Chapter 473
“Why did you ignore me the entire evening?” Katelyn questioned Sage, finally catching up to him as he was about to retreat for the night. His sudden presence caused him to stop and attend to her first.
“I didn’t ignore you. You never came to me,” Sage stated. “You were busy gossiping with your friends, forgetting that I even exist. But I get it, in your eyes I am still unloyal and pathetic,” he said, his frustration boiling over, fueled by the insults and gossip he’d unintentionally heard earlier in the day. “I am sleepy now, and I have to leave early in the morning p>
Katelyn was perplexed by his immediate defensiveness. “What is this tone of yours? I thought you were busy talking to your sisters. I saw you with them,” she muttered, feeling unjustly accused.
“They didn’t talk to me the entire evening,” Sage corrected, his voice hardening. “You don’t trust me. You still think I will betray you. That is why you went to Amelie and spoke about me behind my back to her,” he ended up blurting out with sharp accusation. “Yes, I heard your conversation with Amelie. You think I will not fight for you with my family because I was unable to do so for myself. Why are you talking about such private matters of my life with others? I never discuss your private matters with anyone p>
Katelyn frowned deeply to hear his words, realizing he had overheard her vulnerabilities. “Amelie is my friend. I can share such things with her only,” she reasoned, attempting to justify her confidence in her friend.
“You are lying,” Sage snapped, his control fully lost. “The Alpha King asked my father not to expect a yes from you. You told things to your father as well,” he added, showing he knew the full extent of her actions.
“Well, my father should know,” Katelyn muttered defensively.
Sage scoffed, his gaze turning contemptuous. “When Karmen said you are naive, then he talked about this version of you. You can’t make your own decisions. I was a fool to even consider that I could win your heart. In fact, no one can win you. You are rigid in your thoughts, and you don’t even want to make any efforts,” Sage continued to be as harsh as he could, using his pain as a weapon.
Katelyn’s vision blurred with sudden, hot tears and fury. She fisted her palm and lunged, aiming a punch at him, but Sage caught it effortlessly. His grip was firm, holding her fist mid-air.
“Don’t even think about it, Kate,” he warned. “You knew how sincere I was for you. This fucking mate bond, if it hadn’t existed, I would have felt even less pain.” His eyes were intense, reflecting his torment. “I never got bothered by any woman before p>
He took a sharp breath, finalizing his decision. “I will accept your rejection as soon as these two days end. You wanted to get rid of me, but I was a fool to convince myself, to convince you, till the very end that we would live together happily,” he finished, his voice now stripped of all hope and affection. He then shoved her back, not with violence, but with a forceful separation.
Without another word or glance back, he went inside the guest room allotted to him and locked the door from the inside, leaving Katelyn standing alone in the hallway.
Katelyn refused to break down in the hallway. She turned sharply to walk toward her own chamber, determined to regain her composure. But after only a few meters, her path was intercepted by Sage’s half-sisters.
“Can we have a few words with the Princess?” asked the elder one, Naomi, her expression serious.
“Sorry, but we heard your and Brother Sage’s argument,” said the younger one, Zoey, looking slightly uneasy.
Katelyn seized the moment, her pain manifesting as bitter contempt for the man who had just wounded her. “He… he is pathetic, isn’t he?” she asked them, forcing the words out.
Naomi took a step forward. “Sage was not like this when he was a child. I am four years younger than him. In fact, he has always been a caring brother. He still is, to us. But our mother is the reason he became completely different.” She paused, sharing the family burden. “And even our father never wanted to understand Sage. He is really warm inside and even hurt p>
Naomi quickly added, “And I am not defending his harsh actions, Princess. But you should show your feelings, too, for Sage. He always craved for love, but failed to find one.” She leaned in, her voice dropping to a serious plea. “If you reject him, Mom will force a woman of her choice on him and the pack, too. And in our eyes, you both can lead the pack really well. Our brother will break apart if you walk away from his life p>
“Didn’t you hear what he said to me? He call-called me Katelyn’s eyes brimmed with tears, the raw pain finally breaking through her defiance. The insult cut deeper than the rejection. “He should know what he has lost. I was ready to reciprocate his love. But he called me naive.” She straightened her spine, her heartbreak solidifying into bitter resolve. “If I am such a person in his eyes today, then I will stay the same if we both get together. It is over for us, and remind your brother it is he who did it p>
Katelyn fiercely wiped the tears from her eyes, refusing to let the sisters witness her collapse, and dashed to her chamber, leaving both Naomi and Zoey frozen in worry in the quiet hallway.
Zoey turned to her elder sister, her voice small and anxious. “What will happen now p>
Naomi sighed, the weight of their dysfunctional family settling heavily on her shoulders. “If we don’t bring them together in these two days, everything will be over. Sage will again start his usual habits, which he has stopped for some time, while Mom and Dad will always taunt him.” She shook her head. “And they are fated mates, so it will only crush them p>