Chapter 434
Under the command of her Alpha, Juniper couldn’t resist any longer. Against her will, the words escaped her trembling lips.
“I—I, Juniper Vittileo, accept the rejection of Prince Dominick Sinclair p>
A searing pain tore through her chest, radiating across every nerve in her body. Her knees buckled as a sharp cry broke from her throat, echoing painfully through the grand hall. It felt as though her veins were aflame and her bones cracked beneath invisible pressure.
But even worse was what Dominick felt. He had never imagined their bond would shatter like this. He had once dreamed of spending his final breath beside her, but now that dream had turned to ashes by both their hands.
With a hollow heart, Dominick turned to leave, intending to lock himself away in the isolation of his chambers. But her broken whisper stopped him in his tracks.
“Nick p>
He froze but didn’t look back. “We have nothing left to say to each other,” he said. “Leave this palace by evening. Because I once loved you, I’ll spare you from any punishment. But don’t ever appear before me again, Juniper. I simply… hate you. That’s all that remains p>
He walked away, hand pressed against his chest as though trying to hold together the pieces of his shattered heart. Tears burned in his eyes, but he wiped them away in silence. Her scent, which was so intoxicating and was once his home, had vanished completely.
He used to laugh when others spoke of the agony of rejection. But now, living through it himself, he finally understood how unbearable it truly was.
His steps faltered midway down the corridor, and he collapsed against the cold wall. He finally broke into tears. The muffled sound of his sobs filled the empty hallway.
“I lost my mate,” he whispered through tears. “I… I wish none of this had ever happened p>
He struck his chest with a trembling fist, as if the pain there could give him answers. Was it his own hesitation about sharing the wedding day solely with Juniper that had doomed them, or was it her greed?
“Why didn’t I see it? Why?” Dominick murmured, his voice breaking as tears streamed freely down his face.
They had spent so many years together, bound by love, by destiny, yet neither had truly understood the other. How could it all have broken so easily? How could something so sacred have turned to dust between their hands?
“Brother Nick!” Amelie’s voice rang through the corridor, and he quickly straightened himself.
He saw her with Noah in the stroller and quickly wiped off his tears after looking away.
“Are you alright?” Amelie asked as she hurried toward him before taking a stop.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Dominick lied. “I-I will talk to you later, Amelie.” Without waiting for her response, he vanished from her sight, teleporting to an unknown place.
She furrowed her brows together in worry, realizing something big had happened.
“Ma!” Noah’s sweet voice reached her ears, bringing Amelie’s focus on her.
“Why the hell did you intervene?” Gabriel bellowed at Casaio.
Casaio stayed unnervingly calm. “You’re forgetting Juniper is a daughter-in-law of this house,” he said. “And she’s very good at shifting blame. We have to be careful around her, she’s been unhinged lately. Until she’s safely here, we tread lightly p>
Gabriel pressed two fingers to his temple, furious. “Cas, I’ll kill her before that happens p>
“Nick loves her,” Casaio shot back. “Don’t say that. Do you think I’m not angry? So much has already happened. If you hadn’t arrived when you did, I—I was ready to leave the palace and the kingdom p>
Gabriel’s hands went to Casaio’s collar, yanking him forward and making him startle. “You can’t be this weak,” he snarled. “Why would you have left the palace? You should’ve ripped that council apart for your mate. Stop being soft. Be ruthless with those council members p>
Casaio grabbed his hands and lowered them.
“Killing isn’t a solution for everything. How would that have been even justifiable? Also, you are forgetting that I’m not like you,” he asserted.
Gabriel took a step back. “The palace is always full of dramas. I want this one month period to get over soon, so that I can live peacefully with Amelie and my little bun at San Ravendale,” he murmured. Just the mention of them ended his anger.
“Let’s go to the drawing room. I need to thank Luke for coming,” Casaio said, then paused, glancing at his brother. “But before that, I want to thank you. If it weren’t for your timely intervention, everything in my life would’ve fallen apart again p>
“You don’t need to thank me,” Gabriel replied curtly.
“Really?” Casaio asked, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Gabriel gave a quiet hum in response.
Shaking his head with amusement, Casaio smiled wider and clasped his brother’s arm, gently guiding him toward the drawing room.
When they entered, they saw their parents already deep in conversation with Luke Hunter. Casaio released Gabriel’s arm and stepped forward.
“Thank you, Luke, for coming here,” he said warmly.
He passed a smile to him before gazing at Gabriel.
“Shouldn’t you be thanking me?” Luke asked with a half-smile.
“Wasn’t it your dream to meet me once? I just fulfilled it for you,” Gabriel replied dryly, his tone laced with mock arrogance.
Raiden and Mabel exchanged glances, silently questioning how these two had ever become friends. Their banter sounded far too easy, too light, for men who once considered each other as rivals.
“It was,” Luke admitted, crossing his arms, “but I imagined it would be on a battlefield p>
“You were lucky then,” Gabriel shot back with a faint smirk.
Casaio blinked, looking between them in confusion. “What’s going on here?” he asked, utterly lost.
“Nothing. I’ll leave all of you here,” Gabriel said and took his leave.
“Gabriel, think about the offer I made to you. Contact me when you will be done thinking,” Luke asserted.
“Sure,” Gabriel answered and walked away, leaving four of them in the drawing room.