Rejected By My Alpha Mate

Chapter 15

The first rogue lunges.

Time slows.

I see everything—the ripple of its muscles, the flash of its teeth, the way its claws slice through the air toward me. My instincts scream at me to move, but I don’t step back.

I step forward.

My body reacts before my mind can catch up. My hands snap up, and the moment my fingers touch its fur, a shockwave of energy explodes outward. The rogue yelps, its body flung back as if struck by an unseen force.

What—?

No time to think. Another rogue charges. This time, I pivot, ducking under its swipe, my movements unnaturally fast. My foot hooks behind its leg, and before it can recover, I twist—flipping it over my shoulder and slamming it into the ground. The impact sends a tremor through the ruins.

More come.

I don’t hesitate.

I move through them like I belong in this battle, like this power inside me has been waiting for this moment. Every touch sends a jolt of energy through my enemies, throwing them back, stunning them.

Selene is a blur of golden light, weaving between wolves, her magic burning like fire. Damien, injured but relentless, fights with brute force, his claws tearing through fur and flesh.

But the rogues keep coming.

I see the largest one—twice the size of the others, its fur black as night, its eyes burning like embers. It doesn’t charge like the rest. It watches.

It’s waiting.

A warning pulses through my veins, but before I can act, a blur of movement catches my eye—Damien, caught off guard. A rogue barrels into him, knocking him to the ground.

I don’t think.

I move.

One moment, I’m standing in the ruins. The next, I’m in front of Damien, my arm raised as the rogue’s claws swipe toward him.

The attack never lands.

A pulse of energy erupts from me, invisible but real. The rogue is hurled backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack.

Damien stares up at me, breathless. “What—?”

But I don’t get to answer.

A low growl cuts through the air.

The black wolf steps forward, slow and deliberate. The other rogues hesitate, falling back. This is their leader.

And it’s here for me.

Selene moves to my side, but I hold up a hand. “No,” I say, my voice steady. “This one’s mine.”

The wolf’s lips curl, baring its teeth. Then, in a blur of motion, it shifts.

The transformation is seamless, bone and muscle twisting effortlessly, fur melting away into flesh. And then, standing before me, is a man.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. His eyes burn like fire, and the power radiating off him is suffocating.

“You’ve finally accepted it,” he says, his voice like gravel.

I clench my fists. “Who are you?”

A slow smile. “The one who started all of this.”

My blood runs cold.

The curse. The war. The rogues.

It all leads back to him.

And now, I have to finish what he started.