Rejected By The Alpha King On Christmas Night

Chapter 11

Aurora’s POV

The farther we walked from Kael, the worse my chest hurt. I wrapped Liam’s coat tighter around myself as snow continued falling softly around us. The kingdom streets had become quieter now, most wolves unaware of the chaos that had nearly erupted only minutes ago. But my mind refused to calm. Kael’s voice kept replaying in my head. “I never stopped caring.”

The words should have comforted me. Instead, they hurt. Because if he truly cared, why did he let me suffer like that? Why let me believe I wasn’t enough? Liam walked beside me silently for several minutes, giving me space to think. I appreciated that about him. He never forced conversations, never pushed too hard. Unlike Kael, Liam’s presence felt easy, safe. But tonight even safety couldn’t quiet the storm inside me. “You okay?” Liam asked gently. I nodded automatically, a lie again. Liam sighed softly beside me. “You know,” he murmured, “you’re terrible at pretending you’re fine.” A weak laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” His voice softened further.

“You went through hell tonight.” The kindness nearly broke me again. I looked down quickly, blinking away fresh tears. “I just…” My voice trembled slightly. “I don’t understand anything anymore.” Liam remained quiet, letting me continue. “The rogues knew who I was,” I whispered. “Kael knew something about me this entire time. And now apparently I’m some prophecy child everyone wants.” Fear curled painfully in my stomach again. Moon Heir. The words sounded unreal like they belonged to someone else and not me. I had spent my entire life trying to survive quietly in the palace.

Invisible, weak and forgettable. Now suddenly everyone was looking at me like I was dangerous, important, wanted and It terrified me. Liam glanced at me carefully. “You’re still Aurora.” I swallowed hard. “What if I’m not?”

He stopped walking immediately so did I. Snowflakes drifted softly between us while warm lantern light glowed faintly nearby. Liam’s expression turned serious. “Aurora,” he said firmly, “listen to me.” I looked up slowly. “You are not some monster because of a prophecy.”

Monster. The word made my chest tighten painfully. Because deep down, part of me feared exactly that. Liam stepped closer carefully. “You’re kind,” he continued softly. “You care about people even when they hurt you. You defended Kael after everything he did tonight.” I looked away guiltily. “That was pathetic.” “No,” Liam said immediately. “That was love.” The honesty in his voice stunned me. Love. Yes. That was the problem, wasn’t it? I loved Kael too much. Enough to let him break me completely. Liam’s gray eyes softened slightly. “And for what it’s worth,” he added quietly, “I think Kael loves you too.” Pain twisted violently in my chest. “Then why reject me?” Liam hesitated. “For the same reason idiots usually hurt the people they love,” he muttered darkly. “Fear.” Fear. The word lingered heavily between us. Maybe Kael truly believed he was protecting me. But that didn’t erase what happened. The humiliation, the heartbreak, the loneliness. Nothing could erase standing in that ballroom while the man I loved rejected me before everyone. A cold gust of wind swept through the street. I shivered instantly. Liam noticed. “We’re close,” he said gently. “Just a little farther.” I nodded weakly.

We continued walking through the snowy roads until the crowded kingdom streets slowly disappeared behind us. Soon trees surrounded the narrow path ahead. The eastern forest.

Moonlight filtered softly through snow-covered branches while the storm finally began calming above us. Everything looked peaceful here. Far away from the palace, far away from Kael.Yet somehow, I still felt him. The mate bond remained painfully alive between us. Broken, damaged but alive and I hated it. Because no matter how hard I tried, part of me still wanted to run back to him. Suddenly, Liam slowed beside me. “You should know something,” he said quietly. I frowned slightly. “What?” His expression became unreadable. “Kael wasn’t always like this.” I blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?” Liam exhaled slowly. “When we were younger, Kael was different.” That was hard to imagine. The Kael I knew had always been cold and controlled, powerful, and untouchable. Liam glanced toward the dark forest ahead before continuing. “Before he became king… before his father died… he actually smiled.” Shock flickered through me.

Kael? Smiling? “He cared too much back then,” Liam continued quietly. “That was his weakness.” Something about the sadness in Liam’s voice made me pay closer attention. “What happened?” Liam was silent for a moment. Then finally, “His mother was murdered because of him.” My breath caught.

“He was only seventeen,” Liam said softly. “Enemies couldn’t reach the royal family directly, so they targeted the person Kael loved most.” Cold dread slid through me. Oh. Suddenly, everything made horrible sense.

“He blamed himself,” Liam continued. “After that, he changed completely.” I thought about Kael’s face earlier tonight. The panic in his eyes whenever danger came near me. The desperation, the fear, not fear of me, fear for me. My chest tightened painfully..Moon Goddess… Had he really been trying to protect me this entire time? Before I could think further, Liam suddenly stopped walking. His body tensed instantly. Every instinct inside me went alert. “What’s wrong?” I whispered. Liam’s eyes scanned the dark trees surrounding us.

Then slowly, a low growl echoed through the forest. Not far away. My heart dropped instantly.

Because we weren’t alone.