Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 47

CHAPTER 44

Darius‘ POV

“Three days from now.” I continued applying the ointment, feeling her skin warm beneath my touch. “They’re interested in meeting the warrior who took down my entire elite force in a single

afternoon.”

She was silent for a moment, processing this. Then she turned her head, eyes narrowing slightly. “Just meeting me? Or is there more to it?”

Perceptive, as always. I met her gaze in the mirror. “They’ve agreed to a challenge.”

“What kind of challenge?” Her voice was careful, measured.

“They want to fight you.” I didn’t see the point in sugar–coating it. “One at a time, not together.”

Clara turned fully now, forcing me to drop my hand from her back. Her eyes searched mine, reading far more than I was comfortable with. “And you agreed to this? Without asking me?”

“Yes.” I didn’t back down from her scrutiny. “It’s an opportunity, Clara. For both of us.”

“How is me fighting two more opponents right after taking down six of your best an opportunity?” There was no anger in her voice, just genuine curiosity. She wanted to understand my reasoning.

“Because they’re Alphas,” I explained. “Born Alphas from true alpha bloodlines. If you defeat them, your reputation will be secured beyond question. No one would dare challenge your place here again. And I’ll help you get the one thing that you so desire.”

She considered this, her gaze calculating. “And what do you get out of it?”

I smiled. She never missed a beat. “If you win, our pack gets the deciding vote in all alliance matters. We become first among equals.”

“And if I lose?”

“You won’t,” I said with complete confidence.

She raised an eyebrow. “But if I did?”

I hesitated, then decided honesty was the best approach. “We’d cede the western ridge hunting

grounds.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Those are valuable territories.”

“They are,” I agreed. “Which is why I’m not concerned about losing them. Because you won’t lose.”

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CHAPTER 44

Clara studied me for a long moment, then a slow smile spread across her face. “You’re very sure of me, Alpha.”

The title, which she rarely used, sent a shiver of something primal and possessive through me. “I am,” I said, my voice lower than I intended.

She held my gaze a moment longer, then turned back around, presenting her bruised back to me

once more. “You’d better finish what you started, then. If I’m going to fight two Alphas, I need to be

in top condition.”

I resumed applying the medicine, working in silence for several minutes. The intimacy of the

moment wasn’t lost on me–my fingers on her skin, her trust in turning her back to me, the quiet

vulnerability she rarely showed.

“Why did you agree to this?” she asked eventually, her voice soft. “The real reason, not just pack

politics.”

I paused, considering my answer carefully. “Because I believe in you,” I said finally. “And because I

want others to see what I see.”

“And what’s that?” Her question was barely above a whisper.

My hands stilled on her back. “A force of nature,” I answered honestly. “Something rare and powerful. Something that makes everything around it seem… less somehow.”

She didn’t respond immediately, and I found myself holding my breath, waiting for her reaction. When she finally spoke, her voice held an emotion I couldn’t quite place.

“Then I won’t let you down.”

I finished treating her injuries, capping the tube and setting it aside. When I turned back, she had pulled the robe around her shoulders again, but hadn’t tied it closed. The thin tank top beneath left little to the imagination, especially with the way the evening light from the window played across

her skin.

“You should rest,” I said, stepping back to put some distance between us. “You’ll need your strength for the days ahead.”

She nodded, but made no move toward the bed. Instead, her eyes remained fixed on mine, searching for something. “Why did you really come here tonight, Darius?”

The question caught me off guard. “To tell you about the challenge.”

“You could have sent a messenger for that.” She took a step closer, erasing the distance I’d just created. “You could have waited until morning.”

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CHAPTER 44

I held my ground, even as my wolf stirred restlessly within. “I wanted to see how you were

recovering.”

“And now you’ve seen.” Another step closer. “So why are you still here?”

The air between us seemed to thicken, charged with something electric and dangerous. Part of me wanted to retreat, to maintain the careful distance I’d kept since bringing her into my pack. The

Alpha part, the rational leader who knew better than to complicate matters with… whatever this

was becoming.

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