Rejected By My Alpha Mate

Chapter 9

Darkness.

A vast, endless void swallows me whole, pressing against me like a living thing. My body is weightless, adrift in a sea of shadows. I try to move, but my limbs feel distant, as if they don’t belong to me anymore.

Then, a voice. Smooth. Familiar.

"You feel it now, don’t you?"

Reven.

His words slither through the void, wrapping around my thoughts like chains. I try to push him out, to fight back, but something inside me—something deep—responds to his call.

A golden thread flickers through the darkness, thin and fragile.

Selene.

I reach for it, but shadows coil around my wrist, yanking me deeper.

"Why resist, Ariana?" Reven’s voice is calm, almost amused. "You already know the truth. The power running through your veins... it was never meant for them. It was meant for us."

“No,” I whisper, even as the fire inside me stirs, burning hotter.

"Lies will only slow the inevitable," he murmurs. "You felt it, didn’t you? When the seal broke, when the ruins recognized you. That wasn’t their magic, Ariana. That was yours."

I shake my head, but the memories come unbidden. The way the ruins hummed under my touch, the way the symbols glowed in time with my heartbeat.

And the pain—sharp and searing—when Reven spoke my name.

No. No, I won’t let this happen.

I grit my teeth, forcing myself to move. The shadows pull tighter, but I keep pushing. My fingers brush the golden thread—Selene’s power—and a jolt of warmth shoots through me.

A second voice, distant but urgent. "Ariana! Wake up!"

Damien.

A violent pull yanks me upward. The darkness shatters.

And I fall.

Gasping, I jolt upright, my lungs burning as if I’ve been drowning. Cold sweat clings to my skin, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

I’m back in the ruins.

Selene kneels beside me, her golden glow flickering weakly. Damien is slumped nearby, his breaths ragged but steady. The ground beneath us is cracked, scorched in jagged patterns that lead straight to me.

And Reven?

Gone.

My pulse pounds. “What... what happened?”

Selene exhales shakily. “You almost lost yourself.”

Damien groans, dragging himself into a sitting position. His face is pale, his eyes filled with concern. “What the hell was that, Ariana?”

I press my fingers to my temples, trying to steady the storm inside me. My skin tingles, energy still crackling beneath the surface. The fire in my veins hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s stronger now.

Selene watches me closely. “You felt him, didn’t you? Not just his presence—but his power.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “He tried to pull me into the darkness. And I...” I hesitate, my throat tight. “I almost went.”

Damien’s jaw clenches. “You scared the hell out of me.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Yeah. Me too.”

A heavy silence stretches between us. The ruins still hum faintly, the remnants of whatever happened here lingering in the air.

Selene finally stands, her golden eyes dark with worry. “He’s marked you.”

The words send ice down my spine. “Marked?”

She nods. “Not physically. Not in a way anyone else can see. But he’s linked to you now. And the more you fight, the stronger the pull will become.”

Damien swears under his breath. “So what, we just wait until he wins?”

“No,” Selene says firmly. “There’s a way to break the connection before it’s too late.”

I exhale, my hands still shaking. “How?”

She hesitates. “It won’t be easy.”

I force myself to meet her gaze. “Nothing about this has been easy. Just tell me.”

Selene takes a deep breath. “We need to find the lost relic of the first alpha.”

Silence.

Damien blinks. “You’re joking.”

Selene gives him a pointed look. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

I frown. “What relic?”

Selene kneels, drawing a symbol in the dirt—an intricate design that sends a strange jolt through my chest. “The Alpha’s Sigil,” she says. “A talisman forged in the early days of our kind. It was created to protect the bloodline from the darkness Reven unleashed. If we can find it, we can sever his hold on you before he tightens the chains.”

I stare at the symbol, my stomach twisting.

Something about it feels... familiar.

Damien runs a hand through his hair. “Okay, let’s pretend for a second that this relic actually exists. Where do we even start looking?”

Selene’s expression turns grim. “There’s only one place it could be.”

I already know the answer before she says it. The knowledge is there, buried deep in my blood, in the whispers that have haunted my dreams since childhood.

I lift my eyes to hers, my voice barely a whisper.

“The Shadow Vale.”

Selene nods. “Yes.”

Damien swears again. “Great. Because that place isn’t cursed or anything.”

I grip the hilt of my blade—still warm from the magic that nearly consumed me. My heartbeat steadies. The fire in my veins doesn’t feel as foreign anymore.

I don’t have a choice.

If we don’t stop Reven now, he’ll take everything.

I meet Selene’s gaze. “Then we leave at dawn.”

Her lips press into a thin line. “You understand what this means, don’t you? The Shadow Vale isn’t just dangerous. It’s a graveyard for those who walk in unprepared.”

“I know,” I say, my voice firm. “But I won’t let Reven win.”

Damien sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “Well, looks like we’re all suicidal now.”

I let out a small, humorless laugh. “Guess so.”

The wind shifts, carrying the distant howl of the rogues. They’re still out there. Still hunting.

And Reven is waiting.

I tighten my grip on my blade, my resolve hardening.

Dawn is coming.

And so is war.