Rejected By My Alpha Mate

Chapter 2

The world narrows to the sound of growls, the pounding of paws against the frozen earth, and the sharp scent of blood. I can’t tell if it’s theirs or ours. My breaths come in short, panicked bursts, the cold air searing my lungs.

Damien is a blur of black fur and vicious fangs, tearing into the rogue on his back. But there’s no time to admire his strength because three more wolves barrel toward me.

“Shift, Ariana!” Damien’s voice rips through the chaos, low and guttural.

“I can handle this!” I shout back, even though every instinct screams at me to run.

My blade feels heavy in my hand as the first wolf lunges. I sidestep and drive the blade into its flank. It lets out a strangled yelp but doesn’t stop. Blood splatters across my face as it twists, snapping its jaws inches from my throat.

The second rogue circles, waiting for its chance.

“Behind you!” Damien snarls, but I already feel the heat of its breath on my neck. I spin, raising the blade just in time to block its attack. Its claws rake across my shoulder, and I stumble, pain blinding me for a moment.

“You’re going to get yourself killed!” Damien shouts, his voice thick with frustration and something else fear?

I don’t answer. There’s no time.

The rogue I stabbed charges again, and I can see the madness in its eyes. It’s not just here to kill me. It’s enjoying this.

“Enough!” Damien roars, and the power in his voice shakes the ground.

The rogues hesitate, their movements faltering. Alpha command. Of course, he’d pull that card.

But then the largest wolf steps forward, its fur a mottled gray, its eyes gleaming with intelligence.

“This isn’t over, pup,” it growls, its voice deep and gravelly.

Damien shifts back to human form, standing tall despite the blood dripping from his wounds. “You have no claim here,” he says, his voice steady and unyielding.

The gray wolf chuckles, a low, menacing sound. “Oh, but we do. You’re harboring her.”

My blood runs cold.

Damien’s jaw tightens. “She’s pack. She’s under my protection.”

The gray wolf steps closer, unfazed by Damien’s power. “For now. But she belongs to us, and you know why.”

“I don’t belong to anyone!” I snap, stepping forward despite the warning glance Damien shoots me.

The gray wolf’s gaze shifts to me, and its grin widens. “Ah, the little warrior. So brave. So foolish.”

I grip my blade tighter, ignoring the shaking in my hands. “Come any closer, and I’ll show you just how foolish I can be.”

The gray wolf laughs again, but it’s cut off by a sharp howl in the distance. The sound sends a shiver down my spine.

The rogues exchange glances, their confidence wavering.

“Another time,” the gray wolf says, retreating into the shadows with the others.

I don’t lower my blade until their scents fade, but even then, the tension in the air remains.

“What the hell was that about?” I demand, rounding on Damien.

He runs a hand through his blood-matted hair, avoiding my gaze. “It doesn’t matter. They’re gone.”

“Don’t you dare brush this off!” I shout, shoving him. “They were after me, Damien. Why?”

He hesitates, and that’s all the confirmation I need.

“You knew,” I whisper, the realization hitting me like a blow to the chest. “You knew they’d come for me, and you didn’t say anything.”

“I was trying to protect you!” he snaps, his eyes blazing with anger and desperation.

“Protect me? By keeping me in the dark? By letting them hunt me like some kind of animal?”

“It’s not that simple!”

“Then explain it to me!” I shout, my voice echoing through the forest.

For a moment, he looks like he might. But then his jaw tightens, and he shakes his head.

“Unbelievable,” I mutter, turning away. “You’re just like your father.”

The words hit their mark. I can see it in the way his shoulders tense, the way his fists clench at his sides.

“Ariana—”

“Save it,” I snap, cutting him off. “I’m done.”

I start to walk away, but his hand shoots out, grabbing my wrist.

“You can’t just walk away from this,” he says, his voice low and dangerous.

“Watch me.”

But then his grip tightens, and there’s something in his eyes that makes my heart stop.

“You don’t understand,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “If you leave now, they’ll find you. And this time, I won’t be there to stop them.”

I yank my arm free, my anger burning hotter than my fear. “Maybe I don’t need you to.”

Before he can respond, the wind shifts again, carrying with it a scent that makes my blood run cold.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter, turning to face the treeline.

Damien steps in front of me, his body tense, his eyes scanning the shadows.

“Stay behind me,” he orders, but I ignore him, raising my blade once more.

The first figure steps into the clearing, and my heart skips a beat.

It’s not a rogue.

It’s my brother.

“Caleb?” I whisper, lowering my weapon.

He doesn’t respond. His eyes are blank, his movements stiff as he walks toward us.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Damien growls, his body coiled like a spring.

“I don’t know,” I say, my voice trembling.

But then Caleb stops, his gaze locking onto mine.

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice flat and emotionless.

“Sorry for what?” I ask, but before I can move, he shifts, his wolf barreling toward me with a snarl.

Damien intercepts him, their bodies colliding with a sickening thud.

“Stop!” I scream, but neither of them listens.

Blood splatters the snow as they tear into each other, and I’m frozen, unable to move, unable to think.

And then I see it.

The mark on Caleb’s neck.

A rogue’s mark.

My brother has been claimed.