Page 74 of Elias

“I’ve never met him, but he has a reputation for manipulating females. He sleeps with them and ruins their good names, so there are no repercussions for him.”

Anger danced in Princess Isolt’s eyes. “How do I know this?”

“He’s about to be revealed by a number of the women he abused. One of them is Hayley.”

Princess Isolt glared at him. “Perhaps she led him on.”

“Or perhaps she was an innocent young woman manipulated by a man who should have known better. It happened a long time ago. He did his utmost to ruin her career. He has done it to others, and I imagine he won’t stop when you are joined. I thought you should know the kind of man you are joining with.”

Princess Isolt’s top lip curled. “That behavior will not be allowed when we are united. I am to be his only female.”

“He might say that’s what will happen, but you shouldn’t trust him. You might like to postpone your joining until the authorities have spoken to him.”

Princess Isolt drummed her fingers on her thigh. “If he thinks he can do that when he’s my mate, he will be sorely disappointed.”

“You should ask him what his intentions are.”

Her gaze narrowed, but she nodded. “There is something about his manner that sets my teeth on edge. I wasn’t certain I was truly seeing the real professor. He behaved like a gentleman, and all the women in the room were enraptured by him.”

“But not you?”

“There is something off about him. I’m an excellent judge of character.” Princess Isolt’s gaze slid over Elias. “Most of the time.”

Elias acknowledged the comment with a duck of his head.

“I detest men who take advantage of women. It’s why I hate you so much. That night, when you left me, I’ve never felt so humiliated.” Princess Isolt looked away as she stroked her fingers down the soft fabric of her gown. “No man has ever refused me.”

Elias swallowed slowly. “Princess, I was an idiot. I was flattered you showed me attention and didn’t think through what it would lead to. I know the royal family desires the old ways to continue. I thought it would be different with us. I’m reminded of what happened every day.” He pulled up his sleeve and revealed her bite mark.

Her eyes widened a fraction. “You have kept the scar?”

“You have haunted me ever since I left you that night. It is something I am not proud of.”

“If you could change things, you would go back and allow me to complete the mating ritual?”

Elias shook his head. “No, I could not allow that. I would have politely refused you. I know there are traditions you stick to, but love and wanting to enjoy adventures with someone you care about are important too.” His thoughts went to Hayley, and he smiled. “Love is a powerful thing. You might consider it as a way of getting your people to be loyal. Ruling because everybody adores you will give you one hell of a buzz.”

She smirked at him and winced. Her fingers went to her injured nose. “I have a reminder of how powerful love is. Your new woman has quite a punch on her.”

“You will still be beautiful,” Elias said.

Her smirk grew, but she nodded. “My father has instilled the old ways in me since birth. But I see things are changing on our planet. In particular, I have seen from you how inspiring love can be. Perhaps I will feel differently when I find my own life mate.”

Hope made Elias’s heart swell. If Princess Isolt’s mind could be changed, other royals would alter their ways. Here was an opportunity to change things on his planet and get rid of these outdated traditions.

“I can testify to how incredible love is. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

“There’s no need to rub my broken nose in your happy situation,” Princess Isolt said. “I could still report you to our committee investigating the current claims of cowardice.”

His stomach clenched. She could. If Princess Isolt held enough of a grudge, she could still ruin him.

A gleam of amusement entered her eyes. “However, we have concluded our disagreement satisfactorily. I have no further interest in pursuing a claim on you. As far as I am concerned, this never took place. I never noticed you when I docked on Prodigy.”

Elias let out a sigh. “One final time, I am sorry for my actions. I should never have abandoned you. You deserve to be happy. We all do.”

Princess Isolt tilted her chin. “From what you said, I will not find happiness with this cheating professor.”

Elias shook his head. “You really won’t. You can do better. You deserve better.”