Chapter 26
Joseph
“Our mate…” James breathed, a painful sound to his voice. “She rejected us.”
Joseph couldn’t help but feel hurt as well; Anna stared at him with such dismay in her eyes. it was unfamiliar to him; she always used to look at him with such love and compassion. Yet, she no longer admires him. She despises him.
How could he not have recognized her as his mate before? This wasn’t making any sense. This must have been the reason he felt so empty after their divorce and why he seems to not be able to get her out of his head. It was infuriating and he wanted to punch somebody in the face. But he couldn’t gather the energy to do that.
He felt defeated and exhausted.
She didn’t stick around any longer for their conversation to go further. She turned and went back to the research room. Joseph stared after her; he was lost in his thoughts.
“Are you sure?” Joseph asked. “Anna is our mate?”
“Yes,” James answered. “I’ve never been surer. That’s why I can smell her so easily. That’s why we always know where she is. That’s why she glows!”
“How did we not know this before?” Joseph sneered.
“Her wolf has been weak for a long time. It was almost impossible for either of us to recognize each other,” James said sadly. “We hurt our mate. Badly.”
Joseph took in a shaky breath. He was going to help his researchers and the second prince in helping to create a cure for this virus that’s been spreading around the kingdom. But now he was thinking he should stay clear of that room while Anna was in there.
He couldn’t help but wonder what she was even doing here, to begin with. She was obviously close to the royal family considering they keep allowing her around them.
He brushed the thought out of his head and left the research center to go to the hospital. He hasn’t visited Tina in a while, and the last time they hung out was during the celebrity party a few weeks ago. Now there was going to be a celebrity banquet that he was going to need a date for.
“We should ask our mate,” James huffed.
“She rejected us,” Joseph reminded him.
“We can’t just give up so quickly.”
Joseph ignored his wolf and sat with Tina at her bedside; he was pleased to see him. Her face lit up as her smile grew across her face. She looked a bit more pale than usual, and she was thinning even more than she was before. He could tell right away that she wasn’t taking her proper medicine.
He sat with her and explained everything that’s been going on; including how Anna is his mate. He’s known Tina for most of his life and it was known that he told her almost everything.
“My wolf doesn’t want to give up,” he told her. “I don’t think I do either.”
“What?” Tina breathed; her eyes large as she wrapped her arms through his. “You must let her go. She doesn’t want you. You said it yourself, she rejected you. It’s embarrassing to keep pursuing someone like that.”
He said nothing for a long while as he thought about what Tina said. He knew she was right, but he couldn’t help that unsettled feeling in his chest.
“You need someone to accompany you to the celebrity banquet; I’ll be there,” Tina offered.
He nodded to her, but he said no more.
The celebrity banquet was held later that evening. Tina was wrapped around his arm wearing a beautiful dark purple gown that fell loosely around her thin figure. Her fair features were admittedly radiant. Even still, despite the fact that he was there was Tina, he couldn’t help himself when he scanned the crowd to get a glimpse of Anna. There was no doubt in his mind that she was there; he could smell her.
He knew the sweetness of her scent anywhere; it was driving James crazy. As he strolled through the crowd with Tina trailing closely behind him, Anna’s scent only grew stronger.
Then he saw her. Her appearance nearly made him lose his breath; he stared at her perfectly formed body as her shimmering silver dress hugged her tightly
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and explained around her waist; the lacy fabrics flowing to the ground delicately. She even seemed a bit taller; Joseph assumed she was wearing heels which were something else that was out of character for her.
