REJECTED BY THE ALPHA, CLAIMED BY HIS RIVAL

Chapter 3 - The Wolves Who Wanted Me Dead

For several seconds...

I couldn't speak.

The rain continued falling.

The forest remained dark.

And hundreds of silver eyes watched us from between the trees.

"The wolves who were supposed to kill you the night you were born."

Ronan's words repeated inside my mind.

Again.

And again.

"What?"

My voice barely worked.

Ronan didn't look at me.

His silver eyes remained fixed on the darkness.

"Hold on to me."

I stared at him.

"What did you just say?"

"Amara."

His voice became sharper.

"Hold on."

Something in his tone made me obey.

My fingers tightened around his neck.

Ronan turned.

And began walking.

"No."

I pushed weakly against his chest.

"Stop."

He didn't.

"Ronan!"

The moment I raised my voice...

Every pair of silver eyes in the forest disappeared.

My heart stopped.

"Where did they go?"

Ronan's body became completely still.

That was when I realized something terrifying.

The wolves weren't watching us anymore.

They were moving.

Around us.

"Ronan..."

"Quiet."

The word came out as a growl.

I froze.

A low sound moved through the darkness.

Not one wolf.

Hundreds.

They were circling us.

Ronan slowly turned.

His eyes searched the trees.

"They shouldn't have found you yet."

I stared at him.

"Yet?"

His jaw tightened.

"What do you mean, yet?"

He didn't answer.

Of course he didn't.

Anger flashed through me.

I had spent the entire night being lied to.

First by Kael.

Now by Ronan.

"Put me down."

"No."

"Put. Me. Down."

His silver eyes dropped to mine.

"You're bleeding."

"I don't care."

"I do."

The words escaped him instantly.

Silence followed.

I stared at him.

Ronan stared back.

Then his expression hardened again.

"We can discuss this later."

"I am tired of people deciding when I deserve answers."

Something changed in his face.

Just slightly.

But I saw it.

Guilt.

Before I could say another word...

A woman stepped from the darkness.

She wore a long black cloak.

Rain didn't touch her.

It should have.

I watched droplets fall around her.

None landed on her skin.

Her bare feet touched the wet earth.

Yet she left no footprints.

My wolf whimpered.

Ronan's arms tightened around me.

"Stay behind me."

"I'm already in your arms."

"Exactly."

Despite everything...

I almost laughed.

Almost.

The woman smiled.

"Still trying to protect her."

Ronan's expression became deadly.

"Leave."

Her silver eyes moved toward me.

And my entire body went cold.

She looked like me.

Not exactly.

But enough.

The same dark hair.

The same pale skin.

The same shape around the eyes.

My breath caught.

"Who are you?"

The woman tilted her head.

"You don't recognize your own blood?"

My heart began pounding.

Ronan growled.

"Don't speak to her."

The woman's smile widened.

"Three years."

She looked directly at him.

"You've searched for her for three years."

Then she looked at me.

"And she doesn't even know why."

My stomach twisted.

"Why?"

Ronan's jaw tightened.

"Amara—"

"No."

I turned toward him.

"Don't."

The woman laughed softly.

"Yes, little Moonborn."

Her voice sounded almost kind.

Almost.

"Ask him."

I looked at Ronan.

"Tell me."

He didn't answer.

My heart sank.

The woman stepped closer.

Ronan immediately moved.

A growl shook his chest.

The woman stopped.

"You were born under a dead moon."

My breath caught.

She looked at me.

"That shouldn't have been possible."

My fingers tightened around Ronan's shirt.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mother prayed for you."

The woman continued.

"Your father died trying to protect you."

I went still.

My parents.

I barely remembered them.

I had been told they died when I was a child.

A rogue attack.

That was what Kael's pack had always told me.

I looked at Ronan.

"Is she lying?"

He remained silent.

Pain flashed through my chest.

Not the pain of the broken mate bond.

Something worse.

Because I already knew the answer.

"No..."

My voice shook.

"Kael knew."

Ronan finally looked at me.

"Yes."

One word.

The world tilted.

I stared at him.

"Kael knew my parents weren't killed by rogues?"

"Yes."

"And he never told me?"

"No."

My eyes burned.

The woman smiled.

"You lived among wolves who knew exactly who you were."

I shook my head.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You will."

She raised one hand.

Ronan immediately turned.

"Don't."

Her smile disappeared.

For the first time...

The warmth vanished from her face.

"I didn't come all this way to ask permission, Ashbourne."

The forest exploded.

Wolves burst from the darkness.

Ronan moved instantly.

He threw himself sideways.

Still holding me.

A massive wolf crashed into the tree where we had been standing.

Ronan placed me on the ground.

"Stay here."

"Ronan—"

"Stay."

Then he shifted.

The transformation happened so quickly I barely saw it.

Bones cracked.

Black fur erupted across his skin.

And suddenly...

The enormous black wolf stood between me and the forest.

Silver markings burned across his fur.

The wolves surrounding us hesitated.

Even they were afraid of him.

Then the woman lifted her hand.

"Take her."

Everything moved at once.

Three wolves attacked Ronan.

He met the first in the air.

The sound of bodies colliding shook the forest.

The second wolf lunged toward me.

I screamed.

My body moved before my mind understood.

A sound escaped my throat.

Not a scream.

A command.

The wolf froze.

Every wolf froze.

Even Ronan.

The forest became silent.

My eyes widened.

"What did I do?"

The wolf in front of me slowly backed away.

Its ears flattened.

It whimpered.

The woman stared at me.

For the first time...

She looked afraid.

Then something inside me answered.

A voice.

Not my wolf.

Older.

Deeper.

Moonborn.

Pain exploded behind my eyes.

I cried out.

Images flooded my mind.

A woman running through fire.

A man covered in blood.

A baby wrapped in silver cloth.

Silver-eyed wolves surrounding them.

And a voice screaming—

"Don't let them take her!"

I fell forward.

Ronan shifted back and caught me.

"Amara."

I grabbed his arm.

"My mother."

His eyes changed.

"What did you see?"

"My mother."

Tears blurred my vision.

"She was running."

The woman suddenly screamed.

Ronan looked up.

Too late.

A silver blade flew through the darkness.

Ronan twisted.

The blade struck his shoulder.

Blood sprayed across the wet ground.

"RONAN!"

His growl shook the forest.

The woman smiled.

"Now."

The wolves attacked again.

Ronan turned toward them.

But I saw what he didn't.

A second blade.

Flying toward his back.

"No!"

I threw out my hand.

Silver light exploded from my palm.

The entire forest went white.

The wolves screamed.

The trees shook.

Ronan turned toward me.

His eyes widened.

The silver light surrounded us.

It came from me.

From my body.

From somewhere deep beneath my skin.

The woman stepped backward.

Her expression twisted with hatred.

"It awakened."

Ronan stared at me.

"Amara..."

I looked down at my hands.

Silver light burned around my fingers.

Then suddenly...

The pain inside my stomach returned.

Harder.

I gasped.

The light disappeared.

My knees collapsed.

Ronan caught me.

"What's happening?"

The woman looked toward my stomach.

And smiled.

A terrible smile.

"Not you."

My blood went cold.

She raised her hand.

"Your child."

Everything inside me froze.

"What?"

The woman looked directly into my eyes.

"The child carries it too."

Ronan's face became terrifyingly still.

"Don't."

His voice was low.

The woman smiled wider.

"Now do you understand why we need her dead?"

My heart stopped.

My hands covered my stomach.

"No."

Ronan pulled me closer.

His eyes had become silver fire.

"You will not touch her."

The woman looked at him.

Then laughed.

"You still don't understand, Ashbourne."

Her eyes shifted toward me.

"She isn't the danger."

The forest fell silent.

My heart pounded.

The woman slowly pointed toward my stomach.

"That child is."

A howl suddenly tore through the night.

Different from the others.

Louder.

More powerful.

Every wolf surrounding us froze.

Ronan's head snapped toward the east.

His expression changed.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For me.

For my child.

I stared at him.

"What is it?"

Ronan lifted me into his arms.

"We have to go."

"Who is coming?"

He didn't answer.

The howl came again.

Closer.

And this time...

I recognized it.

Because somewhere inside me...

The broken remains of my wolf began screaming.

Not in fear.

Not in warning.

In recognition.

Kael.

My heart stopped.

Ronan looked at me.

And his voice became dangerously calm.

"Your rejected mate found you."

The trees began to shake.

A massive golden wolf stepped from the darkness.

Kael Blackwood.

And behind him...

The entire Nightfang Pack.

To be continued...