Rejected by My Alpha Now He Replaced Me with a Copycat Luna novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Kael’s POV

Dexter lunged again, but I was faster-my grip fisted in the back of his shirt, hauling him back with just enough alpha command to make him hesitate. “Stand down,” I growled.

Dexter’s chest heaved, his glare locked on Asher. “Control your fucking mouth, or I’ll rearrange your face.”

I turned my stare on Asher, letting the weight of my dominance press down. “Enough.”

For once, Asher didn’t push. His jaw clenched, but he dipped his chin-barely a concession, but enough.

I released Dexter slowly, watching for any sign he’d ignore orders and go for Asher’s throat. Honestly, I might have let him.

Dexter rolled his shoulders, tension radiating off him in waves. “When she changed shirts-” His voice cracked. “I saw her back. Not just scars. Messages. Someone carved her up like a goddamn canvas.”

Asher scoffed, but Ezra’s elbow silenced him with a brutal jab to the ribs.

Dexter’s hands flexed at his sides. “Cuts. Burns. Whip marks. All old, but-”

“Or she likes it rough,” Asher cut in, wiping blood from his lip. “Some people pay for that shit.”

Ezra moved faster than any of us could stop. His fist connected with Asher’s nose with a sickening crunch. Chaos erupted-I caught Ezra by the

collar, careful not to make skin contact, while Nox and Dexter wrestled a snarling Asher back.

“You broke my fucking nose!” Asher’s voice was thick with blood.

“You earned it,” Ezra spat.

I stepped between them, my alpha tone leaving no room for argument. “Enough.” Then I turned on Asher, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “We get it-you don’t trust anyone outside this circle. But if you ever slander an innocent woman again, I’ll let Ezra finish what he

started.”

Asher’s jaw clenched, blood still dripping from his nose. “You don’t know she’s innocent.”

The certainty burned through me like wildfire. “I do.” My voice dropped to a growl. “And you will watch your tongue.”

Before he could argue, I gripped his nose and snapped it back into place with a sickening crack. Asher’s howl of pain echoed through the club, drawing stares from the few remaining patrons. Let them stare-right now, I was more concerned with keeping my pack from tearing each other

apart.

“Wouldn’t want to ruin your winning smile,” I muttered, tossing him the towel Ezra returned with.

Dexter watched Asher dab at his ruined nose with undisguised satisfaction. “Try not to bleed on the mats.”

Asher flipped him off, but the venom was half-hearted: Even he couldn’t deny the truth-we were all reacting too strongly to this woman for it to be mere coincidence.

“Did she give any clues about who did it?” I asked Dexter.

He shook his head, his expression darkening. “Played it cool. Didn’t want to spook her.”

“Good.” My fingers dug into the tension at the base of my skull. “We need her to trust us enough to talk. Only way we’ll learn what we’re really

up against.”

Asher’s bloody grin was all teeth. “Or I could find out.”

The offer hung in the air like a threat. Our resident sniper-the man who could uncover secrets buried six feet deep without leaving a trace. The kind of predator who could dismantle a life thread by thread until the truth was all that remained.

Dexter’s growl vibrated through the space between them. “Asher-”

“I said I wouldn’t kill her,” Asher snapped, sounding about as enthusiastic as a kid forced to eat vegetables.

I rubbed my temples. “Not sure shadowing her is the play here.”

“Got a better idea?” Asher challenged. “Nox’s cyber-sleuthing turned up squat.”

Nox’s glasses flashed as he turned a glacial stare on Asher. “Note to self. Next time someone begs for help leveling up their fucking Farmville-”

“Point taken,” Asher muttered, wisely backing down. Even our resident assassin knew better than to piss off the man who could erase your entire digital existence with three keystrokes.

Ezra wordlessly chucked an ice pack at Asher’s face-which he caught with reflexive precision despite his ruined nose. “I’m just saying surveillance makes sense,” Asher grumbled, pressing the ice to his face with a hiss. “Christ, Ezra. You packing tungsten knuckles now?”

Ezra flexed his hands thoughtfully. “Not yet.”

Nox’s quiet interjection cut through the testosterone. “She’ll bolt if she catches any of us tailing her.” His gaze dropped. “I don’t… want that.”

My chest tightened at the thought of Raven disappearing-of never seeing those wildfire eyes again.

The scuff of boots on matting had us all turning. Speak of the devil.

Raven stood framed in the club entrance, looking like every fantasy I shouldn’t be having. Her dark hair tumbled in careless waves, that single scar along her cheekbone only making her more striking. When her gaze landed on Asher’s battered face, those turquoise eyes lit with wicked

amusement.

“Whoa.” She held up her hands in mock defense. “Did someone try to perform an exorcism on you? Because I draw the line at pea soup vomit.”

The tension in the room shifted-Dexter’s shoulders loosening, Nox’s lips quirking, even Ezra’s perpetual scrum softening slightly. Only Asher remained rigid, though I didn’t miss the way his nostrils flared as Raven’s scent reached him.

She sauntered closer, the movement all predator grace. “Seriously though-you look like you lost a fight with a woodchipper.”

Asher’s bloody grin was all teeth. “You should see the other guy.”

Raven snorted, leaning against the ropes with effortless ease. “Let me guess-he’s in the ER getting his sense of humor surgically reattached?”

The unexpected jab startled a laugh from Nox. Even I couldn’t suppress a smirk. Goddamn, this woman. She waltzed into our chaos like she belonged there-like she’d always been there.

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