<h4>Chapter 508: 508-Rejection Is My Redemption</h4>
<strong>Yorick:</strong>
Clementine had big tears in her eyes when she called out to me and yelled in front of everyone that she did not want to leave.
For a moment, I felt like a hero, someone whose mate was choosing to stay by his side.
I guess that is how Ian must feel, because for him, Clementine would stay for real, but this was not real.
I knew it was not.
She was saying it only because she believed she was in love with me and that I was the only one for her.
I gave her a weak, broken smile and shook my head at her.
But she refused to go.
Every time Leysa tried to pull her away, Clementine started whimpering and forcing her body to stay.
At that point, I was afraid for her.
If she did not leave, we would soon be in the same situation again, where my parents woulde out after they had taken control of Charles, and then everything would repeat.
So I began walking quickly toward her.
I needed to help her. I needed her to leave so she could save herself.
This ce had already caused her a lot of damage.
I gave Leysa a hand gesture to tell her not to keep dragging Clementine.
"No, wait. You are not getting closer to her," Leysa said as she jumped in front of Clementine, cing herself between us.
The fact that Leysa had to protect Clementine from me made me feel low.
"Leysa, please," Troy said as he stepped forward and gently held her hand, trying to show her that I was safe to approach.
"What? You do not know what he has done. He was going to throw me into the devil’s den. You have no idea," Leysa argued.
She was not wrong for not trusting me. I had made bad decisions, so I understood where she wasing from.
I kept walking toward them and only stopped when I was a few inches away.
"I know what I have done, and there is no excuse for it," I began, but my eyes stayed on Clementine.
"Wait, let them speak. All we know is that these people are toxic," Troy said again, trying to reason with Leysa.
She shot him a harsh re and refused to move.
"Leysa, I doubted Yorick once. I do not think it is right to do it again," Troy said.
When he said that, I realized what he meant. I had been upset with them for not trusting me, but the way he was now giving me onest chance to speak with Clementine changed something for me.
Leysa finally listened to him and stepped out of the way, but she remained right beside Clementine. Clementine was watching me with so much love in her eyes that I felt guilty. I wished I had never been born into this fucked up family.
"I’m sorry," Troy whispered as he gently patted my shoulder.
I guess he did not know the damage that had been done to Clementine or that I had been unable to protect her. Otherwise, he would not be saying sorry to me. I knew that much.
I took a few more steps toward Clementine and held her by the arms to support her. Leysa’s body jolted in instant defense.
"I’m gonna stay here with you," Clementine broke the silence and spoke first.
I noticed Troy step back to give us some time to talk, but when he snapped his head toward Clementine, I could tell he was confused about why she was speaking to me this way.
"No, you do not want to. I know that much."
As soon as I said that, she began to shake her head.
"Why would you say that?" she asked softly.
"Yorick, I wanna be with you. I wanna marry you. I wanna have a family."
Once she said all that, Troy gasped and looked at me, then at her. Wow, this must be what it is like to be wanted by so many men because Clementine chooses you. I wanted to savor being that lucky person, but I truly did not deserve it. This was not my ce to feel happy.
"Clementine, you do not want all that," I spoke again.
Before she could say anything else, I decided to break her heart.
"I am the reason you lost your baby," I imed, hearing whispers from Troy and Leysa.
They gasped, shocked and probably confused about what I was talking about. Clementine went still and just watched me in silence.
"What are you talking about?" she asked in a gentle whisper.
I remembered my mother’s words and knew how to slowly bring her out of herpulsion. I took a deep breath and then held her.
"I, Alpha Yorick, reject the most beautiful woman and the mate I could have had if I had not fucked up."
The moment I said those words, I watched Clementine’s mouth open and a small yelp leave her lips.
"What are you doing, Yorick? She’s already weak," Troy called as he approached and grabbed my arm.
Leysa stopped him and pushed him away so the rejection could continue.
"You killed our baby?" Clementine asked, misunderstanding everything. "Why would you do that?" she asked as she slowly crumbled to her knees, but I held her arms and kept her on her feet. "Why?" she cried again.
Then she started to sink to the floor. This time, Leysa snapped and pped my hands away so she could hold Clementine upright.
"Come on, reject him. Reject him so you can be free of whatever poison they gave you," Leysa spoke hastily.
I realized then that she had figured out a lot.
"What the fuck is going on? Why the heck was she pregnant with your baby in the first ce?" Troyined in the background.
"Come on, Clementine, ept the rejection. ept the rejection and fucking be out of it," Leysa insisted while holding her from behind and shaking her.
"He killed your child."
That was all she said before I finally noticed the news hitting Clementine.
It was a hard thing to do. I had chosen topletely ruin my own reputation just to help her, because at the end of the day, it was all my fault since I could not protect her from my mother.
"I ept the rejection," Clementine said before she copsed to her knees and her eyes rolled back.
There was only one thing I wanted to do, hug her for thest time as I felt broken inside, but I did not have that choice. I was not allowed.
Troy carried Clementine away, and I watched her disappear with them while I had to return to the chaos of my family.