THE BILLIONAIRE 💵 REJECTED MATE

REBUILDING MAYA

The next morning came far too fast.

A sharp knock on my door woke me at five sharp. I blinked open my eyes, sitting up on a plush king-sized bed that felt larger than my entire former room at the stepmother’s house.

"Get dressed, Maya. Time is short," Lucian’s voice echoed from outside the door.

Ten minutes later, I stood in the private training courtyard behind the manor. The morning air was crisp, and Lucian was already waiting, stripped down to a dark workout shirt that showed off broad, powerful shoulders and sharp muscles built for combat.

"If you want to face Ethan Vance and his pack, you need to be faster, stronger, and far more ruthless," Lucian said, tossing a light wooden training staff toward me. I barely caught it, almost dropping it on my toes. "First rule: never let your guard down."

Before I could react, Lucian stepped forward, his movement a blinding blur. He swept his staff toward my midsection. I reacted on pure instinct, lifting my staff to block it. The c***k of wood against wood rang sharply through the quiet courtyard.

My hands stung from the force, but I didn't back down.

"Good reflexes," Lucian murmured, a faint glint of approval in his dark eyes. "Your wolf is stronger than you think. You’ve been suppression-dosing yourself without even knowing it—your stepmother was mixing silver-powder in your daily tea to keep your wolf weak."

My breath caught. "They poisoned me?"

"They feared what you could become," Lucian said, stepping closer. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His touch was warm, sending a subtle, unexpected spark through my skin that made my wolf purr. "Starting today, we purge the poison. We train your body, and we unleash the Silver Moon within you.

For the next four weeks, my routine was relentless. Morning combat sessions with Lucian, afternoon lessons on corporate finance, supply chain management, and pack politics, and evening meditation to connect with my true wolf form.

With every passing day, the pale, fragile girl who had been rejected in that ballroom faded away. My skin glowed with health, my posture became straight and commanding, and my wolf's power woke up like a sleeping giant.

On the last day of the month, as I disarmed Lucian during an intense sparring session—sending his staff flying across the grass—he looked at me with a slow, dangerous smile.

"You're ready for the next phase," he said softly. "Which is?" I asked, breathing heavily, feeling more powerful than I ever had in my life.

"Tonight, Ethan Vance is holding a press conference to formally announce his engagement to Victoria," Lucian replied. "And you're going to crash it."