Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 29

CHAPTER 26-1

Clara’s POV

Something flashed in his eyes so quickly that I couldn’t identify it before he masked it again. But for a moment, the careful control slipped, revealing a glimpse of the hunger still raging beneath the surface.

“The enemy will use every weakness against you, Clara. Including desire. Including submission.” He turned away, heading toward the edge of the training field. “Report to Beta Xander tomorrow. He’ll introduce you to the rest of the squad. Training starts at 2 AM sharp. You’ll train until 5. Don’t be late.”

I stood frozen, watching him walk away like he hadn’t just torn something open inside me. Like he hadn’t just brought me to the edge of surrender, only to leave me aching and empty. Like he hadn’t made me question everything I thought I knew about myself.

My body still hummed with unfulfilled need. I could still feel the ghost of his touch on my skin, the imprint of his hands on my waist, the tingle where his lips had brushed my jaw. The memory of his hardness pressed against me made me clench involuntarily, sending another pulse of desire through my core.

I’d never experienced anything like this all–consuming want that seemed to hollow me out from the inside. This need to submit, to be claimed, to be filled. Not even with Jaden, my own mate, had I felt such raw,

overwhelming hunger.

“Why me?” I called after him, my voice stronger now, laced with frustration and confusion. “Why put me in your elite squad when you clearly think I’m weak?”

He stopped but didn’t turn around. For a long moment, he was silent, his broad shoulders tense under his training clothes.

When he finally spoke, his voice had dropped an octave, returning to that rough timbre that seemed to

stroke my skin from across the distance.

“Because you’re still standing,” he said. “Because when I knocked you down, you got back up. Because when I pushed, you pushed back.”

He glanced over his shoulder, and the look in his eyes made my breath catch. All pretense of indifference had vanished, replaced by an intensity that burned like naked flame.

“And because when you finally stop fighting yourself, Clara,” he said, his voice dropping to that low, dangerous register that made my skin prickle and my core clench, “you’re going to be magnificent.”

He held my gaze for a heartbeat longer, letting me see the truth in his eyes, the hunger, the desire, the

promise of what awaited if I surrendered not to him, but to myself.

Then he turned and walked away, leaving me stunned and aching in the middle of the field.

It wasn’t until he disappeared from view that I realized what had really happened. He hadn’t just tested me.

He hadn’t just denied me.

CHAPTER 26-1

He’d promised me.

And goddess help me, I wanted him to keep that promise.

“Will hooking up with a guy even if we just barely got dumped be a crime? Because with how things are going, if he says ‘Strip for daddy,‘ I will.” My wolf voiced out.

I laughed softly, shaking my head.

“Let’s focus on surviving his training first,” I muttered to her as I made my way back to the pack house on

shaky legs. “Then we can think about… other things.”

But even as I said it, I knew my wolf was right. Something had awakened between us today, something I couldn’t ignore or pretend away. Whether it led to disaster or salvation remained to be seen.

The alarm blared at 1:30 AM, dragging me from a dream filled with golden eyes and burning touches. I

groaned, fumbling to silence it before I was fully awake.

“Who the hell trains at two in the morning?” I grumbled, forcing myself to sit up.

The chilly pre–dawn air raised goosebumps on my skin as I shed the warm cocoon of blankets. Even without looking outside, I could tell the temperature had dropped overnight. Perfect. Nothing like freezing

my ass off to make this experience even more miserable.

Darius’s instructions echoed in my head.

I dressed quickly in the clothes that had been left for me–dark pants, long–sleeved shirt, and sturdy boots,

all made for durability rather than comfort. I pulled my hair back into a tight braid, determined not to give

anyone reason to criticize me today.

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CHAPTER

CHAPTER 26-2

The hallways were silent as I made my way downstairs, most of the pack still deep in sleep. I’d expected to be the only one crazy enough to be up at this ungodly hour, but as I approached the main entrance, I spotted several figures waiting in the shadows.

Four men stood in a loose circle, their conversation dying as I approached. Even without introductions, I knew instantly these were members of Darius’s elite squad. They carried themselves differently from the regular pack members I’d met–more alert, more disciplined, with that same underlying readiness I’d observed in Darius himself.

They assessed me with cool eyes as I joined them, their expressions giving nothing away. I recognized the look I’d seen it countless times in my old pack whenever someone doubted my abilities. The “let’s see how long she lasts” look.

“You must be Clara,” one of them finally said. Tall, with short–cropped dark hair and a scar running along his jaw. “Beta Xander told us to expect you.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Better to say nothing than to say something that would mark me as

weak from the start.

“I’m Reid,” he continued, though his tone suggested he was merely fulfilling an obligation rather than making a genuine introduction. “That’s Kai, Dominic, and Luka.” He gestured to each man in turn.

None of them offered further greetings. I memorized their faces, noting the way they positioned themselves slightly apart from me, a subtle but clear indication that I wasn’t yet part of their unit.

The silence stretched uncomfortably until heavy footsteps announced a new arrival. Alpha Darius strode through the doors, his presence immediately commanding attention. Unlike yesterday, nothing about him now hinted at the heat that had passed between us. He was all Alpha, all commander.

“Move out,” he ordered without preamble.

The men fell into formation behind him, and I quickly found a place at the back. We jogged away from the pack house in silence, our breath forming small clouds in the frigid air.

I kept pace easily, thanks to years of running for training in my former pack. The route took us deeper into Alpha Darius’s territory than I’d been before, through dense forest and over rough terrain. No one spoke. The only sounds were our footfalls and controlled breathing.

After about twenty minutes, I detected the sound of rushing water ahead. We emerged from the tree line onto the banks of a wide river. In the dim pre–dawn light, the water looked black and forbidding, its surface broken by swirling eddies and small rapids.

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