REJECTED BY MY ALPHA MATE

Chapter Four: The Stranger’s Eyes

I woke to the crackle of fire. Warmth licked across my skin, chasing away the chill of the night, and for a moment I thought it was a dream. But then the ache in my body returned, heavy and real, reminding me of every step, every fall, every scream in the dark. I gasped, bolting upright, my eyes darting wildly around.

The forest. The shadows. The scent of blood gone. Instead, I was in a small clearing, lit by the glow of a fire pit. My hands trembled as I touched the ground beneath me. A rough blanket had been laid over me, and the sting of herbs lingered on my scraped skin. Someone had treated my wounds. Someone had saved me.

The memory hit me like lightning the rogues, their yellow eyes closing in, their teeth snapping for my throat. And then… him. The stranger. The blur of claws, the strength in his movements, the ruthless way he had torn them apart as if they were nothing and then, his eyes.

I swallowed, my heart stumbling as I turned toward the other side of the fire, he was there. The man sat with his back against a tree, one knee bent, his arm resting casually across it. Shadows danced over the sharp lines of his face, revealing a strong jaw and scars that traced along his tanned skin like battle marks. His dark hair was wild, falling into his golden eyes the same eyes I had seen burn like fire in the night, Those eyes were on me now, Watching. Waiting.

“You’re awake,” he said simply, his voice deep and rough, like stone scraping against stone, my throat tightened. I pulled the blanket tighter around myself, suddenly aware of how small and fragile I must look. “You” My voice cracked, and I had to start again. “You saved me.”

One corner of his mouth twitched, though it wasn’t quite a smile, You would’ve been dead within minutes. The rogues smelled your weakness from miles away.His words cut sharper than I expected, though there was no malice in them. Only truth.

I looked down, ashamed. He didn’t know the whole story, didn’t know that I wasn’t just weak I was broken. My wolf was silent inside me, wounded beyond recognition by Damian’s rejection.

Still, something about the way he had said it, calm, detached, as if he had seen death too many times to flinch made me glance back up.

Who are you? I asked. For a moment, silence. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tossed a branch into the fire, sparks leaping into the night sky. His golden eyes never left mine.

“Kael.” The name rolled off his tongue like a warning. Simple, sharp. Dangerous.

“Kael…” I whispered, trying the sound of it.You’re not from any of the packs around here.

“No.” His tone left no room for questions. I shifted uneasily, the firelight flickering against his scars. There was something about him that pulled at me, like gravity both terrifying and irresistible. My chest tightened as I remembered the way he’d fought, the sheer power that radiated from him.

You killed them so easily, I murmured, my fingers curling into the blanket. The rogues. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that. His gaze darkened, shadows flickering in his eyes. You’ve never seen true war, then. The way he said it made me shiver. War. As if he carried its weight in his very bones.

I wanted to ask more, but the words caught in my throat. My wolf stirred faintly, like a dying ember, whispering something I couldn’t quite hear. Danger. Power. Not one of us. But mixed with the warning was something else. A pull. A recognition I didn’t understand. I tore my eyes away, staring into the fire instead. Why did you save me? I whispered.

Kael didn’t answer immediately. The silence stretched until I wondered if he would at all. Finally, he shifted, leaning forward slightly, his gaze piercing through me. Because you’re not ready to die yet, my breath hitched. What does that mean?

It means the world has already taken too much from you. His eyes flickered, softer now, though only for a heartbeat. But you still have something left to fight for. Even if you don’t see it yet.

I stared at him, stunned. His words sank into me, heavy and foreign. I had been told all my life that I was nothing that I had no strength, no worth. Damian’s rejection had been the final nail in that coffin and yet here was this stranger, scarred and dangerous, telling me the opposite.

You don’t know me, I whispered, my voice breaking. I know enough, Kael said. His golden eyes didn’t waver. I know what broken looks like. I know what it feels like.

Something inside me cracked then, a piece of the numbness I had been carrying since Damian’s rejection. My chest ached, my throat tightening as tears welled in my eyes. I looked away quickly, ashamed to let him see me cry.

But Kael didn’t move, didn’t press. He just sat there, silent and steady, like a mountain unshaken by the storm. The fire crackled between us, filling the night with its warmth.

For the first time since everything fell apart, I felt… safe. Not entirely. Not completely. But enough to breathe without my chest splintering apart.

Exhaustion tugged at me again, heavy and relentless. My eyelids grew heavy as the fire’s glow blurred. I fought to stay awake, afraid that if I closed my eyes, he would disappear, and I would wake alone in the cold.

But Kael’s voice came, low and certain.“Sleep. I’ll keep watch.” The words wrapped around me like armor, stronger than the blanket I clutched and before I could stop myself, I believed him.

My body surrendered, my head tilting, my eyes closing. The last thing I saw before the darkness took me was his golden gaze, burning steady in the night.