Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 218

CHAPTER 202-2

+25 Parts

The words stung because there was a grain of truth in them. Darius had saved me when I was broken and bleeding. But what we’d built together was more than gratitude.

“Don’t you dare diminish what Darius and I have,” I said.

“I’m not trying to diminish it. I’m trying to show you that there might be something even stronger available to you.”

I looked at him standing there, so confident in his claim, so certain that what he felt gave him the right to upend my life. He was handsome, powerful, clearly devoted to the idea of us. Any woman would be flattered.

I just felt trapped.

“Why now?” I asked. “Why tell me this now, after everything that’s happened?”

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“Because I couldn’t live with the lie anymore. Because every moment I spend with Mira, I’m thinking about you. Because the thought of you binding yourself permanently to someone else makes me feel like I’m dying.”

The raw honesty in his voice was almost painful to hear. But it also made me angry.

“So your solution is to make your problems my problems? To add more chaos to an already impossible situation?”

“My solution is to give you a choice. A real choice, based on truth instead of circumstances.”

“And what exactly are you offering me, Ronan? What’s your grand plan here?”

He was quiet for a moment, clearly trying to choose his words carefully. “An alliance. Between your packs

and mine. Trade agreements, mutual defense, shared resources. Together, we could build something, stronger than any of us could manage alone.”

“An alliance,” I repeated. “How convenient that your heart’s desire also happens to benefit your pack

politically.”

“That’s not why-”

“Isn’t it?” I crossed my arms. “You show up here talking about mates and destiny, but what you’re really proposing is a business arrangement that comes with the bonus of getting what you want personally.”

“Clara, you’re twisting this-”

“Am I? Because it sounds to me like you want me to blow up my relationship with Darius, abandon the stability we’re building here, and align myself with you based on some mystical mate bond I’m supposed to just accept exists.”

“The bond does exist. You can feel it if you let yourself.”

CHAPTER 2

+25 Points

“Maybe I can. But feeling something doesn’t mean I have to act on it.” I moved to the window, looking out at the courtyard where people were going about their daily business. Normal people with normal problems. “Do you know what I’ve learned, Ronan? Everyone wants something from me. Jaden wanted a submissive Luna. Lucien wants a pure-blood breeding partner. You want a true mate who conveniently comes with territorial advantages.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” I turned back to face him. “What are you offering me besides more complications? What are you bringing to my life that makes all this chaos worth it?”

“Love,” he said simply. “Real, honest, bone-deep love. The kind you only get once in a lifetime.”

“And all I have to do is destroy the life I’ve built, hurt a man who’s stood by me through everything, and trust that your feelings won’t change once the novelty wears off.”

“My feelings won’t change.”

“How can you possibly know that? You’ve been married to Mira for how long? And now suddenly you’re ready to throw that away for a woman you’ve known for days?”

“I’ve known since the moment I saw you that everything in my life was wrong. That I’d been living a half-life, pretending to be satisfied with something that was never enough.”

The pain in his voice was genuine, but it didn’t change the reality of the situation.

“I’m sorry you’re hurting,” I said. “I really am. But your pain doesn’t create an obligation on my part.”

“I’m not asking for obligations. I’m asking for a chance.”

“A chance to do what? Prove that destabilizing my entire world is worth it?”

“A chance to prove that what we could have together is worth fighting for.”

I studied his face, seeing the determination there. He wasn’t going to give up easily. Just like Lucien, he

believed in his cause with absolute conviction.

“If you want a chance,” I said slowly, “then you need to understand something. I don’t respond well to demands or claims of destiny. If you want my consideration, you earn it.”

“How?”

“Prove your loyalty isn’t just about getting what you want. Prove you can put my needs and the needs of these people above your own desires. Prove you’re someone worth trusting with anything important.”

“And if I do that?”

“Then maybe we can have a conversation about alliances. Political ones. Business arrangements that benefit everyone involved.”

“Just political?” His voice was carefully neutral.

CHAPTER 20

+25 Points

“We’ll see.” I moved toward the door. “But understand this, Ronan. I won’t be pressured, manipulated, or convinced by pretty speeches about destiny. If you want anything from me, you work for it. You prove yourself. And you accept that I might decide you’re not worth the risk.”

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