Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 163

CHAPTER 147

Alpha Jaden’s POV

I pulled away from Liana, my breathing still heavy from what had just happened. The storage building felt suffocating now, filled with the scent of what we’d done and the tension that hung in the air like smoke

Clara was still standing against the wall, her face a mask of disgust and anger. She wouldn’t look at either

of us, her gaze fixed on some point beyond the dirty windows.

Good. She needed to see what she’d lost. She needed to understand that I’d moved on.

“We should take this back to pur room,” I said to Liana, straightening my clothes. “This place isn’t

appropriate for what just happened.”

Liana smiled at me, that satisfied look I’d grown used to seeing when she got her way. “Of course, Alpha.

Whatever you want.”

I glanced back at Clara one more time. She still wasn’t looking at us, but I could see the tension in her

shoulders, the way her hands were clenched into fists.

“What about her?” Liana asked, following my gaze.

“The guards will handle her,” I said. “She’s not going anywhere.”

We left the building together, walking past Marcus and Jake, who were trying very hard not to look like they’d heard anything. I’d deal with their discretion later.

The walk back to the packhouse was quiet. Liana stayed close to my side, her hand occasionally brushing mine, a reminder of what we’d shared. But my mind was already moving past what had happened in that

building, thinking about the bigger picture.

We passed several pack members on our way. Some nodded respectfully, others quickly looked away. I wondered how much they’d heard, how much they suspected. The storage building wasn’t that far from

the main areas, and sound carried in the afternoon air.

(‘

Not that it mattered. I was Alpha. I could do whatever I wanted with whomever I wanted. If anything, it

reinforced my authority, my power over both women.

But as we walked, I found myself thinking about the look on Clara’s face when she’d watched us. There had been disgust, yes, but there had been something else too. Pain Real, raw pain that went deeper than

just seeing an ex–mate with someone else.

Maybe she did still have feelings for me. Maybe leaving with Darius hadn’t been as easy as she’d pretended.

The thought satisfied something dark in my chest Good She should hurt She should regret running away instead of fighting for what we’d had

<CHAPTERJAK

+25 Points

Clara was here. On my territory. And despite what I’d said to her about wanting her back, despite the way my wolf had reacted to seeing her, I knew the truth.

I’d chosen Liana for a reason. Clara had been too strong, too challenging, too much work. She’d questioned my decisions, challenged my authority, made me feel like Nhad to prove myself constantly. Liana was easier. She gave me what I needed without the constant battle for dominance.

At least, that’s what I’d thought until recently. Until Liana had started falling apart and becoming weak and

pathetic.

What had happened with Clara in that building had been a moment of weakness. Seeing her again, seeing another Alpha’s mark on her neck, had triggered something primal in me. My wolf had wanted to reclaim what he saw as ours, regardless of the consequences.

But it was over now. The rational part of my mind was back in control, and I could see the situation clearly.

When we reached our room, I closed the door behind us and turned to face Liana. She was watching me

with an expression I couldn’t quite read.

“That was quite a show,” she said, her voice different now. Colder.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean,” Liana said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I heard

everything that happened before I walked in there, Jaden

My stomach dropped. How much had she heard?

“I heard you begging her,” Liana continued, her voice/getting sharper. “I heard you trying to force yourself on her. Trying to mark over another Alpha’s claim like some desperate animal.”

I felt my jaw clench. She was questioning me again, just like Clara used to do. But this time, instead of

irritation, I felt something else. Curiosity. This wasn’t the submissive Liana I’d grown used to. This was

someone with fire in her eyes, someone willing to challenge me.

“You don’t understand the situation,” I said, testing her reaction.\

ľ

“Don’t I?” Liana laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I understand that the moment you saw your

precious Clara, you threw yourself at her feet. You were ready to assault her just to get her back.”

There was steel in her voice now, a strength I hadn’t heard before. Even when she was angry about

something, Liana usually backed down quickly when I showed any resistance. But not today.

“I wasn’t assaulting her,” I said, my voice rising. “I was trying to fix a mistake.”

“By forcing a rating mark on her?” Liana’s eyes were blazing now, and she stepped closer instead of backing away like she usually did. “By trying to break a bond she chose to make

The accusation hung in the air between us She was right, of course What I’d been trying to do to Clara

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