Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 247

CHAPTER 227

CHAPTER 227

Clara’s POV

Suddenly, the whispers started.

Everyone was talking at once. Shouting. Arguing. The carefully maintained peace of my pack

shattering into a hundred sharp pieces.

“She had no right-”

“-disrespecting our Luna like that-”

“-but what if it’s true-”

“-stealing another woman’s mate-”

“-defended us against Jaden, doesn’t that count for something-”

I stayed in the Alpha’s chair, frozen. My shirt was wrinkled where Mira had grabbed it. My hands were shaking in my lap. But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think past the ringing in my ears.

Tim, one of the senior warriors, stepped forward. His face was flushed with anger. “Luna Clara, is it true? Are you involved with Alpha Ronan?”

The hall went quiet. Waiting.

I opened my mouth. Closed it. What could I say? Deny it? That would be a lie, and they’d smell it on me. Confirm it? That would validate everything Mira had screamed at me.

“The mate bond is complicated,” I said finally.

Wrong answer. I knew it the moment the words left my mouth.

“Complicated?” A woman near the back spoke up. Margaret, a mother of three. Her voice was

cold. “My husband and I have been mated for fifteen years. It’s never been complicated. You either honor your bond or you don’t.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

“Margaret, that’s not fair-” someone else started.

“Not fair?” Margaret cut them off. “What’s not fair is having a Luna who can’t control herself. Who brings shame to our pack by stealing other women’s mates.”

“She didn’t steal anyone,” Bethany said, stepping forward. I hadn’t even noticed she’d stayed. “The mate bond isn’t something you choose. It just is.”

CHAPTER 221

“Then she should have fought it, Margaret shot back. “Should have sent Alpha Ronan away the moment she felt the pull. Instead, she let him stay. Let him get close. That’s a choice.”

She wasn’t wrong. Every word was true, and it made my chest ache.

“Wait,” someone else called out. Gregory, a young warrior who’d always been sharp. Too sharp. “Alpha Ronan isn’t the only one here, is he?”

The hall went deathly quiet.

Gregory stepped forward, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Killian and Lucien.

“Alpha Killian. Alpha Lucien. You’ve both been here for weeks now. Why is that exactly?”

“Pack business,” Killian said coldly.

“Pack business,” Gregory repeated, his tone mocking. “Right. Because powerful Alphas always hang around other territories for weeks on end for business. That’s completely normal.”

“Watch yourself,” Lucien warned.

But Gregory was on a roll now, emboldened by the crowd’s attention. “No, think about it. Three Alphas. All here. All circling around our Luna like wolves around prey.”

“That’s enough,” I said, but my voice came out weak.

“Alphas crave power above everything else,” Gregory continued, turning to address the crowd now. “They fight for territory, for dominance, for control. Yet these three have been here, in our pack, helping another Alpha. Helping her. And we’re supposed to believe it’s just business?”

Whispers spread through the hall like wildfire.

“What are you suggesting?” Derek asked, though his face said he already knew.

“I’m suggesting that maybe Alpha Ronan isn’t the only one our Luna has been… entertaining.” Gregory’s smile was cruel. “Maybe that’s why they’re all here. Maybe that’s why they’re all so invested in helping her maintain power.”

“You’re out of line,” Bethany said, her voice shaking with anger.

“Am I?” Gregory looked around at the other pack members. “Or am I the only one brave enough to say what we’re all thinking? Three Alphas. One Luna, It’s not exactly subtle.”

“That’s a serious accusation,” Tim said, but he was looking at me with suspicion now too.

“Is it though?” Margaret spoke up again. “Look at how they’re standing there. Defending her. Would they do that for just any allied Alpha? Or is there something more going on?”

My stomach churned. This was spiraling out of control faster than I could stop it.

CHAPTER 227

“Maybe that’s why Alpha Darius left,” another voice called out. Thomas, a middle-aged warrior who’d been with the pack for decades. “Maybe he finally saw what kind of woman his mate really was.”

The words cut through me like a blade.

“Thomas,” Derek warned.

But Thomas was already committed. “Think about it. Darius leaves suddenly. Gives some excuse about Shadowfang business leaving his mate alone when three other Alphas are living in our pack house. Three. What kind of mate does that?”

“The kind who can’t keep her legs closed,” Margaret muttered, just loud enough for people to hear

Bethany whirled on her. “How dare you-”

“How dare I?” Margaret’s voice rose. “How dare she! After killing our alphas and taking over, we accepted her as alpha without any power tussle. Ever since she took over, we’ve given her our loyalty, our trust. And this is how she repays us? By turning our pack into the laughingstock of the

region?”

“You don’t know anything about the situation,” Killian said, his voice dangerous.

“Don’t I?” Margaret turned on him. “Then with all due respect. Explain it to us, Alpha Killian. Explain why you’ve been here for days instead of returning to your own pack. Explain why you look at our Luna the way you do. Explain why any of this is innocent.”

Killian’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. What could he say? The truth would only make things

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