Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By The Lycan king

CHAPTER 8

ZARIA'S POV

"Step away from the door, Camilla," I said, my voice flat as I adjusted the collar of the simple tunic I’d been given.

"I can't do that, Lady Zaria," she said, spreading her arms wide to completely block the threshold. "Please, just go back to bed. You’re not supposed to be out of the medical suite yet."

"I am testing a theory," I told her, stepping closer until we were face-to-face. "Am I an actual guest here, or am I just a prisoner in a prettier room? Because if I’m a guest, I’m going downstairs right now."

"You're a guest! Of course you're a guest!" Camilla pleaded, her eyes darting nervously toward the balcony guards outside. "But you don't understand how things work here. The Shadowpelt pack isn't like your old home. It is incredibly dangerous for you out there right now."

"Because I'm human?" I asked, a bitter smile touching my lips. "Because I don't have a wolf to fight back?"

"Because the rumors have already spread through the entire estate," she admitted, her voice dropping to a frantic, terrified whisper. "Everyone knows, Zaria. They know Garrick rejected you. They know your sister betrayed you. And they know you don't have a wolf anymore."

"Then they know exactly who I am," I said, my silver-gray eyes hardening. "It's useless hiding. Move, Camilla."

"Zaria, please! They will tear you apart!" she cried out, but I shoved past her arm before she could grab me. "Don't do this!"

"Watch me," I said, not looking back as I hit the corridor.

I walked down the winding marble staircase, each step sending a jolt of pain through my healing ribs. The moment my bare feet hit the cold stone of the main courtyard, the chaotic noise of the estate ground to a sudden, screeching halt. The clashing of heavy training weapons stopped. The servants carrying supplies froze.

Dozens of pairs of hostile eyes locked directly onto me.

"Well, look at that," a loud voice called out from the training ring. "The King's new pet finally decided to crawl out of her cage."

I stopped walking, turning my head to look directly at the massive warrior who had spoken. "You got something to say to my face?"

"I say whatever I want to say," he sneered, tossing his wooden training sword onto the gravel. "Especially to a weak, rejected piece of trash from the southern packs."

"She doesn't even have a scent," a woman nearby muttered loudly to her friend, not even bothering to hide her disgust. "It’s completely unnatural. She smells like a corpse. Why is a flat-line human walking freely in our sacred territory?"

"She’s a jinx," another warrior growled from the crowd, stepping forward. "Her own mate didn't even want her. Her own father threw her out like trash. Now she’s here to act like a parasite on our pack's resources."

I turned on my heel, facing the man who called me a parasite. "If you think I'm taking your precious resources, come over here and take them back yourself. Otherwise, shut your mouth."

A collective gasp rippled through the courtyard.

"The little omega thinks she still has an Alpha father to protect her," an older man laughed, spitting on the ground right near my bare feet. "You're nothing here, girl. You're just an infection."

"I am Zaria Grimston," I said, my voice ringing clear across the stone courtyard, hiding the panic clawing at my chest. "And I don't take insults from cowards who hide in a crowd. If you want me gone, come move me."

"Oh, you've got a very big mouth for someone who can't even grow claws," a sharp, mocking voice sliced through the murmurs.

The crowd parted instantly. A tall, heavily muscled female warrior stepped into my path, completely cutting off my route. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a tight braid, and her golden eyes burned with pure, unadulterated arrogance.

"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" I asked, refusing to back down an inch.

"Tanya," she said, leaning down slightly to look me dead in the eye, her breath hot against my face. "A real warrior of the Shadowpelt pack. A hunter. Not a broken, useless human who got dumped by her lover within a twinkle of an eye."

"Get out of my way, Tanya," I said, keeping my voice entirely steady.

"Or what?" Tanya mocked, a cruel smirk spreading across her face as the crowd laughed behind her. "What are you going to do to me, human? Cry? Call for King Cassian to save you again? You're a long way from your soft southern pack, little princess.“

"I told you to move," I repeated, my fists clenching at my sides.

"Make me," she hissed.

Before I could even register the movement, Tanya lunged forward. Her shoulder slammed directly into mine with the full, supernatural force of a werewolf warrior. My weakened, human body stood absolutely no chance against the impact.

The blow sent me flying backward. I crashed hard against the unforgiving stone floor, the breath completely exploding from my lungs in a painful gasp. A sharp, burning agony flared through my palms as they scraped violently against the rough gravel.

Tanya stood over me, her hands on her hips, looking down like I was a pathetic insect. "Look at you. Pathetic. One tiny bump and you break into pieces."

"Is that the best you can do?" I choked out, pushing myself up onto my elbows, staring up at her with pure, lethal hatred. "Attacking someone you know can't fight back? You're real brave, Tanya. Truly an inspiration to your pack."

"A broken human has absolutely no place in a pack of hunters," Tanya sneered, stepping closer until her heavy leather boot was hovering right over my scraped, bleeding hand. "You're a leech, Zaria. And your sister Cynthia clearly had the right idea when she stripped you of your title. You were never meant to be a Luna."

"Don't you dare mention my sister," I spat, gripping the cold stone, my blood boiling.

"Why not? She’s beautiful, powerful, and she took everything from you because you're weak," Tanya whispered, her eyes flashing amber with sadistic delight. "And now, I'm going to crush every single bone in this fragile little hand just to prove a point. Let's see how much pressure you can take before you start begging me for mercy."

Tanya raised her heavy leather boot, aiming it directly at my exposed fingers. I braced myself, refusing to close my eyes, ready to bite my tongue through the pain.

But her foot never came down.

Suddenly, an invisible, suffocating weight dropped from the sky, slamming into the courtyard like a falling mountain.

Tanya froze instantly, her leg suspended in mid-air, her face turning deathly pale as her amber eyes stretched wide with sudden, primal terror. All around the courtyard, the arrogant smirks vanished in an instant.

The silence that followed was absolute. No one could move. No one could breathe.