And Then There Were Four

Chapter 154

Chapter 154: Rejected

Cassie.

For two days, I didn’t see hide nor hair of Lucas. In fact, all of us had looked for him, and yet… nothing. I was worried, which the others thought was crazy, considering Lucas at- tacked me, but in reality, I tried to attack him first, and so did my brother.

Guilt swallowed at me, wondering if he would ever be nor- mal again. Even if he didn’t want me anymore, it didn’t mean I didn’t care to know if he was okay or not. Frustration filled me as I tried to focus on my current task at hand. The endless lec- tures on how to use effective magic was something so far from my thoughts, and yet my teacher’s rambling still echoed in the distance.

The moment the bell rang, a sigh of relief washed over me as I collected my book and moved from my seat. My stomach growled for food, considering I had barely eaten the last two days, and instead moped around like a pathetic loser hoping for the attention of one person who, at one point, couldn’t stand to be around me.

Stepping into the hall, I instantly dreaded this place. The whispered conversations and stares of the people around me made my skin crawl. Everyone heard about what had hap- pened with Lucas, and I wasn’t sure exactly how they had heard, but it may have had something to do with the fact Zia had seen Lucas jump from the window.

She was an absolute bitch, and the more she glanced at me and made mocking comments, the more I wanted to cut her eyes from her head and shove them down her throat. She had already tried twice now to taunt me, telling me I didn’t deserve Lucas and that she would happily take him off my hands.

As if I would ever reject my mate, even if he were a bit of an asshole since we slept together. A moment I thought of very often.

He was mine, and I was his, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

“Cassie, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to go back to your room?” Sansa said as she grabbed my arm, stopping me in the hallway between the bell.

“I can’t miss class because of all this,” I explained as I ad- justed the bag strap on my shoulder. “Plus, I’m starving and really need to get something to eat.”

Her eyes went wide at my words as if my wanting food shocked her in some way. She was literally the one who scold- I need me this morning for not eating. “Oh well, why don’t we go to the cafe down the street where we got drinks that one time and we can grab something there?”

The cafe was a good fifteen–minute walk from here, and honestly, I didn’t have the energy to do that. All I wanted to do was to go down to the cafeteria where everybody always ate lunch, grab something there and then move on to my next class without bringing any more attention to myself.

If that was possible.

“No, I think I’m just going to grab a sandwich or some-thing down in the cafeteria,” I replied as I gave her a small smile and attempted to walk past her, to which she quickly stopped me once more.

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun. We haven’t done it since that day, and there’s been so much else going on. I think we should do that. We could even find Trixie.”

Laughter escaped me as I shook my head. “As amazing as that sounds, maybe we can do that this weekend. I honestly just want to grab something small from the cafeteria and just move to my next class. I can’t be late.”

Hesitant about it all, she quickly let me go but kept at my side the entire way there, still trying to convince me that go- ing to the cafeteria was only going to be boring and that we should go have fun

somewhere off campus.

It wasn’t until they got to the cafeteria doors Trixie. popped up with a smile on her face, and I suddenly realized something was going on.

“Hey, I was just coming to find you guys. I actually ordered us some food down the street. Why don’t we go ahead and take a walk and go pick it up, and then we can get to class, and we won’t be late,” she said without a breath, causing my suspicion level to rise even higher.

“What the hell is going on with you two? Why are you act- ing like this?” Both Sansa and Trixie looked at each other, giv- ing each other a questionable gaze that was undeniably a sense of warning, if you will, between the two of them.

I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I sure as hell was go- ing to find out. As I pushed past Trixie, opening the door to the cafeteria, I got a front–row view of exactly what had them so out of sorts.

Lucas sat at the table with Zia and a couple of the other populars – if you want to call them that- who showed off around school. His arm was draped over Zia’s shoulders as she leaned in close to him with only inches between his lips and hers.

Upset didn’t even begin to explain the way I felt the mo- ment I laid my eyes on him and Zia. Only two days ago, he had literally tried to kill me, and yet he was sitting here amongst all of these people, acting as if everything was fine and nothing was wrong with him.

Shock and anger consumed me as I tried to think of what to do or what to say. Anyone else would have run out of there crying in tears that their mate was lounging on another wom- an, but my and Lucas’s situation was far different than the typical mated couple.

Hell, we weren’t even actually mated it yet. Of course, we had sex, but thank God I didn’t let him bite me. I could only imagine what the mate bond would feel like right now. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

My muttered response did not go unnoticed. Trixie and Sansa had heard me, and as his eyes met mine, I could as- sume he heard me too. Trying my hardest to think clearly on this matter, I held my head high, averted my gaze from his look of disgust, and marched down the center of the cafete- ria, straight towards the buffet of food that lay on the far back wall.

The last thing I was going to do was allow him to fuck up the rest of my day. I had already spent the last two days com-pletely worried about him, on whether or not he was alive, if his mind was too far gone and how I was going to be able to help him. And yet he sat here with those people with his arm around another woman, acting as if everything that had hap- pened between him and I had never existed.

“Cassie, you don’t have to be here going through this,” Trixie’s soft, gentle words were a push of encouragement and understanding. But at the same time, I wasn’t going to allow him to get what he wanted. I wouldn’t allow him the satisfac- tion of seeing me break.

Turning my gaze towards Trixie with a croissant in hand, I smiled at her. “I already wasted enough time trying to figure this man out. I’m not going to continue doing it. If he wants to figure his stuff out with her, then let him. I have better things to do with my time.”

I didn’t really. Honestly, it was killing me inside, knowing he would prefer the company of another woman than allow- ing me to talk to him so I could try to figure out what the fuck was wrong.

Turning back to the food in front of me, I made a small plate and grabbed a drink and as I turned, hoping to make my way out of the cafeteria without causing any kind of distur- bance, I found Lucas standing before me with a sinister grin upon his beautiful plump lips.

“The fuck are you doing in here?”

Staring at him for a moment, I held up my plate of food, raising one brow as I shrugged my shoulders. “What the fuck does it look like I’m doing?”

“I thought I made it clear I didn’t want anything to do with you, so I don’t know why you’re here bothering me,” he spoke loud enough for the people around to hear what he said, and as I took in his comment, I couldn’t hold back the laughter that escaped me.

So instead, I decided to play his game. “Bother you? I’m pretty sure you’re the one who just walked up to me. I didn’t say anything to you, nor did I approach you. I walked right past you and got my food, and yet you’re the one standing in my way from leaving.”

Lucas‘ eyes narrowed as a sneer marred his lips. He could- n’t deny the truth in what I said. I hadn’t said a single thing to him, and yet he was the one who left the comfort of his new toy and friends to come over and address me as if I was the one bothering him.

It wasn’t the smartest move on his part, considering ev- erybody around heard exactly what I said. It left him standing there looking like the fool he really was. No matter the fool, though, in the gaze he laid upon me, I saw the darkness seep- ing within him, and every part of me wanted to help.

But I couldn’t. It was obvious Lucas had made his choice, and had he wanted my help, he would have allowed me to give it to him two days ago when he tried to kill me.

“You are a delusional bitch. I will never be with you. Get that through your fucking head,” he growled as his eyes shift- I need between gold flecks and Obsidian chaos.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I stepped closer, making sure he got a good wiff of my scent as I gazed up and down his body taking in every single curve of the ripped mus- cle beneath his shirt. As well as the same well–defined arms.

that had once held my naked body against him.

“If you don’t want me, then reject me and get it over with.”

I didn’t really want Lucas to reject me as his mate, but at the same time, I was tired of this back and forth battle with him. It was absolutely pointless, and as he seemed to contem- plate what I was offering, a smile spread across his lips.

“Fine. I, Lucas, reject you, Castor, as my mate.”

The stinging pain of the tear of our bond echoed through my heart. Thankfully our bond hadn’t been completed, and I was for once grateful I didn’t allow him to mark me complete- ly. “You will regret doing that one day.”

“Accept the rejection, Cassie,” he snapped as he stood waiting for me to say something further, but instead of ac- cepting right away, I pushed away my pain and smirked.

“When I’m ready, I will. For right now, though, you don’t deserve it.”

He cringed in pain himself as I quickly pushed past him. making my way down the hall with all eyes upon me, whispers. escaping those who had witnessed our reaction. I had to learn. to ignore everyone like I used to do with Melissa, and as I took a deep breath, it worked–for a moment.

Zia stood from her seat as I passed her, a look of pure sat- isfaction upon her face.

“Looks like you finally got what you deserve,” Zia called out, with nothing but amusement in her tone.

Halting in my tracks, I stared at the double doors in front of me that was my escape to freedom, wondering what choice I was going to make. I could continue through the doors and be known for the girl who got dumped during lunch, or I could turn and make her eat her own words.

Both were things people would eventually forget… but right now, I didn’t care.

“Cassie, don’t-” Sansa and Trixie said in unison. “She’s baiting you.”

Pushing back the pain in my heart, I glanced at my friends with a smile, “I know… and she is going to eat her fucking words too.”

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