Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 53

CHAPTER 50

Clara’s POV

I kept my breathing even, my body perfectly still as I listened to the sound of retreating footsteps.

My pulse raced despite my outward stillness. The ketamine in my system was an inconvenience, nothing more. I’d felt its effects during the fight–the slight blur at the edges of my vision, the delayed reaction time–but I’d trained and been through worse.

“They’ve gone,” Darius said softly from beside me. His hand rested on the edge of the bed, inches from mine. “Just Samuel checking supplies in the next room.”

I kept my eyes closed, my breathing measured. Waiting.

“I’ll be back shortly, Alpha,” Samuel called from the doorway. “Need to get more healing herbs from the storehouse. She’s stable.”

“Take your time,” Darius replied.

The door closed and footsteps faded.

Once I was sure there was just one heartbeat besides mine, I counted down slowly.

One. Two. Three.

Now.

I sat up so suddenly that Darius flinched. In one fluid motion, I ripped the monitoring patches from my skin and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

“What the ” he started, eyes wide with shock.

“Surprised?” I stood, steadier than I had any right to be with ketamine still flowing through my veins. “Did you really think your little drug would keep me down?”

His mouth opened, then closed. For once, the mighty Alpha was speechless.

C

“Ketamine, Darius? Really?” I yanked the last monitoring herb off my wrist. “That’s amateur hour. I’ve built tolerance to most sedatives since I was sixteen.”

Understanding dawned on his face. “You knew.”

“I knew the moment I tasted it in the tea.” I stepped closer, invading his space. “You’re not as subtle as you think you are. The question is why? Why sabotage your own fighter when you had so much to lose?”

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CHAPTER 50

425 Points

His shock was giving way to something else–calculation, reassessment. “You let Ronan win.”

“Of course I did.” I moved to the sink, splashing cold water on my face. “I could have taken him down in the first five minutes, drugs or no drugs.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

I turned, water dripping down my chin. “Because I saw an opportunity. Ronan hates Jaden’s pack as much as I do. Having him indebted to me is worth more than your little territory dispute.”

Darius stood slowly, his blue eyes intense. “You played me.”

“You played yourself.” I grabbed a towel, drying my face. “Drugging me was a low move, even for you. I expected better from an Alpha of your caliber.”

He moved toward me, power radiating from every step. “You pretended to collapse.”

“Dramatic, wasn’t it?” I smiled coldly. “Samuel’s face when he saw how much ketamine was in my system… priceless. He actually believed I’d been fighting at a disadvantage.”

“You were.”

“You wished!” I chuckled. “And I still nearly won.” I tossed the towel aside and headed for the door. “Remember that the next time you try to cross me.”

His hand shot out, catching my wrist before I could leave. “We’re not done here.”

The touch sent a wave of electricity up my arm.

“Let go,” I warned, my voice low.

“Make me.” His grip tightened, not enough to hurt, but enough to make his point.

I moved faster than he expected, twisting my arm and reversing our positions until his back hit the wall. My forearm pressed against his throat, not choking but close.

“Don’t test me, Alpha Darius,” I whispered, mocking him, with my face inches from his.

His eyes darkened, pupils expanding until only a thin ring of blue remained. “You keep forgetting

who I am.”

“And you keep forgetting who I’m becoming.”

We stayed like that, locked in a stalemate, the tension crackling between us like lightning before a storm. His heartbeat pounded against my skin, his breath warm on my face.

Then his free hand slid to my waist, fingers digging into my hip hard enough to bruise.

“You lied to me,” he said, voice rough.

O

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CHAPTER SU

“You drugged me,” I countered. “We’re even.”

His gaze dropped to my lips. “Not even close.”

I should have stepped back and walked away. But the fire between us had been building for weeks, and now, with adrenaline still coursing through my veins from the fight, I couldn’t resist the pull.

“Prove it,” I challenged.

His control snapped. In one swift move, he reversed our positions, my back hitting the wall as his mouth crashed down on mine. This wasn’t a gentle kiss. It felt like he was staking his claim while punishing me and yet demanding more.

The kiss was showing and telling me everything he couldn’t with his words.

I bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, a reminder that I wasn’t his to command. He growled, the sound vibrating through my body, and lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his

waist.

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