Katelyn was engrossed in replying to Sage’s messages when the sudden ring of her phone broke the silence. His name flashed brightly on the screen. She answered the call, bringing the device to her ear as she stood on the balcony, one arm instinctively crossed over her chest.
"Why did you call?" Katelyn asked, keeping her voice low.
"I heard about a council meeting being called," Sage’s voice came through. "Is everything alright there? Has something serious happened?"
"Yes, things have... settled down," she murmured. "You’ve gotten the news quite late, though. The entire affair has been quite a shock." She leaned slightly against the railing. "Brother Nick looks terribly upset, Sage. Utterly devastated, actually." A deep sigh escaped her. "He and June always seemed like the perfect couple. They were practically a matched set. To think everything could unravel so quickly... I still can’t quite believe it."
"I will hang up then," Sage said gently, interpreting her earlier sigh as a need for solitude. "But please, don’t be too upset by all this."
"No, wait, let’s just talk," Katelyn pronounced, which momentarily bewildered him. "Only if you’re free, of course."
"I am always free for you," Sage stated simply, with a sincerity that was immediately evident.
Katelyn let out a soft chuckle at his immediate, heartfelt declaration.
"I wasn’t lying, Kate," Sage muttered. "When will you finally start believing me?"
"I don’t know," she admitted, her tone turning sombre. In her next words, her fear revealed. "After witnessing how Brother Nick and June parted away despite being fated mates, I genuinely wonder... what would happen to me?"
"Why are you comparing your life with them?" Sage questioned.
A Declaration of Trust
"Why are you comparing your life with them?" Sage questioned, his voice laced with confusion and a hint of urgency.
"Because I’m a princess," she confessed, the title feeling like a burden in that moment. "It would be so easy for a man I’m fated to to do something similar to me. What if they only wanted to gain things because of my position?" As the words left her mouth, Katelyn suddenly recalled a similar conversation with Gabriel not long ago. He had cautioned her about the dangers of her status but then, pointedly, urged her to trust Sage above all others.
A fierce, possessive declaration came from the other side. "You’ll be mated to me and no one else," Sage stated, cutting through her spiraling doubts. "I am not ready for any kind of rejection, Kate. What happened between June and Prince Dominick doesn’t mean the same will happen with you and me."
His voice softened, appealing to her logic. "Think about me with a calm mind. Do you truly think I will ever betray you? You’re the only woman who knows a lot more about me than anyone else ever has." A profound sigh travelled over the line. "I wish I could come there, but I can’t now."
Katelyn stood silent, sensing the deep hurt and longing Sage showed.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Rejected and Pregnant Claimed By The Dark Alpha Prince