Lyric Father was really upset with me for ignoring Alpha Jaris's earlier request to meet. He said I disrespected Alpha Jaris, which led Alpha Jaris to disrespect my father and nearly threaten him in front of his warriors. But I reminded my father he should be thankful I was even agreeing to the marriage, because if it were only for him, I wouldn’t have done it. Actually, I wanted to return to Draconis, to a better life, as soon as possible. But for my pack, for my werewolves, I have no choice. I’m Alpha’s daughter, so I must take on my responsibilities. Then I realized that to marry the devil himself, I first had to cut ties with the demon. So, I called Roderick to meet. He ignored my calls a few times, then finally called me back and asked me to meet him in the Royal Garden. I didn’t understand why we had to meet there when the temple was simpler. Still, I was ready to go, thinking maybe we’d go to the temple together for the rejection. Anything that ended with rejection was good for me. In less than an hour, I arrived and found him alone in the VIP section, sitting in the middle of the garden. He looked disgusting among the fresh flowers. The weather was nice, but his sight ruined my mood. This time he wasn’t even on his phone. But I noticed he was wearing a new suit and had a fresh haircut. He wore a new watch too. How did I know they were new? They all shined bright, and I knew Roderick would mess things up the moment he wore them for the first time. So, since they looked perfect, he was wearing them for the first time. All this effort for what? For rejection? As soon as he saw me, he smiled and patted the empty spot beside him on the garden bench. “What?” I asked, folding my arms. He tapped the space again. “Come on, have a seat,” he said. “I’m not here to talk. We were supposed to go to the temple for rejection,” I didn’t hold back, saying whatever I wanted since I didn’t care about his feelings anymore. “Can you at least sit down and be civilized, Lyric?” He said calmly, like I was the problem. “Roderick, I told you I didn’t come here to chat. Let’s just get to business,” I argued back, not ready to give in. “The time you are wasting arguing should have been used by you sitting down listening to me. We would already have been on our feet by now if you had not been arguing back and forth with me,” he stated casually, leaning back against the backrest of the bench and staring at me. “Come on, I need to speak with you. It is very important,” he insisted. But when I did not give in to his orders, I guess he realized I was not the old Lyric anymore. I had my own will, and I was not afraid to use it. Hence, he sighed and got up. “Fine, then I will just say it,” he stated, making me narrow my eyes at him. “I want us to get back together.” The minute he said that, I felt like the whole sky had collapsed on my head. I stared at his face for a while, waiting for him to say he was joking. But when he did not, I began to laugh at him. “Excuse me?” I almost asked, awkwardly laughing. “Are you fucking serious?” Then my tone turned stern. “Please tell me you’re joking.” It wasn’t a request, it was a warning. “I have no reason to. Look, I know what I did to you was wrong. I was an asshole. I was rude and treated you like you meant nothing. And I’m sorry for it, Lyric. I did not get enough chances to get to know you. But I’m ready to do that for you now. I’m ready to take my time and get to know you, to spend time with you. To give you a chance. I mean, please give me a chance. I promise I will be the best person for you. And this will be the best decision of your life.” His tone, his words couldn’t have been more condescending. There was a little slip-up in there as well. He still thought he was being too generous to give me a chance. Did he really think I would jump in his lap, happy dancing? Is that what he was trying to say? “Roderick Fletcher, please don’t tell me you really think you will be the best decision for me,” I said, placing a hand on my chest, asking him to repeat himself again while wrinkling my nose in disgust. “I’m trying to be a changed man, to be a better version of myself. Doesn’t that mean anything?” he asked, surprising me with how genuinely convinced he looked that he deserved a second chance. “You want us to get back together? After you fucking kicked me out of your pack?” I yelled at him. “You made that very clear when you threw me out, after using me to achieve your lame desires. For over a year, I lived like a slave, wasted my time with you. You wouldn’t even look at me because you hated the sight of my face so much. I meant nothing to you, Roderick. And now, because I look different, you suddenly want me back? You think I should be grateful?” I was yelling at him, but he looked slightly panicked once he realized his plan wasn’t working. “No, it’s not what you think.” He tried to step closer, reaching out to hold my hand. I slapped his hand away and stepped back. “I don’t want to hear it. Don’t you fucking try to touch me.” He started to back down, waving his hands to calm me. “We’ve been over for five years now, Roderick. I don’t plan to get back with you. We should be heading to the temple right now. You just keep wasting time.” I continued yelling, not giving in to his sad excuses. I started to walk away, but he didn’t follow. I was getting annoyed. “Roderick, stop acting like a brat. We need to reject each other ASAP.” The urgency in my voice should have made it clear I wasn’t thinking about us getting back together. “I’m not doing this, Lyric. I’m sorry. You have the right to make your decisions, and I have the right to make mine. For all I know, I want you back. And I will have you back. I’m not severing the last bond we have.” My mind spun from his words. I was speechless for a moment. “I’m sorry for everything that happened. But like I said, I’m trying to be a better person now. And it’s not like it was all my fault that I mistreated you.” Then he dropped a new bomb. “I was seduced by your sister,” he said. I rolled my eyes. What a jerk. Seriously? He was going to throw that in my face and expect me to believe him? “I was being honest with you. Your face had nothing to do with why I mistreated you. Your sister was always on my back. Everywhere I looked, she was there. She tried to seduce me, to get to me. Your efforts weren’t as good as hers, so I got distracted. You need to understand, as a man, I have urges. That one slip ruined everything between us.” He babbled nonsense, blaming Nora and painting himself as the innocent victim who couldn’t tell right from wrong. “Oh, so my sister is the reason you mistreated me every second of that year?” I asked, shaking my head and tapping my foot, arms crossed. That should have been a hint for him to drop the excuses. “Yes,” he said loudly. “And I’m gutsy enough to admit I got fooled by her. But now I see things clearly. All I want is you.” He suddenly grabbed my hands. Even though I tried to pull away, he held on tight. “You’re so fucking beautiful. She made me blind to your beauty.” That lying bastard. There was no way he thought I was beautiful before. He was just trying to manipulate me now. “Let me go,” I hissed, freeing my hands and stepping back. “If I dump your sister for you, would you accept me then?” he asked, still not realizing it wasn’t about competition, it was about how long he’d abused me. This man only cared about his selfish desires. For him, it was a choice, and if he picked me, I should be grateful. If not, I should fight for him. “You’re crazy,” I said, stepping back further. He kept coming closer. “Anyway, I told you what I want. It’s you. I won’t reject you, Lyric. You’ll come back to my arms. I’ll wait for you.” He began to turn and walk away. “Wait a minute. You—you called me here for the temple, right?” I called out, rushing after him, but his warriors blocked me, arms wide, stopping me dead in my tracks. “Fuck it,” I grunted, cussing out loud and running my hands through my hair. If he wouldn’t sever the last bond with me, I wouldn’t be able to get mated to Jaris, another devil I had to deal with.