"Commander Morpheus," Draven's voice echoed through the hall, "Mind your words. Do not dare hurt my mate."
Draven could feel the sting of Morpheus' words reflected in Ember's eyes.
Morpheus turned to Draven, "Apologies, Your Majesty. I do not intend to hurt your mate. But I must explain why I do not wish to be her mate. If this causes her pain, I cannot help it. I believe Your Majesty would not refrain me from stating my views and thoughts. An argument cannot be one-sided, favoring only Your Majesty's mate."
Draven's gaze moved to Ember, and each of Morpheus' words seemed to wound her deeper, a feeling of betrayal etched on her face, betrayed by her own friend. Draven regretted ever allowing their friendship. If only he had restricted it, she wouldn't be suffering like this. His hands itched to strangle his own friend, even though he had wanted to save him, even if it meant sharing his mate.
The aura around him began to shift, becoming menacing despite his efforts to stay calm. He had been agitated for days, and he was on the edge, hiding his disturbed emotions behind the faced of calmness, a little provocation might lead him to do the unsaid. At this moment, only his mate mattered to him, and he would tolerate nothing that would hurt her.
Evanthe stood up from her place, sensing the tension between her two friends. "We need to calm down here." She turned to Morpheus, "You need to be polite with your words, Commander. The entire kingdom has accepted Ember as part of this kingdom. But your words might suggest otherwise."
"I do not represent the entire kingdom but myself alone, Your Eminence. By not allowing me to express my thoughts, is this council meeting trying to impose a decision on me that I reject?" He turned to the council members, "I stand by what I said. I can accept Ember Aramis as a rightful citizen of this kingdom, as my friend, as the mate of our king, even as the queen of this kingdom.
I would protect her again and again if she is in danger, but I cannot accept her as my mate. I refuse council's decision, even if it means my death."
Evanthe could only shake her head helplessly. She knew Morpheus would listen to no one. He had always been stubborn, resolute in his decisions. It was easier to persuade Draven to change his mind, but Morpheus was unyielding. Realizing there was nothing more she could do, she decided to leave it at that.
"But Lady Ember is not human," Agraleus spoke, "we all know she possesses powers. So, there is no reason for you to reject her."
"She is born of humans. Neither of her parents is supernatural. Though she possesses powers, which is an anomaly itself, she will always be human to meâthe race that took my family and friends away from me. His Majesty can be generous enough to accept her as his mate, but I do not have a forgiving heart. I cannot disappoint my parents, who lie in their graves because of those humans."
"Wait!"
A voice stopped him, but he didn't turn to see who had spoken.
"Even if you hate me for being human, I do not hate you," Ember said. "To me, you will always be my friend. I want to protect you just as you have protected meânot just on the day of mourning but even before that. If you hadn't saved me that night when I jumped from the hill to end my life, and all those other times when you stood by me, I wouldn't be here today. Let me help you now.
Once the bond is established and you are safe, you can continue to hate me."
Silence filled the council hall, everyone waiting for Morpheus' response.
Her words, which seemed like she was begging, caused his throat to tighten with the emotions he was trying to suppress. He inhaled deeply and turned to look at her once more, meeting her hopeful eyes that also showed the pain he had caused her.
"Would I be able to hate you after the bond is formed?" he asked. "Don't you know how the bond works? Even if I wanted to hate you, it wouldn't allow me. I would have no choice but to accept you."
"Am I so hateful that you can't even consider accepting me?" she asked.
If only she knew how much he loved her, she would never ask such a question. Hateful? She could never be. How much he himself was hurting to say such hurtful things to her.
"If I become your mate, would you love me the way you love Draven?" Morpheus asked, looking straight into her eyes.
Ember felt her resolve falter. The only one she loved and would ever love was Draven. She knew she wouldn't be able to love someone else, and she didn't want to lie.