Felix Fractured

4: rainy evening

Image Credits:

Song: "Happiness is a Butterfly" by Lana Del Rey

ALEXIA

I try my best to collect myself as I approach him.

He doesn't say anything until I'm about a yard behind him. "I told you not to follow me, didn't I?" His tone is dry as he looks out into the distance. He doesn't provide me the slightest of glances. He's completely withdrawn himself. It's almost like the events of yesterday never took place.

My father... There had to be a reason.

"You're my mate, right?"

He doesn't respond and I try my best to not glare daggers at the prince's back. What an arrogant jerk... this seems too similar to fairytales I used to listen to as a child. "Are you just going to ignore me?"

"I ignore meaningless questions," His tone is clipped and emotionless. The rain begins to pick up and the wind shuffles his hair. I almost wish I could see him from the front. His broad jaw and windswept hair covering dark eyes. Those dark eyes... filled with so much emotion earlier at Beaver Creek.

"Please allow me to have an audience with you." He sighs at my statement but doesn't object.

"I just want to learn more about what it is-Er, what being a mate entails especially after... today." I lower my eyes to the ground, even though he still isn't looking at me. Somehow the mood has become even more awkward than it was.

He laughs but there's no emotion in it. "Didn't you hear your old man? You'd be better off without me, Sweetheart."

"I don't believe that," I respond instantly but I'm taken aback by his words.

He turns towards me and I try not to gasp. The porch light illuminates his face. His dark eyes seem even more guarded than usual. They sparkle in a odd way like a burning fire: you can look but getting too close is hazardous. Despite the strange glint in his eyes, his smirk seems entirely natural. In this setting he really does look scary. Normally, I'd stay away from the shadows, but I want to think that he's different. After today, I know he must be.

When he doesn't respond, I become scared that he'll turn away and start ignoring me again. I can't let that happen. "I-I want to know you."

He scans my face for a second, trying to read into my expression. "I don't have friends." He takes a step closer to me and I gulp but don't retreat. I can't show any weakness, not with him, lest he'll walk all over me. Rain droplets bounce off of his dress shirt and onto the marble porch.

I do my best to steady my voice. "You-your pack? The group that you were with...?"

"Oh, them," He chuckles but seems more curious than amused. "They merely follow through with my orders, nothing more."

"You appeared close," I push further.

"Appearances aren't always what they seem, I'm afraid."

"But you-you've shared experiences. You've done things together, doesn't that mean something?" I have to reach him somehow. For some reason, he's trying to convince me, or himself, otherwise.

"We work and fight together. That's the extent of the attachment."

"So if something happened to one of them you wouldn't care?" I wring my hands together despite myself.

"They know the risks involved in their line of duty to me," He twists a lock of my hair gently before letting it fall and stepping passed me. "You only know the parts of someone that they show you. If you trust blindly, you will get hurt."