Rejected By The Alpha, Claimed By The Enemy

Chapter 4: Dinner with the Devil

Dinner was a nightmare.

20 Crescent Fang warriors. All of them staring at me like I was dinner.

I sat in the seat next to Dante at the head of the table. The "mate" seat.

He hadn’t said I was his mate. But everyone here acted like I was.

"So," said one warrior with a scar across his face. "You’re the Silver Moon reject."

Dante didn’t look up from his food. "Name’s Beta Rafe. Watch your mouth."

Rafe smirked. "Just saying. Kieran’s an i***t. Throwing away a pretty thing like this."

I flinched. Dante’s fork stopped mid-air.

The whole room went silent.

Dante slowly put his fork down. He looked at Rafe.

"Say one more word about her."

It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.

Rafe paled and looked down. "Yes Alpha."

The rest of dinner was quiet. Too quiet.

After, Dante walked me back to my room. Well, "my room". His prisoner room.

"Did you eat enough?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good." He leaned against the doorframe. "Tomorrow you start training."

I blinked. "What?"

"You have no wolf. That makes you weak. I don’t keep weak things in my house."

His eyes were hard. "So we’ll make you strong. Weapons. Fighting. Running."

"I don’t want to—"

"You don’t get a choice." He cut me off. "This is Crescent Fang. We survive or we die."

He paused. "Day 2 of 3, Elara. Think about my offer."

Then he left.

---

The next morning, 5AM.

A guard banged on my door. "Training. Now."

I was dragged to the training grounds. Cold. Mud. Other warriors watching.

Dante was already there. Shirtless. Muscles. Scars.

He tossed me a wooden sword.

"Pick it up."

"I don’t know how."

"Then you’ll learn." He circled me. "First rule: Don’t die."

He attacked.

I screamed and blocked. The wooden sword hit my arm. Pain.

"Again."

For 2 hours he drilled me. No mercy. No breaks.

I fell. I got up. I fell again.

Finally he stopped. Tossed me a towel.

"Not terrible," he said. "For a wolf-less mutt."

I glared at him, breathing hard. "Why are you doing this?"

He stepped close. Water dripped down his chest.

"Because when you leave here, I want you to survive."

His voice dropped. "Even if it’s not with me."

My heart did something stupid. It skipped.

"Day 3 tomorrow," he said. "Last chance, Elara."

---

That night I couldn’t sleep.

Stay. Or go.

Stay with the enemy who was training me.

Go back to the mate who humiliated me.

At 3AM, I made a decision.

I snuck out.

The window. The guard change. I’d watched.

I climbed down, ankle screaming, and ran.

To the gates. To freedom. To anywhere but here.

I was almost there.

And then a voice behind me.

Cold. Angry. Hurt.

"Running already, little wolf?"

Dante.

End of Chapter 4