Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 198

Darius’s POV

“Bloodmoon Pack from the north. Ironwood from the east. And Nightfall from the south.”

Three packs. All converging on my territory at once. That wasn’t a coincidence.

“Numbers?” I demanded.

“Best guess is two hundred fighters total, maybe more.”

Lucien whistled low. “That’s a lot of interested parties.”

I was already calculating strategies, defensive positions, escape routes for the wounded. But part of my mind was focused on something else entirely.

They weren’t here for me. They were here for Clara.

Word had spread fast about what happened here. About the mate who rose up and killed her former

Alpha. About the woman who now commanded two packs with nothing but her own authority.

They were coming to see her. To test her. To try to claim her.

“Over my

dead body,” I muttered.

“What?” Lucien asked.

I looked across the courtyard to where Clara was helping load wounded warriors onto makeshift stretchers. She moved with purpose and grace, completely unaware that three packs worth of Alphas were racing toward her.

“They think they can just show up here and take what’s mine,” I said, my voice getting darker. “They think because she’s proven herself, she’s available for the taking.”

“Darius-”

“No.” I cut him off. “Clara is mine. My mate, my Luna, my everything. I don’t care what packs are coming or what they want. They can all go to hell.”

Lucien was watching me with that calculating look again. “What are you going to do?”

Before I could answer, Clara looked up from helping a wounded warrior and her eyes found mine across the courtyard. Even from this distance, I could see the strength in her gaze, the quiet confidence that had replaced the broken desperation I’d first seen.

She smiled at me. Just a small curve of her lips, but it hit me like a physical blow.

Mine. She was mine, and I’d be damned if I was going to let anyone take her from me.

“I’m going to remind everyone exactly who Clara belongs to,” I said.

1–started walking toward her, my stride purposeful and predatory. Behind me, I could hear Lucien following.

Clara was crouched beside another wounded fighter when I reached her. She looked up as my shadow fell across her.

“How are we doing?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle for her but letting the possessiveness show in my

eyes.

“Better than expected,” she said, standing gracefully. “The worst of the wounded are stable. The Shadowcrest fighters will need supervised recovery time before any decisions about their return.”

Smart woman. She was already thinking about the security implications and the logistics of managing wounded enemies.

“Good,” I said, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face, The simple touch sent heat through me, and I could see the answering heat in her eyes. “Because we’re about to have company.”

“What kind of company?” she asked, her voice immediately sharpening.

Before I could answer, the sound of howling echoed across the forest. Long, haunting calls that spoke of

large packs on the move.

Clara’s head snapped toward the sound, her body tensing for action.

“The kind that thinks you might be available,” I said, stepping closer to her.

More howls answered the first ones, coming from different directions. The sound was getting closer.

Clara looked up at me, and I could see the understanding dawn in her eyes.

“They’re coming for me,” she said simply.

“Yes,” I said. “But they’re going to learn very quickly that you’re already taken.”

The howling was getting louder now, and I could see the worried faces of the warriors around us. They

were looking to Clara for guidance, even though they were on my territory.

She looked at me, then at the approaching sounds, then back at me.

“How many?” she asked.

“Three packs. Maybe two hundred fighters total.”

For a moment, something flickered across her face. Not fear, exactly, but calculation. She was already planning, already strategizing.

“Well,” she said, her voice carrying clearly across the courtyard. “I guess we’re about to find out just how

far word has traveled.”

The howling grew louder, and I could see the tension in Clara’s shoulders as she prepared for another fight. My own muscles were coiled, ready to defend what was mine against whoever thought they could

take her.

Then the first group of warriors broke through the tree line, and I saw the familiar banner of the Bloodmoon Pack

“Darius!” Alpha Kane called out as he approached, his hands raised to show he wasn’t carrying weapons. “We came as soon as we got your message about the alliance.”

The alliance. The backup I’d called for days ago when we first learned about Jaden’s planned attack.

I felt some of the tension leave my body, but I kept my stance protective. Clara was still beside me, alert and ready.

“You’re late,” I said bluntly.

Kane winced. “We got held up by a territorial dispute. By the time we arrived at the meeting point, your messenger said the fighting had already started.”

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