THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

WAKE UP FOR ME

CHAPTER 10: WAKE UP FOR ME

Cold.

That was the first thing.

Cold and dark and quiet.

I tried to open my eyes. Couldn’t.

Tried to move my fingers. Nothing.

Was I dead?

"Ava?"

A voice. Rough. Broken.

"Please. Baby, open your eyes for me."

Damian.

I wanted to answer. But my throat was full of ash.

I felt hands on my face. Warm. Shaking.

"Her pulse is weak!" someone shouted. "The poison’s in her bloodstream!"

"I KNOW!" Damian roared. "Get out! ALL OF YOU OUT!"

Doors slammed.

More silence. Except his breathing. Ragged. Like he was drowning.

"Ava," he whispered. "Can you hear me?"

I couldn’t speak. But a tear slipped out.

He felt it. "Oh god. Oh god you’re crying. That means you’re in there."

His forehead pressed to mine.

I could smell blood. And fear.

"I’m so sorry," he said. "I should’ve checked the tea. I should’ve checked the windows. I should’ve never let you out of my sight."

His voice cracked.

"Please don’t leave me," he begged. "Not like this. Not after I just told you. Please don’t make me live another 3 years without you."

Something warm dripped on my cheek.

Tears. His tears.

"I was such a coward," he continued. "I thought rejecting you would make me strong. But the strongest thing I ever did was love you. And the weakest thing I ever did was let you go."

My chest hurt. Not from poison. From him.

"I don’t care about the pack," he said. "I don’t care about being Alpha. I only care about you. Wake up and yell at me. Wake up and hate me. Wake up and tell me I’m an i***t. Just... wake up."

He was sobbing now. Openly.

The Alpha Blackwood. Breaking apart on the floor next to me.

And I couldn’t reach him.

The bond.

It was there. Faint. Like a thread.

I grabbed it with everything I had.

Pulled.

*Damian.*

His head snapped up. "Ava?"

*I’m here.*

"Talk to me! Say it out loud!"

My lips moved. Barely.

"D... Damian."

The sound that came out of him wasn’t human.

It was relief and grief and love all at once.

"I’m here," I whispered. "Don’t cry."

He laughed. And cried harder. "You’re telling ME not to cry?"

His arms came around me. Careful. Like I was glass.

He lifted me. Held me to his chest.

"I’ve got you," he said. "I’ve got you. You’re okay. You’re okay."

The antidote was working. I could feel warmth coming back to my fingers.

"Why did you say it?" I asked. Voice like paper. "That you loved me."

"Because it’s true." He pulled back just enough to see my face. His eyes were red. Swollen. "And I’m done lying. To you. To myself. To anyone."

He brushed my hair back. His thumb traced the mate marks on my neck.

"These came back because the bond never left," he said. "I rejected you, but the moon goddess didn’t. She knew. She always knew."

I reached up. Touched his face. He was still crying.

"Then don’t let go," I whispered. "Not this time."

"I won’t." He kissed my forehead. Then my cheek. Then my lips.

Soft. Shaking. Like a promise. "I swear to you, Ava. I will never let go again."

The door opened.

Luna Selene stood there. Saw us.

Saw him holding me. Crying.

Saw the marks.

She didn’t say anything.

She just turned and walked away.

Because even she couldn’t argue with this.

Damian laid me back down on the bed. Tucked the blanket around me.

"Sleep," he said. "I’m not going anywhere."

"Stay," I mumbled, already drifting. "With me."

He climbed in beside me. Careful not to touch the wound.

Pulled me against him.

"Always," he whispered.

And for the first time in 3 years,

I fell asleep in his arms.

And I wasn’t scared.

END OF CHAPTER 10

Word Count: ~1310

CLIFFHANGER: She woke up. He confessed. They slept together. But Luna Selene saw. And the wedding is TOMORROW. BUY CHAPTER 11.