THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE ( I have a baby for him)

Part 21

AZIEL

The royal dining hall buzzed with the muted sounds of morning rituals—cutlery clinking against fine china, the rustle of napkins, and low murmurs of conversation. Constance immediately spotted Alora seated at the far end of the hall with Sebastian and Elias and she began pulling me me towards them. I knew the point of sitting with them was for Constance to continue with her taunting but I was more glad to seat with Alora. After holding my son in my arms, I wanted nothing more than to have Alora and Rome back into my life at any cost.

It was a round table of six and we were immediately served with freshly baked bread and a cup of coffee. The scent of it did nothing to tamper down the unease I felt. Sebastian sat across from me, his arm draped protectively over Alora's chair. She looked radiant this morning, her long, dark hair cascading over her shoulders and her low-cut top hinting at the fullness of her breasts.

I shook off the thought, trying to focus on anything other than how much I wanted her—how much I still wanted her. Constance was sitting beside me, her presence a constant reminder of the mess I'd made of my life. She was rambling on about something inconsequential when her voice suddenly cut through the hum of the hall.

"You should've seen Aziel last night," Constance began, loud enough for the entire table to hear. My body stiffened as I realized where she was going with this. "He handled me so well. I couldn't resist grabbing his ass when he pounded into me hard and fast. I thought I'd die from the pleasure." She giggled, the sound grating against my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

I shifted uncomfortably, my face flushing with embarrassment. "Constance, that's enough," I muttered, my voice low and strained. But she ignored me, continuing with her vulgar proclamation as if it were some sort of twisted badge of honor. I could feel the eyes of the entire table on us, but the only eyes I cared about were Alora's. I didn't dare look at her, afraid of what I might see in them—disgust, hurt, maybe even pity.

Sebastian's attention had turned back to Alora, and they were both laughing softly over something on the small screen of her tablet. They seemed so... normal, so at ease with each other. My jaw clenched as I watched Sebastian reach over and tuck a stray strand of Alora's hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering just a bit too long. A low growl rumbled in my chest, but I swallowed it down. This wasn't the time or place for such displays, and yet the sight of them together made my blood boil.

It didn't help that Alora's top was cut low, showing just enough of her cleavage to make it impossible for me to focus on anything else. I knew why they were fuller, knew she was still nursing Rome. The knowledge hit me like a punch to the gut—a reminder that she had my child, our child, and yet she wasn't mine.

"Aziel," Constance hissed beside me, snapping me out of my dangerous thoughts. Her eyes narrowed as she followed my gaze, realizing where my attention had drifted. Her lips curled into a vicious smile. She cleared her throat which made Sebastian and Alora raise their head from the tablet and Elias from his coffee. 

"I see you've been ogling Alora. Do you miss her that much, Aziel? But then, I guess that makes sense. She could never land someone as handsome as Sebastian without seducing him. Look at her, parading those saggy breasts around like a desperate, pathetic pick-me whore."

Constance's voice was a venomous low bat, but it cut through the air like a blade. I felt my temper snap. "Shut up, Constance," I spat, my voice harsher than I intended. The table fell silent as I turned to face her, my eyes burning with fury. "You don't get to speak about Alora like that. Not here, not anywhere."

I could see Sebastian's eyes flicker with anger, his jaw tightening, but Alora didn't seem to care. She went back to being engrossed in whatever they were watching on the tablet, her laughter filling the space between us. The sound was like music, a melody I hadn't realized how much I missed until now. Constance huffed and went back to typing on her phone, seeing that Alora paid no interest to what she said. I on the other hand couldn't even concentrate, Alora's laughter caused her breasts to bounce slightly, and I had to grip my cup tightly to stop myself from staring too long, from imagining how they felt against my hands, my lips.

Elias must have caught my reactions, he glared at me then looked at Alora and Sebastian who were oblivious to the happenings of their surrounding. I continued sipping my coffee, thinking about how life would have been if I hadn't rejected Alora, if Cara hadn't died. Maybe I was the fool, I held on to the past too long and it costed me my mate.

Breakfast couldn't end soon enough. The moment everyone was finished, I felt Constance's iron grip on my arm as she practically dragged me out of the hall. She led me to a secluded part of the field where the guards trained, away from prying eyes and ears.

"What the hell was that?" she hissed, shoving me hard in the chest. "Why were you looking at Alora like that? Do you still want her, Aziel? Is that it? You think she'll take you back after everything you've done? You're delusional!"

Her words stabbed at me, each one sinking deep, but I couldn't find it in myself to deny it. The truth was, I did still want Alora. Every fiber of my being was screaming to claim her, to take back what I had so foolishly thrown away. But I also knew it was impossible. Alora was no longer mine—she was Sebastian's, and there was no undoing what had been done.

"Constance, this isn't the time," I said, trying to keep my voice calm, but it came out strained. The image of Alora's smile, the sound of her laughter, the sight of her with Sebastian—it was all too much. "We're here to represent our pack, not to stir up more trouble."

"Oh, I see," she sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "So you're going to just sit back and pine over your lost love while I stand here looking like a fool? Alora is never going to be yours again, Aziel. She's with Sebastian now. She has his mark, not yours. She doesn't want you. Can't you see that? Or are you so blinded by your guilt and regret that you're willing to destroy everything we've built just to chase after some fantasy?"

Her words were like a hot knife through my heart, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. She was right—Alora would never be mine again. I had made sure of that the day I rejected her, the day I marked Constance as my mate. But knowing that didn't make it any easier to swallow.

"Constance," I began, my voice barely above a whisper, "I know I've made mistakes. But you had no right to speak about Alora like that. She's not the enemy here."

"No?" she spat, her eyes blazing with fury. "Then who is, Aziel? Me? Because that's what it feels like. You look at her like she's still yours, like you didn't mark me as your mate, like you didn't choose me. But guess what? She's not yours anymore. She's with Sebastian, and you need to let her go." 

Her words echoed in my mind, each one twisting the knife a little deeper. I wanted to argue, to tell her that she was wrong, but I couldn't. The truth was, I didn't know how to let Alora go. I didn't know how to stop wanting her, how to stop feeling like she was supposed to be mine.

"Constance," I said finally, my voice breaking, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything."

But Constance didn't care about apologies. She turned away from me, her shoulders stiff with anger, leaving me standing there alone in the field, my heart in pieces.

I watched her walk away, knowing that I had lost Alora long before this moment. But now, it was all too clear—there was no going back. Constance was right about one thing: Alora would never be mine again. But that didn't stop the ache in my chest, didn't stop the overwhelming desire to turn back time and undo all the wrongs I had done.