REJECTED BY THE ALPHA BILLIONAIRE

Chapter 11 – The Pull I Can’t Escape

The moonlight streamed through the tall windows of Damian Blackwood’s study, painting silver streaks across the polished mahogany desk. I stood frozen, every muscle in my body trembling as his piercing obsidian eyes pinned me where I was.

“Do you enjoy testing my patience, Aria?” His voice was low, rough, the kind of tone that sent chills down my spine. “Or is this your way of begging for punishment?”

My lips parted, but no words came out. My throat was dry, my chest rising and falling too quickly. It wasn’t fear alone that gripped me. It was something far worse. Something primal. Something I couldn’t admit out loud.

Damian moved slowly, deliberately, like a predator stalking prey. His expensive suit clung to his broad frame, every step echoing against the marble floor. The space between us shrank until I could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

“You’ve been running since the night of the rejection,” he whispered, leaning close enough for his breath to graze the shell of my ear. “But tell me, Aria… if you despise me so much, why does your pulse race every time I come near?”

My heart thudded violently in my chest. His words burned through me, dragging up the truth I wanted to bury. Yes, I hated him for the cruel way he rejected me in front of the entire pack. Yes, I wanted to despise every inch of him. But the bond—the cursed mate bond—was still there, pulling me toward him like gravity itself.

I forced myself to step back, even though it felt like ripping flesh from bone. “Don’t flatter yourself, Alpha. My pulse races because I’m disgusted by you.”

His lips curved into the faintest smirk. “Disgust, hmm? Strange, because you look a lot like a woman fighting desire.”

Heat flared across my cheeks. My nails dug into my palms to stop myself from reacting. Goddess help me, he was right.

“Stay out of my head,” I hissed.

Damian’s smirk vanished, replaced with that cold, unreadable mask he wore so well. “That’s the thing, Aria. I don’t need to get into your head. Your body betrays you every time.”

I opened my mouth to snap back, but the heavy creak of the study door interrupted me. Both our heads turned.

One of Damian’s men stood there, breathing hard, his face pale. “Alpha. We have a problem. Rogues… too many of them. They’ve crossed the border.”

My blood ran cold. Rogues? Here?

Damian’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening with lethal focus. “How many?”

“Dozens. Maybe more.”

For a moment, the air in the room shifted. The commanding Alpha in him surged forward, and I saw the ruthless side of Damian Blackwood that had earned him his reputation. His power practically vibrated in the air.

He glanced at me, and for the first time since the night of the rejection, there wasn’t scorn in his eyes. There was calculation. And maybe… fear.

“You’re not leaving my sight,” he growled.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He took a step closer, towering over me again. “The rogues know what you are, Aria. They’d kill for a chance at a Luna with your bloodline.”

I stiffened. My secret—my cursed heritage—was something I never wanted him to use against me. “Don’t pretend you care about me now. You made it perfectly clear I’m nothing to you.”

His hand shot out, gripping my chin with surprising gentleness, but his eyes burned into mine. “You may be nothing to me as a mate, but as my pack’s Luna—rejected or not—you are still my responsibility. And I will not let them take you.”

The words hit harder than they should have. My chest tightened, my resolve threatening to crack.

Outside, the sound of distant howls pierced the night, sharp and menacing. The rogues were closer.

Damian released me abruptly and strode toward the door, his aura radiating authority. He turned back once, his gaze locking onto me like a command branded into my skin.

“Stay behind me, Aria. If you run now… they’ll rip you apart.”

My breath caught. For the first time, I realized this wasn’t just a battle for dominance between us. This was life or death.

And deep down, beneath the hatred and the scars, a terrifying truth clawed at me—

I wasn’t afraid of the rogues.

I was afraid of what being by Damian’s side again would awaken inside me.

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🔥 Cliffhanger Ending: Aria is torn between her hatred for Damian and her undeniable pull toward him, all while danger closes in with the rogue attack.