Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 129

CHAPTER 112

Alpha Lucien’s POV

I carefully angled my phone and took a discrete photo of Clara, making sure to capture her face clearly while appearing to check my messages. The last thing I needed was to be caught taking pictures of another alpha’s mate.

My wolf was practically clawing at my chest, demanding I claim what was ours. But I forced myself to stay calm, to think logically about this impossible situation.

Clara was already mated to Darius. She wore no visible mating mark, but that didn’t mean anything. Some

alphas preferred private ceremonies, private markings. The fact that she was here as his acknowledged

mate was claim enough.

But she was mine. My wolf knew it with absolute certainty.

Throughout the rest of the meeting, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Every gesture, every expression, every slight movement fascinated me. When my name was called for the presentation I’d already declined, I barely heard it.

“Alpha Lucien?” the speaker called again. “Your quarterly report?”

“Declined,” I said absently, my attention still fixed on Clara. “Prior commitments.”

I watched as Clara leaned slightly toward Darius, saying something that made him smile. The expression on his face was possessive, proud, completely satisfied. He looked like a man who had everything he’d

ever wanted.

And what he wanted was my mate.

I studied their interaction more carefully, looking for signs of their relationship dynamic. Darius kept his, hand on her constantly, marking his territory for anyone who might be watching. Clara seemed comfortable with the contact, but there was something in her posture that suggested she was performing rather than simply being.

Interesting.

As the evening progressed, I noticed other things too. The way Ronan and Killian looked at Clara wasn’t just appreciation for her beauty. There was genuine respect there, the kind alphas usually reserved for their own pack members or trusted allies.

Why would two powerful alphas look at another alpha’s mate with such regard?

And then there was the tension I’d observed earlier. Darius and Killian had always been close, practically brothers in their friendship. But tonight, there was something strained between them. A careful distance that hadn’t been there before.

I watched as Killian’s eyes followed Clara’s movements, and I saw Darius notice the attention. The way

CHAPTER 11

Darius’s raw clenched, the way his hand tightened on Clara’s waist, spoke of barely controlled pussessiveness.

Brothers didn’t usually compete over women. Not unless something had changed between them.

I turned my attention back to Clara, studying her face for any sign of what might have caused this shift. She seemed oblivious to the tension, or perhaps she was just very good at hiding her awareness of it. But as I watched, I caught something. A fleeting look that passed between Clara and Killian when she thought no one was watching. It was gone in an instant, but I’d seen it.

Recognition. Familiarity. Something that spoke of shared secrets.

The pieces started falling into place in my mind. The way Ronan and Killian had spoken about her with such respect. The tension between Darius and Killian. The careful way Clara navigated conversations about her background.

This wasn’t just a simple mate bond. There was history here, complications i was only beginning to understand.

As the meeting began to wind down, I found myself more confused than ever. Clara was my mate, I was certain of that. But she was also at the center of something complex and potentially dangerous.

The way Darius watched her, the way he kept her close, spoke of a man who knew exactly how valuable

she was. And the way other alphas looked at her suggested they knew it too.

What was it about Clara that made powerful men circle her like planets around the sun?

I leaned back in my chair, my mind racing with possibilities. The Red Moon bloodline I’d sensed in her. The respect she commanded from alphas who barely knew her. The tension she seemed to create just by

existing.

And now, the undeniable fact that she was my mate.

I looked at the careful distance Darius maintained between Clara and the other alphas, at the way Killian’s eyes followed her despite his friend’s obvious displeasure.

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For some weird reason, I began to wonder if the reason I couldn’t fully get their reaction to Clara was because I missed the fight we were meant to have with Ronan.

I sighed, turning my full attention back to Clara, studying her carefully. She sat beside Darius with perfect composure, her hands folded elegantly in her lap, her attention seemingly focused on the current speaker. But I could see the subtle alertness in her posture, the way her eyes occasionally swept the room.

She was aware of everything. Every look, every whispered conversation, every shift in the political currents around her. This wasn’t some innocent woman caught up in forces beyond her control. This was someone who understood exactly what kind of effect she had on people.

As I watched, she leaned slightly toward Darius and whispered something in his ear. His expression softened immediately, and he nodded, his hand finding hers under the table. The gesture looked intimate,

CHAPTER 1

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