you everything you have heard understimates me."

"Yet, I'm still sure I can win if I battle with you, which is why I'm going to ask you to leave this place tomorrow," He said dryly.

I squinted my eyes.

He wants me gone; he knows what we are, but for some reason, he hasn't mentioned the one word that would put this bond to rest.

"You want to reject me, Leo?" I asked, my voice dropping.

Leo’s expression tightened. "If I say yes, will you leave?"

There is one thing nobody in my family knows about me.

I've kept this a secret, even from my brothers. My older sisters have special powers; I'm not sure if the others do, but from what I've noticed, they mostly appear with the females in our family.

My ability is not as cool as the others, but it comes in handy in situations like this.

"If you say yes, I'll reject you," I told him, keeping my head high despite the possible pain I would feel next.

He sighed, running a hand over his hair again. "Yes, I want to reject you. I never wanted a mate, and never expected you to be mine."

I'm a walking lie detector.

"Okay, then tell me your realm name so we can get this over with," I stated, my face hardening.

What he said was part true and part lie. I can't tell exactly which part was which.

"Even if I tell you, you won't be able to reject me," He said confidently.

I have to admit something. Contrary to my older triplet, I'm the hot-headed one. I don't think before I act, and the way he is acting is pissing me off.

"You are ready to reject him even though we just met him?" Thethys growled.

She was not happy with my behaviour.

"He doesn't exactly want us. Perhaps he has grown attached to that woman," I replied as I tried to ignore the pain that appeared inside my chest.

"How are you so sure? Am I your second chance, mate, or something?" I teased.

He shrugged. "I just do, and that's all I need to know."

A slow, cold smile touched my lips. He thought he could play this game?

"Try me," I said, my voice low and steady. I uncrossed my arms, letting my hands fall loosely to my sides, a picture of relaxed readiness. "What's your realm name, Leo? The one that ties you to this world, and to me. Or are you afraid that once I have it, your little 'noble sacrifice' act will fall apart?"

His eyes flashed, a spark of something hot and fierce igniting in their moon-pale depths. My calling his bluff, my refusal to be the scared little girl he expected, was getting to him.

He took another step closer, until the heat from his body was a tangible force against mine. The lime-and-sea scent was intoxicating, a drug designed specifically for my senses. "You are stubborn," he growled, the words vibrating through me.

"I'm a Hills," I shot back, not giving an inch. "It's in our blood. Now, your name. Or are all seers' grandsons cowards?"

A low sound, almost a growl, escaped his throat. It wasn't entirely human. The power in the hallway spiked, pressing against my skin. What is he?

"My name is not something to be spoken lightly," he said, his voice dropping into a register that felt ancient and dangerous. "It has power. I suggest you leave, and since you are a Hills, you are part witch, meaning you can handle the pains."

I sighed. We were running in freaking circles.

"Your name. I'll find it one way or another, so save me the trip to another realm and just tell me," I said, my voice final.

I didn't come here to play games. I was not going to let him leave unless he told me his name and we could get this over with. I would not be the first one in my family to be rejected, and considering how much I can live, I can wait a couple of years.

I prefer not to be linked to an asshole who doesn't want me, that's for sure.

He let out a breath that was more a sigh of surrender than frustration. The fierce, protective light in his moon-pale eyes didn't dim, but it changed, softening with a grudging respect.

That's right.

If he thought I would beg for his love, he was wrong.

"Very well, Anika Hills," he said, his voice so low it was almost a vibration in the air between us. The ancient, dangerous register was back, but wasn't a threat. It was a revelation. "You demand my name? You want to try rejecting me?"

He took a final step, closing the last inch of space. He didn't touch me, but his vast and powerful presence enveloped me.

"Zephyrus."

The name hit me like a physical blow, but not with pain. It was a key sliding into a lock deep within my soul.

This motherfu...

He wasn't a wolf. He wasn't a warlock.

He was a god.

This means our bond was not chosen by the Moon Goddess, but by fate itself.

Still, it was worth a try.

“I, Anika Hills, werewolf princess of Royal Pack, reject you, Zephyrus, as my mate.”

Of course, just like this bastard had said, nothing happened.

I didn't feel the pain from the bond snapping. Anika didn't howl because our connection was still there.

I couldn't break a bond with a god. I couldn't free myself from him.

The smirk was long gone from his face. He looked at me with a stark, raw intensity. "Now you know I was not bluffing. You can't reject me, Anika Hills, but I don't want you as my mate either."

I rolled my eyes. "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed," I replied sarcastically. "I don't want you either, so tell me, what's your grand plan?"

He stared at me. "I already told you."

...

Really?

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "So you plan to keep having s*x with other women while you are linked to me?" I asked in disbelief.

He shook his head. "I may not want you as my mate, but I'm not cruel enough to let you endure that pain. Once you die, I—"

"I can't die, so unless we find a way, we will be joined for eternity."

His eyes widened. "You can't die?" I nodded. "That explains why you are my mate."

I scoffed. "That's what you are focusing on, Zephyrus?"

A faint, genuine smile touched his lips. "You are the first immortal creature besides myself I have met. I'm fascinated."

Fascinated my ass.

"I'm not a circus attraction. I came here on a vacation, only to realize that my mate is a fuckboy. Wonderful," I grumbled under my breath.

There was no point in continuing this conversation. Perhaps if I told Mom she could help me out. Her wolf had a deeper connection with the Moon Goddess.

But if I tell her about my mate, she is going to be pissed, and might even try to kill him.

Rejection is not something she takes well, and cheating pushes Mom's buttons to the max.

I may not like him, but I don't want to kill him so soon.

"Now do you understand why you should have left?"

"I understand that running was never an option. Our bond is not like the rest, believe me, if I could send a letter asking for another mate, I would do it immediately."

His eyes hardened for a second, and then we heard Eleni's voice downstairs calling him by his other name.

"This is your hotel? Or are you having fun playing with humans?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "That's my business, Anika Hills. And since you can't reject me, I suggest you find a way to..." His eyes darted to my lips. "Numb the bond."