Rejected by the Alpha Marked by Fate

Chapter6

Pain. That was the first thing I felt. A dull, aching throb that spread through my limbs, making it impossible to tell where one wound ended and the next began. My head pounded, my throat raw, my body sore.

I shifted, the soft texture beneath me foreign, nothing like the cold forest floor I’d collapsed on. My fingers curled into thick fabric. A bed.

Panic hit me like a slap. My eyes snapped open.

The room was dark, lit only by the flickering glow of wall sconces. Heavy stone walls loomed around me, carved with intricate designs. The ceiling stretched high above, supported by thick wooden beams, the kind that made the space feel more like a fortress than a home. Across from me, a massive fireplace burned low, the embers casting eerie shadows against the black stone floors.

I sat up too fast. A sharp sting shot through my ribs, forcing a gasp from my lips. My breath came short, uneven, but I ignored it. I needed to figure out where the hell I was.

And then the scent hit me.

Smoky. Earthy. Power wrapped in something sharp, something dangerous.

A shiver crawled down my spine.

The door creaked open.

Boots clicked against the stone, steady, unhurried. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. I felt something dangerous before I was taken by some warriors, his presence stretching through the room, thickening the air.

Ronan Howlston.

He stepped into the dim light, his golden eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach twist. His dark hair was tousled, his sharp features unreadable. Power rolled off him in waves, a force that pressed against my chest like an invisible weight.

I forced my spine straight, ignoring the dull ache in my body. I wouldn’t cower.

He stopped a few feet away, arms loose at his sides, but there was nothing relaxed about him. The way he held himself, the way he looked at me it was the gaze of a predator who’d cornered his prey.

"What do we have here," he said. His voice was deep, smooth, but edged with something cold.

"Where am I?" I asked, my throat raspy.

His head tilted slightly. “You are in the Darkveil territory little wolf,”

The name sent a chill through me. Darkveil. The most feared pack in the kingdom. Ruthless. Unforgiving. A place no outsider ever left alive.

My pulse hammered. "Why am I here?

Ronan studied me, his gaze trailing over my face, down to my bruised wrists. Something flickered in his expression, but it was gone before I could grasp it.

"You tell me," he said. "My warriors found you in my territory, being dragged around like a sack of meat. Why?"

I swallowed hard. "I…" I hesitated. then thoughts begin to roll over my head, What was I supposed to say

That my own pack had cast me out.

That I was a rejected she-wolf with nowhere to go.

That I had been trying to outrun my fate and failed

Ronan took a slow step forward, closing the space between us. "Who are you?"

His voice was quieter now, but there was no mistaking the authority in it.

I clenched my fists. "Thalia."

His eyes narrowed. "Thalia who?"

I hesitated. If I told him my full name if he realized who my mate was, what would he do.

Silence stretched between us.

Ronan sighed, shaking his head. "I don’t like repeating myself, Thalia."

"Thalia Frostbourne from the Moonbane pack," I finally said. My voice felt too loud in the cavernous room.

Something shifted in his expression. He knew that name. Of course he did. He knew about the wedding ceremony, and also about my mate who was his old time enemy, Valtor might not have been as powerful as Ronan, but he was still an Alpha. A man of status.

Ronan’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "Frostbourne." He said it like he was testing the weight of the name. "Interesting."

His golden eyes darkened. With a light smile on his face that told me the answer.

A sick feeling settled in my stomach. I had thought I was running from danger, but I had been running straight into it. Ronan’s warriors had taken me. Not to kill me, but that didn’t mean I was safe.

"Why bring me here?" I demanded. "You don’t know me."

His expression was unreadable. "Because I don’t like unanswered questions."

I exhaled sharply, my mind racing. If he saw me as a threat, he’d kill me. If he thought I was useful, he’d use me. I had no control here.

Ronan’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he turned slightly, walking toward a side table near the fireplace. He poured a dark liquid into a glass, the movement effortless, practiced.

"You’re not leaving," he said casually.

The words sank in like a knife.

My fingers curled. "You can’t keep me here."

He took a slow sip of his drink, watching me over. "Can’t I?"

I clenched my jaw. "I don’t belong here."

"Maybe not." He lowered the glass. "But you’re here now. And until I decide what to do with you, you stay."

I wanted to argue, to fight, but deep down, I knew it was pointless. Ronan wasn’t a man who negotiated. He ruled.

"Why would I run into your warriors?" I asked, my voice quieter now.

Ronan’s gaze sharpened. He set the glass down and stepped closer again,

"You don’t have to worry about that" Ronan replied

The hairs on my arms rose.

His golden eyes bore into mine.

The air left my lungs.

My heart pounded, my mind racing to catch up. That didn’t make sense. I had no connection to Darkveil. No reason for them to hunt me. Unless someone had sent them.

Ronan watched me carefully, as if measuring my reaction. "So," he said, voice low. "Why don’t you tell me what brought you to my territory?"

And just like that, the floor beneath me felt like it was crumbling.