The Rejected Luna's Secret Alpha

Chapter 9

For several seconds, I couldn’t move.

The words echoed through the corridor, bringing back memories I had spent the last few days trying to bury.

Dorian’s face.

His voice.

The way he had looked at me as if rejecting me was the easiest decision he had ever made.

I remembered standing before the entire Bloodmoon Pack, my heart breaking while everyone watched. I remembered Seraphina’s satisfied smile and the way Dorian had turned his back on me without a second thought.

And now he was here.

Claiming me?

My hands curled into fists.

“He can’t do that,” I whispered.

Xavier watched me carefully.

“No one can claim you against your will.”

“Then why did he come?”

“Perhaps he finally understands what he lost.”

The bitterness in his voice surprised me.

I looked up at him.

“You think he regrets rejecting me?”

“I think men like Dorian Gray rarely regret their actions until they realize those actions have consequences.”

I wanted to believe that was all this was. That Dorian had come because his pride had been wounded, because he couldn’t accept that the girl he had discarded might have found somewhere else to belong.

But a small, foolish part of me still wanted to hear him explain himself.

I hated that part of me.

“Do you want me to send him away?” Xavier asked.

I glanced toward the windows.

Beyond them, the iron gates stood tall against the morning light. Somewhere on the other side, Dorian was waiting.

The thought made my stomach twist.

“No,” I said at last.

Xavier’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

“No?”

“I want to know why he’s here.”

“Very well.”

He turned toward the guard.

“Bring Alpha Gray to the eastern reception hall. He will be received as a guest, not as an Alpha issuing demands.”

The guard bowed.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And inform the guards that his delegation is not permitted to wander the grounds.”

The man disappeared down the corridor.

Xavier looked back at me.

“You will not face him alone.”

“I can handle a conversation with my former mate.”

“I never suggested otherwise.”

“Then stop looking at me as if I’m about to break.”

His expression changed.

For a moment, I thought he might argue. Instead, he stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“Freya, I have watched warriors twice your size crumble under pressure. I have seen Alphas lose their kingdoms because they mistook pride for strength.”

His golden eyes held mine.

“Being afraid does not make you weak. But pretending you aren’t afraid can make you careless.”

I swallowed.

“I don’t want him to think he still has power over me.”

“Then don’t give him any.”

He offered me his arm.

I stared at it.

“What are you doing?”

“Walking you to the reception hall.”

“I have legs.”

“And I have an entire kingdom to govern. Yet here we are, wasting time arguing.”

Despite everything, a laugh escaped me.

Xavier’s mouth curved into the faintest smile.

“Come, Freya.”

After a moment, I took his arm.

And together, we walked toward the man who had once made me believe I was nothing.

The eastern reception hall was enormous.

Sunlight streamed through tall arched windows, illuminating polished marble floors and dark wooden furniture. Silver chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and portraits of former Lycan rulers watched from the walls.

I had never entered a room so beautiful.

I had never felt so out of place.

Xavier walked beside me with effortless confidence, his black shirt fitted neatly across his broad shoulders. Every guard we passed bowed his head.

No one questioned why the king was escorting me personally.

No one dared to stare for too long.

I wondered what they thought of me.

The strange girl their king had carried into the mansion.

The girl whose presence had apparently awakened an ancient power.

The girl who had somehow become important enough for Dorian Gray to cross the border and demand an audience.

We reached the double doors.

Xavier paused.

“Remember something,” he said quietly.

I looked at him.

“You owe him nothing.”

Before I could respond, the doors opened.

Dorian stood in the center of the hall.

For one terrible moment, the world seemed to stop.

He looked exactly as I remembered him. Tall, broad shouldered, with dark hair neatly styled and familiar gray eyes that had once made my heart race.

He wore an expensive black suit, and a silver pin bearing the Bloodmoon crest rested against his lapel.

Seraphina wasn’t beside him.

That was the first thing I noticed.

The second was the expression on his face when he saw me.

His eyes widened.

He stared at my dress, my hair, and the way I stood beside Xavier. His gaze moved over me as if he were searching for the frightened girl who had fled his territory.

But I wasn’t wearing the torn silver dress from my birthday.

I wasn’t crying.

And I wasn’t standing alone.

“Freya?” he breathed.

I lifted my chin.

“Hello, Dorian.”

He took a step toward me.

Xavier immediately moved between us.

“Alpha Gray.”

Dorian’s gaze snapped to the king.

“Your Majesty.”

He bowed, but the gesture looked forced.

“I appreciate you granting me an audience.”

“You made it clear you wouldn’t leave without one.”

Dorian’s jaw tightened.

“I came for my mate.”

Xavier’s expression remained perfectly calm.

“Then you should have treated her like one.”

Silence fell across the hall.

Dorian looked at me again.

“I need to speak with Freya privately.”

“No,” I answered.

The word came out more confidently than I expected.

His expression faltered.

“Freya, please. There are things you don’t understand.”

“Then explain them here.”

He glanced at Xavier.

“This is between us.”

“You made it everyone’s business when you rejected me in front of the entire pack,” I reminded him.

His face tightened.

“I know what I did.”

“Do you?”

“Freya, I made a mistake.”

The words struck me harder than I wanted them to.

For months, I had imagined Dorian apologizing. In my worst moments, I had imagined him realizing what he had done and coming back to tell me that I had mattered.

Now he stood before me, offering the words I once would have given anything to hear.

And somehow, they weren’t enough.

“I chose Seraphina because I believed she was the better choice for the pack,” he continued. “Her family has influence, wealth, and connections. I thought I was doing what was necessary for my people.”

I stared at him.

“So you sacrificed me for political power.”

His eyes flickered.

“I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You could have told me the truth.”

“I was trying to protect my pack.”

“And who was protecting me?”

He fell silent.

For the first time, I saw something resembling shame in his expression.

It should have made me feel better.

It didn’t.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he said.

“But you did.”

My voice trembled, and I hated that he could still affect me enough to make it happen.

“I stood in front of everyone we knew while you told me I wasn’t worthy of being your mate. You watched me leave. You didn’t follow me. You didn’t even ask if I was safe.”

Dorian looked down.

“I thought you would return.”

I laughed once, without humor.

“Of course you did.”

He looked up sharply.

“You’ve always been part of my life, Freya. I thought you would understand eventually.”

“Understand what? That I wasn’t important enough to choose?”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

He opened his mouth, but no answer came.

For the first time, I realized something that frightened me more than his rejection.

Dorian might genuinely believe he had done nothing unforgivable.

He might believe that because I had loved him, I would always be waiting for him.

That I would accept him back simply because he had decided he wanted me again.

He took another step toward me.

“I want you back, Freya.”

My heart gave one painful beat.

Then another.

I looked at the man I had once imagined spending my entire life with.

“I don’t belong to you.”

His face changed.

“You’re my mate.”

“You rejected me.”

“The bond is still there.”

“And what about my heart?”

He had no answer.

Dorian reached for my hand.

Before his fingers could touch mine, Xavier caught his wrist.

The movement was so quick that I barely saw it happen.

“Do not touch her without permission.”

Dorian’s eyes flashed.

“Release me.”

Xavier’s grip tightened just enough to make his warning unmistakable.

“You are standing in my territory, speaking to a woman who has already told you no. I suggest you remember that.”

Dorian pulled his hand free and turned toward me.

“You’ve changed.”

“No,” I said quietly. “I’m beginning to understand that I deserve better.”

Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.

Then he noticed the faint silver glow beneath my wrist.

His entire expression went blank.

“What’s that?”

I instinctively pulled my sleeve down.

“Nothing.”

“Freya, let me see your wrist.”

“No.”

He stared at me, then looked at Xavier.

“What have you done to her?”

Xavier’s face became terrifyingly still.

“Be careful, Gray.”

Dorian ignored him.

“I can feel it. Something has changed. Our bond feels different.”

He looked back at me, confusion replacing his anger.

“Freya, what happened to you?”