THE SPOILED HYBRID.🧛 (MXM) - Chapter 18: Chapter 18

William and Marie had left an hour ago, and now Drake and Alessia had the house to themselves. The air between them was charged with intimacy, their bodies tangled together in a mess of sweat and warmth. The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing, their skin glistening under the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the curtains.
Drake leaned down, pressing a tender, passionate kiss to Alessia’s lips. “I love you, Alessia,” he murmured, his voice soft but filled with emotion. “My prince.”
Alessia’s heart swelled, his green eyes shining with affection as he looked up at Drake. “I love you too, Drake,” he whispered. “My mate.”
For a moment, they lay there, basking in the warmth of each other’s presence. But then Alessia’s expression shifted, his brows furrowing slightly as he hesitated. “Drake,” he said softly, his voice trembling with uncertainty, “would you… come with me to Russia?”
Drake blinked, his expression shifting from affection to confusion. “What?” he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Alessia sat up slightly, his hands resting on Drake’s chest as he tried to explain. “My main purpose for coming here was to find my mate,” he said, his voice soft but earnest. “Now that I’ve found you, my parents want us to go back to our homeland. Alysa is the next queen, so she can’t stay outside the kingdom any longer.”
Drake stared at him, his mind racing as he tried to process what Alessia was saying. “You’re weird,” he said finally, his tone a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Every day, you find new ways to make me panic. First, you’re asking for my blood, and now you want me to move to Russia?”
Alessia’s eyes filled with tears, his lower lip trembling as he looked up at Drake. “Please, Drake,” he pleaded, his voice breaking. “I came here to find you, and I did. My dad is requesting we come back. I don’t want to leave you, but I can’t stay here forever. I have duties there. But if you come with me, you can continue your studies there. You don’t have any relatives or anyone holding you here. Please, come with me.”
Drake sat up, running a hand through his hair as he tried to gather his thoughts. “Alessia, I have a life here,” he said, his voice firm but gentle. “I have to finish my studies. This is my home.”
Alessia’s tears spilled over, his chest heaving with silent sobs. “But… but I don’t want to leave you,” he cried, his voice small and broken. He was a crybaby, and the thought of being separated from Drake was tearing him apart.
Drake reached out, gently cupping Alessia’s cheek and wiping away his tears with his thumb. “You don’t have to leave,” he said softly. “You can stay here with me.”
Alessia shook his head, his tears continuing to flow. “I’m a prince, Drake,” he said, his voice trembling. “I can’t stay. I have responsibilities there. But if you come with me, we can be together. Please, Drake.”
Drake’s expression hardened, his resolve firm. “No,” he said, his voice final. “I can’t just leave everything behind, Alessia. I’m sorry.”
Alessia felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He had only a week to convince Drake, but the way Drake was looking at him—so resolute, so unmoving—made it clear that he wasn’t going to change his mind.
Without a word, Alessia stood up from the bed, his movements stiff and mechanical. He picked up his shirt and pulled it on, his hands trembling as he dressed. Drake watched him, his expression a mix of confusion and concern.
“Babe, where are you going?” Drake asked, his voice tinged with worry.
But Alessia didn’t answer. He was already hurt, his heart breaking with every step he took toward the door. Before Drake could stop him, Alessia bolted out of the room and out of the house, his tears streaming down his face as he ran back to their apartment.
Alessia, you have to understand Drake,” Alysa said, her voice gentle but firm as she sat on the edge of her brother’s bed. Alessia was curled up under the blankets, his face buried in a pillow, his body stiff with grief. “I know you’re hurt, but try to see it from his point of view. He has a life here, responsibilities. It’s not easy to just leave everything behind.”
But Alessia wasn’t listening. His heart was too heavy, his mind too clouded with pain to process Alysa’s words. All he could think about was the way Drake had said “no,” so firmly, so definitively. It felt like a door slamming shut, cutting off any hope of a future together. Alessia didn’t want to hear about Drake’s point of view. He didn’t want to hear anything at all. He just wanted to lie there and grieve the loss of the person he thought would be by his side forever.
Alysa sighed, her sharp amber eyes softening as she looked at her brother. She reached out to brush a strand of his black hair away from his face, but Alessia flinched, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. “Alessia,” she said softly, “you can’t just shut him out. You need to talk to him.”
But Alessia didn’t respond. He just lay there, his body tense, his eyes staring blankly at the wall. Alysa knew there was no getting through to him when he was like this. With a final sigh, she stood up and left the room, giving him the space he clearly needed.
As Alysa went back to organizing the things they would take with them to Russia, Alessia’s phone buzzed on the nightstand. He ignored it at first, but the buzzing persisted, pulling him reluctantly out of his thoughts. He reached for the phone, his fingers trembling as he unlocked it.
The notification read:
**“my mate” sent a message.**
Alessia’s heart clenched at the sight of Drake’s contact name. He opened the message, his eyes scanning the words.
**my mate:**
*hello babe, can we talk?*
Alessia’s jaw tightened, his fingers hovering over the screen. He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t want to hear Drake’s excuses or explanations. All he wanted was for Drake to say yes, to choose him, to choose *them*. But that wasn’t going to happen.
With a shaky breath, Alessia typed out a reply.
**Alessia:**
*no.*
The response came almost immediately.
**my mate:**
*but why? you’ve missed classes for 3 days.*
Alessia’s eyes filled with tears, his chest tightening as he read the message. He didn’t care about classes. He didn’t care about anything right now. All he cared about was the fact that Drake didn’t seem to understand how much this was hurting him.
**Alessia:**
*I know. And I don’t want to talk.*
With that, Alessia shut off his phone, tossing it onto the bed beside him. He didn’t want to see any more messages. He didn’t want to hear Drake’s voice. He didn’t want to think about the fact that in just a few days, he would have to leave—without Drake.
For the first time in a long time, Alessia felt truly angry. Not just hurt, but angry. Angry at Drake for not understanding, angry at himself for falling so deeply in love with someone who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—choose him. And angry at the world for forcing him to make this impossible choice.
He buried his face in the pillow again, his body shaking with silent sobs. He didn’t know how to fix this. He didn’t know if it could be fixed. All he knew was that his heart was breaking, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.