Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 9

+25 Points

CHAPTER 9-1

Clara’s POV

Fear surged through me as his fingers tightened on my jaw. I had heard stories about Alpha Darius of the Shadowfang Pack. The ruthless warlord. The strategic killer. The Alpha who built his pack at a young age after his parent’s demise through bloodshed and conquest.

And now he was inches from my face, his naked body radiating heat against my cold, blood–soaked skin. His amber eyes burned into mine, promising pain if I continued to lie.

“I was running from hunters,” I mumbled, trying to give a partial truth. The shame of my rejection was too raw, too new. I couldn’t bear to speak it aloud to this powerful stranger.

His nostrils flared as he scented the air around me. “Still lying,” he growled. “You test my

patience, girl.”

He moved even closer, his body almost covering mine. His hand slid from my jaw to my throat, thumb pressing against my pulse point. It wasn’t enough pressure to cut off my air,

but the threat was clear.

“Last chance,” he whispered, his lips nearly touching my ear. “Tell me the truth, or I leave you here to bleed out. Slowly.”

I believed him. There was no mercy in those amber eyes, no compassion in the hard lines of his face. Only cold calculation and deadly promise.

“I was his Luna,” I whispered, defeat washing over me. “Or I was supposed to be. Jaden Silverstein of the Shadowcrest Pack. We were to be mated.”

Darius’s grip loosened slightly, encouraging me to continue.

“I found him with my sister today. She’s pregnant with his child.” My voice cracked, the humiliation fresh and burning. “When I confronted them, I slapped her. She pretended I hurt

her worse than I did. He believed her over me.”

Darius’s expression remained unchanged, but something flickered in his eyes. Interest, perhaps. Or calculation.

“He rejected our bond,” I continued, the words like acid on my tongue. “In front of her.

Because of her. Then he ordered his warriors to take me to the forest and kill me.”

“But you fought back,” Darius said, not a question.

I nodded. “I killed them. Then he branded me a traitor, a rogue who killed innocent pack

1/3

CHAPTER 9-1

+25 Points

members. He placed a bounty on my head, making them want to kill me in return for the prize. So, others started to track me here.”

He studied me for a long moment, his thumb still resting against my pulse. “A rejected mate,” he mused. “Rare. Taboo, even. Your former Alpha has no respect for the goddess’s will.”

I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. The rejection still burned inside me, a hollow ache where the bond had been. Now there was only emptiness and pain.

I had given everything to Jaden. I changed myself for him. But that wasn’t enough to keep him. The mate bond wasn’t even enough to keep him interested.

“You can’t feel it yet, can you?” he asked suddenly.

“Feel what?” I asked, confused.

He smiled slightly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Never mind. It’s not important right now.”

He released my throat and sat back on his heels, still watching me. I was acutely aware of his nakedness, of his power, of how completely at his mercy I was.

“You’re dying,” he stated bluntly. “Without help, you’ll be dead within the hour.”

I knew he was right. My vision was starting to dim around the edges. The pain had become a distant thing, my body growing numb. Not a good sign.

“Why do you care?” I managed to ask. “You don’t know me.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify