Rejected By My Alpha Mate

Chapter 3

“Caleb“, stop!” My voice cracks, but it doesn’t matter. His wolf doesn’t hesitate.

Damien shifts mid-charge, his muscles rippling, his fangs bared. He meets Caleb head-on, the sound of their collision reverberating through the clearing. I stumble backward, my feet sliding on the blood-soaked snow.

“Get out of here, Ariana!” Damien shouts between snarls.

“I’m not leaving!” I scream back, my voice trembling with desperation. “He’s my brother!”

The words barely leave my mouth when Caleb claws at Damien’s side, drawing a deep gash. Damien growls, unfazed, and retaliates with a snap of his powerful jaws, forcing Caleb back.

“Caleb, it’s me!” I cry, stepping forward. “Fight it! Whatever they’ve done to you, fight it!”

His wolf hesitates for a fraction of a second, his eyes meeting mine. And for the briefest moment, I see him my real brother beneath the haze of the rogue’s influence. But then the mark on his neck seems to glow, pulsing with an unnatural energy. He lets out an ear-splitting howl and lunges at me.

Damien blocks him again, slamming him into a tree. “Ariana, he’s not in control! You need to leave before…”

“No!” My voice is sharp, defiant. I tighten my grip on the blade in my hand, ignoring the shaking. “I’m not leaving him!”

“You’ll die trying!” Damien snarls, his tone both furious and terrified.

The air is thick with the coppery scent of blood and the electric charge of danger. I can barely breathe, but I refuse to back down. “Caleb, please!” I shout, my voice breaking. “I know you’re in there! You’re stronger than this!”

Damien growls again, throwing Caleb off him with a brutal shove. “He’s not hearing you! Whatever they did to him, it’s too strong!”

“No,” I whisper, stepping forward despite Damien’s warning growl. “He can hear me. I know he can.”

Caleb freezes, his wolf’s chest heaving as he stares at me. His lips curl back in a snarl, but his eyes flicker just for a second.

“Remember Mom,” I say, my voice trembling. “Remember the stories she used to tell us by the fire. You used to laugh so hard you cried, Caleb. You said you’d protect me, always.”

For a moment, the snarl fades. His breathing slows, his massive frame trembling.

“Ariana, no,” Damien warns, stepping closer. “He’s not”

“I can reach him!” I snap, glaring at Damien. “Just give me a chance!”

But the moment breaks. Caleb snarls again, his eyes glowing an eerie red as he lunges forward.

I don’t have time to react. Damien shifts again, slamming into Caleb and sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

“Run!” Damien roars, his voice strained as Caleb’s claws rake across his shoulder.

“Stop it!” I scream, my voice echoing in the clearing.

Then, from the shadows, another figure emerges.

The gray wolf.

“You’re persistent, aren’t you?” he says, shifting into human form. His voice is calm, too calm.

Damien freezes, his body still pinning Caleb to the ground. His gaze snaps to the newcomer, his growl low and menacing.

“What the hell do you want?” Damien spits, blood dripping from his mouth.

The gray wolf smirks, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Just tying up loose ends.”

I step forward, my blade raised. “Stay back.”

The gray wolf chuckles, shaking his head. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. Foolish, but brave.”

“Release him,” I say, my voice trembling but steady. “Whatever you’ve done to Caleb, undo it. Now.”

The gray wolf’s smile widens. “Oh, it’s not that simple, little warrior. You see, your brother made his choice.”

“He’d never choose this,” I snap, my grip tightening on the blade.

“Wouldn’t he?” the gray wolf counters, his tone mocking. “When the promise of power is so enticing? When the alternative is death?”

Damien growls again, his claws digging into Caleb’s fur. “You’re lying.”

“Am I?” The gray wolf tilts his head, his expression almost amused. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

I glance at Caleb, my heart pounding. “Caleb,” I whisper. “Is it true?”

For a moment, his wolf stills. His eyes meet mine, and I see the flicker of guilt, of pain.

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “You wouldn’t”

“He was weak,” the gray wolf interrupts, his voice sharp. “And now, he’s mine.”

Damien doesn’t hesitate. He lunges at the gray wolf, shifting mid-leap. But the gray wolf is faster. He sidesteps Damien’s attack with inhuman speed, slamming him into a tree with a sickening crack.

“Damien!” I scream, rushing toward him, but the gray wolf blocks my path.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he says, his tone mocking. “You’re not going anywhere.”

I raise my blade, my hand steady despite the fear clawing at my chest. “I’m not afraid of you.”

The gray wolf laughs, a low, chilling sound. “You should be.”

Before I can react, he moves, faster than I can track. His hand closes around my wrist, forcing me to drop the blade.

“Such fire,” he says, his grip tightening. “Such potential. It’s almost a shame to break you.”

But then, out of nowhere, a deafening howl pierces the air. It’s not Caleb. It’s not Damien.

It’s something else.

The gray wolf stiffens, his eyes darting toward the shadows.

“No,” he mutters, his confidence wavering for the first time.

I take the opportunity to wrench my wrist free, stumbling back.

“What is it?” I ask, my voice shaking.

But he doesn’t answer. Instead, he shifts back into his wolf form, his ears flat against his head.

“Run,” he growls, not at me, but at Caleb.

Caleb hesitates, his wolf’s eyes darting between me and the gray wolf.

“Now!” the gray wolf snarls, and Caleb obeys, disappearing into the shadows.

Before I can process what’s happening, the gray wolf follows, leaving me alone in the clearing with Damien’s battered form.

“Damien,” I whisper, rushing to his side.

He groans, his eyes fluttering open. “Ariana… are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say, though my hands are shaking. “What the hell was that?”

Damien struggles to sit up, his face pale. “Trouble.”

“No kidding,” I mutter, glancing at the treeline. “But what kind of trouble makes a rogue run?”

Damien doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks at me, his eyes filled with something I can’t quite place.

“Whatever’s coming,” he says, his voice low, “it’s not just after me. It’s after you.”

And for the first time, I feel the full weight of what I’ve stumbled into.