Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Royal Wolf

Chapter 3

Mia

The Iron Ridge warrior who had stepped between us was named Nora. She didn't press us for details, nor did she cast a single judgmental glance at my bloodstained dress. She simply signaled her men and had us escorted to the borderland infirmary.

It was unlike any healing house I had known in Ash Harbor. The air wasn't thick with the suffocating scent of Alpha authority or the judgmental sneers of high-ranking wolves. Instead, it smelled of bitter herbs, burning pine, and clean, fresh water.

The healer examined me, his face growing grim with every passing second.

"The rejection backlash has critically wounded her inner wolf," he told Luke, keeping his voice low, though I heard every word. "With the full moon approaching, her system is fighting a losing battle. She might not survive three nights."

Luke stood by the wooden door frame, his massive arms crossed. His own wounds—several deep scratches from the forest—were still unbandaged.

"How do we save her?" he demanded.

The healer met his intense stare. "Keep her spirit stable. Absolutely no contact with the scent of her former mate. And she cannot be subjected to an Alpha command under any circumstances. The pressure would shatter whatever remains of her bond. If her wolf decides it wants to wake up, she’ll live."

"And if she doesn't?" Luke pressed, his jaw tight.

The healer didn't answer.

He didn't have to.

I lay on the crisp white sheets, listening to them discuss my impending death. Strangely, a heavy, cold calmness settled over me.

The pain in my chest was still there, a constant, throbbing agony. But it no longer made me want to curl into a ball and cry.

It made me want to keep score.

Ray publicly rejected me.

Ivy humiliated me in front of the pack.

The elders dressed me in white and paraded me onto the altar.

Mason came to drag me back to the quarantine ward.

And Ash Harbor threw an exile token at my feet.

Every single debt. I will remember them all.

The next evening, Ray came.

He didn't cross into the infirmary. He stood just outside the Iron Ridge border, flanked by over a dozen Ash Harbor warriors.

Even from my cot inside, I could feel the suffocating tension he brought with him. He looked worse than he had on the altar. Dark, bruised circles hung heavy under his eyes, and his shoulders were rigid. The backlash was eating him alive.

Yet, he still kept his chin tilted up, clinging to that infuriating, arrogant pride.

Nora stood at the infirmary entrance, her hand resting casually on the hilt of her sword, blocking his path. "Iron Ridge does not entertain uninvited Alpha heirs."

Ray glared past her, his eyes locking onto the window of the infirmary.

"Mia. Come out," he ordered.

The Alpha command was laced heavily into his voice. It rolled through the air like a physical shockwave, forcing the lower-ranking wolves in the infirmary to their knees.

The pressure hit my fractured chest like a sledgehammer. My wounds tore open internally, and I choked, coughing up a fresh mouthful of blood.

Luke immediately grabbed my shoulder to steady me, his eyes darkening into a pitch-black storm. He turned and strode out the door.

I heard the sharp, metallic shing of weapons being drawn outside.

Ray sneered. "Luke. You really think you can stand in my way now?"

Luke didn't flinch. "She needs rest."

"She is my rejected mate. Her backlash is affecting my wolf. I have the right to deal with her."

I wiped the blood from my lips, gripping the wooden wall as I forced myself to walk to the doorway.

Luke glanced back, a clear warning in his eyes, silently telling me to stay inside.

I shook my head and stepped out, standing firmly by his side.

When Ray saw me, a flicker of sheer panic broke through his cold facade.

I knew exactly how I looked. My face was deathly pale, blood stained the corner of my mouth, and my hair hung in tangled, sweaty mats over my shoulders. I was wearing a cheap grey tunic provided by the infirmary.

But as I looked at him, there was no pleading left in my eyes.

Ray’s brow furrowed. "Come back to Ash Harbor with me. The healers said that as long as you are within my territory, the backlash will ease."

A cold, bitter laugh escaped my throat. "Is it my backlash that will ease, Ray? Or yours?"

His face darkened, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Mia, don't make this uglier than it has to be. I am offering you a way back. That is more mercy than you deserve."

Luke’s grip on his dagger tightened.

From behind Ray, Ivy stepped forward, wrapping an expensive white fox-fur shawl tightly around herself. She looked at me, then deliberately raised a hand to cover her nose.

"Ray, her scent is completely feral," she whined. "Are you sure you want to bring her back? The pack will say you couldn't let go of a lowly Omega."

Ray’s wolf surfaced in his eyes, flashing amber. The inner conflict was tearing him apart, making his breathing ragged.

He was too proud to admit he needed me to survive the backlash.

So he aimed all his frustration at me.

"Mia, I can allow you to return to your duties in the healing house, and I can revoke your exile token. But you must get on your knees and apologize to Ivy. You terrified her with your little stunt last night."

I thought he couldn't possibly hurt me anymore.

But hearing those words, my chest still gave a pathetic, phantom ache.

Not out of love.

But because I finally admitted to myself that the boy I had worshipped for five years had never actually existed.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out the black bone token, and tossed it into the snow at Ray’s feet.

"I am returning what Ash Harbor gave me."

Ray stared at the token, his face twisting in confusion and mounting anger. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It means that from the moment you rejected me, I have nothing to do with Ash Harbor."

"You think Iron Ridge will take you in?" he mocked, though his voice wavered. "An Omega without a wolf? You can't even perform the lowest manual labor."

Luke took a step forward, his broad frame shielding half my body. "She doesn't need Ash Harbor."

Ray’s eyes snapped to Luke, his fury boiling over. "Who gave you the right to speak for her? Luke, you are nothing but a stray my father dragged out of the dirt."

Luke’s expression remained terrifyingly blank. "Which is exactly why I know what it feels like to be treated as nothing but a tool."

The words struck a nerve. Ray completely lost his temper, unleashing the full, crushing weight of his Alpha command.

"KNEEL!"

The aura slammed into Luke.

Luke’s knees bent slightly under the immense pressure. Sweat broke out on his forehead, but his boots remained firmly planted in the dirt. He didn't drop.

Gasps rippled through the Ash Harbor warriors.

A mere guard was resisting the direct command of a future Alpha.

Ray’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. "What the hell are you?"

Luke slowly lifted his head, his dark eyes burning. "A man who no longer takes your orders."

Ray lunged forward.

Nora and the Iron Ridge warriors immediately drew their weapons, forming an impenetrable wall of steel between us.

The border was a hair's breadth away from erupting into a bloodbath.

Just then, a booming, authoritative voice echoed through the clearing.

"Ray Carlton. Attempting to drag someone away from my gates? Did your father teach you nothing of border laws?"

Adrian, the Alpha of Iron Ridge, rode out from the tree line on a massive black stallion, a silver cloak billowing behind him.

Ray gritted his teeth and forcefully reined in his Alpha aura.

Adrian dismounted smoothly, walking straight toward me. His sharp, calculating gaze swept over my pale face and bloodstained clothes.

"Mia Vale," Adrian said, his voice carrying the weight of a true leader. "Do you wish to request sanctuary in Iron Ridge?"

Dead silence fell over the clearing. Every eye locked onto me.

I knew what this meant. If I nodded, Ash Harbor could never touch me again without declaring war. But requesting sanctuary also meant officially severing all ties to the pack of my birth. There would be no turning back.

Luke stood quietly beside me. He didn't offer advice; he simply waited for my choice.

Ray was shaking with suppressed rage. "Mia, think very carefully. If you walk toward them now, do not ever beg Ash Harbor to take you back."

I looked him dead in the eye.

"I will never beg you for anything."

I turned my back on Ray and faced Alpha Adrian.

"I request sanctuary."

Adrian nodded slowly. "Granted. From this moment on, anyone who attempts to take her without my explicit permission will be considered an act of war against Iron Ridge."

Ray’s face lost every drop of color.

He took a desperate step forward, but suddenly doubled over, clutching his chest with a strangled gasp.

His wolf was ripping him apart from the inside out.

Through the jagged, decaying remnants of our bond, I could feel his chaotic emotions spilling over. Agony. Fury. And a creeping, suffocating terror.

He finally realized I wasn't bluffing. I was never coming back.

Ray forced his head up, his amber eyes locking onto mine, his voice dropping to a harsh, ragged whisper. "You will regret this, Mia."

Standing firmly within the safety of the Iron Ridge borders, I gave him my final answer.

"The one who regrets this first won't be me."