Marked by the Beast King

Rejected

Chapter 3

Rejected

The man walking through the forest did not move like anyone else in the clearing.

Most Alphas carried dominance loudly.

They entered rooms like storms, aggressive, demanding attention before they even spoke.

This man did not need to. Silence followed him naturally.

The wolves nearest the entrance lowered their heads immediately as he passed. Others stepped aside so quickly it almost looked rehearsed. No one dared block his path.

Torchlight spilled across black wool and dark leather as he approached the ceremonial grounds with slow, measured steps. Snow-colored scars marked one of his hands where it rested behind his back, visible beneath the sleeve of his coat.

It was no one but the infamous Beast King. Kael Draven.

I had never seen him in person before. Only heard stories. Stories whispered carefully.

That he conquered territories without raising his voice.

That rival Alphas surrendered to him before battles even began.

That he once executed an entire bloodline after they betrayed a treaty.

That wolves stopped screaming when he looked at them.

None of the stories mentioned how calm he was. That frightened me even more.

Beside me, Lucien had gone completely still.

The fear in his face sharpened into something tighter the closer Kael approached the altar.

It was not fear of punishment, but recognition. As if he already understood this night had become something dangerous.

The priests hurried forward immediately, bowing low enough that their silver robes brushed the wet stone.

“Your Majesty,” the eldest priest greeted carefully. “We were not informed you would attend tonight’s ceremony.”

Kael’s gaze remained fixed ahead.

“I dislike announcing myself.”

His voice was deep without being loud.

He was calculative, every of his word was precise.

The priest forced a strained smile. “Of course.”

Kael finally stopped near the center of the clearing. He was close enough now that I could see his eyes clearly beneath the torchlight.

His eyes were gray. Not soft gray. It was winter-storm gray. The kind of color rivers became before freezing.

And those eyes settled directly on me. Not on the priests. Not on Lucien, but on me, poor little rejected me. Not like u haven't had enough trouble for one day.

The reaction was immediate. Reactions not from him, but from everyone else.

The tension around the clearing thickened sharply as wolves noticed where his attention rested.

I felt it too. That strange pressure again. Like something massive had just turned in my direction.

Kael looked at me for a very long time. Long enough that discomfort should have appeared. It always did eventually.

People either looked away quickly or stared too intensely before unease settled into their expression.

But Kael simply watched me.

Steady.

Unflinching.

Almost… thoughtful.

Then his gaze dropped briefly toward the shallow cut across my palm. Blood still glistened there.

When he spoke, his voice remained calm.

“Interesting.”

A chill crawled slowly down my spine.

Around us, nobody moved. Nobody breathed comfortably.

Lucien stepped forward first. “Your Majesty, this situation is already under control.”

But Kael did not look at him.

“What part of this,” he asked mildly, “appears controlled to you?”

Lucien’s jaw tightened.

The priest hurried to intervene before the tension worsened.

“The bond rejection was… unexpected,” he admitted carefully. “We are currently assessing whether dark influence...”

“Dark influence,” Kael repeated softly.

The priest swallowed.

“Yes.”

Only then did Kael finally glance away from me.

His attention shifted toward the gathered wolves surrounding the altar. Toward the fear spreading visibly through the crowd. Toward the distance everyone had unconsciously placed between themselves and me.

And something cold entered his expression.

“Who declared her cursed?” he asked, but nobody answered.

The silence stretched with immense heaviness.

A woman near the back lowered her head immediately when Kael’s gaze swept over the crowd.

One of the younger priests looked physically ill.

Lucien spoke again, more carefully this time. “The bond reacted violently. My wolf...”

“I know what happened,” Kael interrupted. But quietly.

That was the terrifying part. He never needed volume.

Lucien fell silent.

Kael stepped closer toward the altar.

Toward me.

My body reacted before my thoughts did. Every muscle tightened instinctively. Not because he seemed violent. But because he felt dangerous in a way I could not explain.

Predators did not always bare teeth before attacking. Sometimes they simply watched.

Kael stopped an arm’s length away. Close enough now that I caught the scent of snow, cedar smoke, and something darker beneath it.

It smelled like blood. Old blood, not fresh.

Something about the realization made my pulse stumble.

His eyes moved over my face slowly.

Studying.

Evaluating.

Then lower to the silver chain partially visible near my collar. His gaze lingered there for half a second too long.

“You wear silver,” he observed.

Not a question.

I resisted the urge to touch the hidden necklace.

“Yes.”

“And it doesn’t burn you.”

Murmurs spread instantly through the crowd. I felt dozens of eyes snap toward me.

The priest nearest the altar looked horrified that Kael had spoken the suspicion aloud.

I lifted my chin slightly. “No.”

Kael’s expression did not change.

But something sharpened behind his eyes.

Interest. It was real interest, and that frightened me more than the whispers. And that was because monsters drew attention. And attention from men like Kael Draven rarely ended well.

Lucien noticed it too.

I saw the exact moment tension pulled harder through his shoulders.

“She’s unstable,” he said abruptly. “Whatever happened tonight wasn’t natural.”

Kael finally turned toward him fully.

And for the first time since arriving, the air around the clearing shifted dangerously.

Lucien was an Alpha too, a powerful one at that. Yet standing beneath Kael’s attention, he suddenly looked small.

“Natural,” Kael repeated softly. “Is that the word we’re using?”

Lucien held his gaze carefully. “My wolf rejected her on instinct.”

“No,” Kael said.

The single word landed flat against the silence.

“Your wolf feared her.”

Now nbody moved. Even the forest seemed quieter.

Lucien’s expression darkened instantly. “That isn’t true.”

Kael tilted his head slightly.

“Then why are you still shaking?”

Lucien froze.

So did I.

Because he was right. Lucien’s hands were trembling almost imperceptibly at his sides.

He noticed it a second too late and clenched them into fists immediately.

Humiliation flashed across his face. The crowd shifted uneasily and fear spread faster now. Not just fear of me, but fear of whatever Kael seemed to recognize.

The eldest priest cleared his throat shakily. “Your Majesty… perhaps it would be wiser if the girl were confined until we determine whether corruption is involved.”

Girl.

Not wolf.

Not citizen.

Not person.

Kael’s gaze slid toward the priest slowly enough to make the older man pale.

“And if corruption is involved?” Kael asked.

The priest hesitated before he carefully said:

“The Moon Goddess commands purity within the bloodlines.”

In translation of this: the priest meant execution.

Hearing this, my stomach tightened faintly. Not because death feared surprised me. But because part of me had expected this eventually.

Ever since childhood, there had always been a quiet feeling following me like a shadow. Like the world was waiting for proof that I did not belong in it.

Kael looked back at me.

And for the first time that night, something unfamiliar crossed his face.

It wasn't pity. It wasn't cruelty either. It was recognition.

As if he had spent years searching for something without realizing it.

Then finally...

“Stay,” he said.

The word was directed at me alone.

Confusion flickered through the crowd immediately.

The priests exchanged uneasy glances.

Lucien stepped forward sharply. “Your Majesty...”

Kael did not even look at him.

“Everyone else,” he continued calmly, “leave.”

Then came silence. Nobody moved at first.

Then slowly, reluctantly, wolves began retreating from the ceremonial grounds.

The crowd broke apart in nervous whispers while priests hurried down the altar steps. Some looked frightened. Others curious. Several glanced back at me with open suspicion. Like they expected claws to tear through my skin at any moment.

Lucien remained standing where he was.

Kael noticed.

“You as well,” he said.

For the first time all night, anger flashed openly across Lucien’s face.

“This concerns my territory.”

Kael’s expression remained unreadable.

“And yet,” he replied softly, “you lost control of it.”

The words cut cleanly.

Lucien’s jaw clenched hard enough to pulse beneath his skin.

For one dangerous second, I thought he might argue further.

Then his eyes shifted toward me again and I saw that fear returned again. Raw and instinctive.

He stepped back but not dramatically. It was almost unconsciously. Like his body still wanted distance from me.

The realization hollowed something quietly inside my chest.

Lucien turned and disappeared into the trees without another word.

Soon, only the guards remained near the edges of the clearing.

And Kael.

The Blood Moon burned overhead while cold wind moved through the dark forest around us. I became painfully aware that we were now alone.

Or as alone as someone could be with the most feared Alpha in the territories standing a few feet away.

Kael watched me silently for several moments.

Then his gaze lowered once more toward my bleeding palm.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

I frowned slightly.

“The rejection?”

“No,” he said.

His eyes lifted back to mine.

“The silence.”