Rejected By The Alpha King On Christmas Night

Chapter 6

Kael’s POV

The howl echoed again. Every instinct inside me immediately went on alert. Liam noticed it too. His posture shifted instantly, his body tense as his eyes scanned the dark forest surrounding the kingdom streets. Aurora looked between us nervously. “What’s happening?” she whispered. I ignored the question for a moment, focusing on the distant sounds hidden beneath the storm, snow, wind then another howl it was closer this time. My wolf snarled violently inside me. Rogues. Damn it.Of all nights for them to appear Liam cursed under his breath beside Aurora. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Aurora frowned in confusion. “Rogues?” she repeated softly. I looked at her immediately. Fear flashed briefly across her silver eyes, though she tried to hide it. Most wolves feared rogues. And for good reason. Rogues were wolves without packs, there were violent, unstable and dangerous especially during winter. Food shortages always made them more aggressive around this time of year.

Usually my patrol guards handled problems like this before they reached the kingdom borders.

So why were they this close to the capital?

Something wasn’t right. Another growl echoed through the darkness.Much closer now. Liam stepped protectively in front of Aurora again. The movement irritated my wolf instantly. ‘Mine’. The possessive thought came so naturally it nearly made me lose control. I clenched my jaw tightly. No. I had no right to think that anymore. Not after rejecting her. Aurora pulled Liam’s coat tighter around herself as snow continued falling heavily around us.

She looked exhausted and fragile

And despite everything I had done tonight, all I could think about was getting her somewhere safe and warm. “Aurora,” I said firmly, “you need to return to the palace.” Her expression hardened instantly. “No.”

“Aurora…”

“I said no.” The stubbornness in her voice caught me off guard. For a moment, I almost saw the future version of her. Not the shy girl everyone underestimated. Something stronger.

Liam crossed his arms beside her. “She’s not going anywhere with you.” I shot him a cold glare. “You think your cabin is safer than the royal palace?”

“At least she won’t be humiliated there.” The words hit harder than they should have. Aurora immediately looked away. Guilt twisted sharply inside my chest. Damn it. I never wanted tonight to happen like this. Yes, I planned the rejection. But not the pain in her eyes afterward, not the tears. And definitely not this unbearable feeling ripping my wolf apart every second she stood farther away from me. A soft wince suddenly escaped Aurora’s lips. My attention snapped toward her instantly. She pressed a hand lightly against her chest. The rejection bond. It was hurting her again. Without thinking, I stepped toward her. “Aurora”

“I’m fine,” she whispered quickly. She wasn’t that I know of. I could smell the pain on her. My wolf became restless immediately. ‘Fix it. Protect her. Claim her’. The urge nearly overwhelmed me. Liam noticed the way I stared at her and moved slightly closer to her side again being protective annoyingly protective. And for some reason, the sight made something dark inside me snap. A dangerous growl escaped my throat before I could stop it. Both Aurora and Liam froze. The street suddenly felt too small. Too tense. Liam’s expression hardened instantly. “Careful, Alpha.”

Aurora looked between us nervously. “Please don’t fight.” Fight? If Liam touched her again, fighting would be the least of his problems.The thought startled even me. What was wrong with me? I rejected her. So why did seeing another man near her feel unbearable? ‘Because she’s your mate’. My wolf sounded furious. ‘Mine’.

Before I could respond, another howl echoed nearby. This one much closer then a scream tore through the night. Aurora jumped violently.

The scream came from deeper within the kingdom streets. My eyes narrowed instantly. That wasn’t random. Rogues never attacked this close to the palace unless “They’re distracting the guards,” Liam said darkly, clearly reaching the same conclusion. My stomach tightened. Which meant this wasn’t just a rogue attack. It was planned. Aurora looked frightened now despite trying to stay calm. “What do we do?” I answered immediately. “You’re coming with me.”

“No,” Liam snapped at the same time. I turned toward him coldly. “She’s safer under royal protection.”

“She’s safer away from palace politics.”

“Aurora is still a citizen of Moonshade.”

“And your rejected mate.” Silence, the words landed like a knife between us. Aurora flinched visibly. i***t. Liam immediately looked guilty afterward, but the damage was already done. I saw the hurt return to Aurora’s face instantly.

Before anyone could speak again a dark figure suddenly leapt from the shadows, it was too fast Aurora gasped as a rogue wolf lunged directly toward her. Everything happened at once. Liam moved. I shifted. And the last thing I heard before chaos exploded around us was Aurora screaming my name.