Page 23 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

My wolf paces restlessly in the back of my mind, growling at the hostility emanating from the pack.

They don’t trust her. Neither do I.

But there’s a part of me—a part I refuse to acknowledge—that hates seeing her like this. Her stormy grey eyes scan the hallway, defiant despite the venom in every glance cast her way. Her chin is tilted high, and she refuses to shrink even in the face of their disdain.

I pull her to me now, feeling the venom flowing through my veins, growing into a resentment born from my frustration and all those months searching for her, only for her to be labeled as belonging to another male. Damon’s eyes go from me to the other elders.

“Yes, this is the whore.” I turn her around, jerking her harder than I should have. But I don’t care.

Kai, one of the troop leaders, stiffened protests. “With respect, Alpha, how do we know we can trust her?”

My wolf growls at the accusation, but I force him back. My expression remains cold, unreadable. “I didn’t bring her here to debate herloyalty. She’s a resource. Bait for Eldon. And until I say otherwise, she stays.” But I notice how they look at her like she is some meat. As if they can just reach for her and take her however they want. The jealousy flares in my chest. I growl, and they all tear their eyes from her perfect hourglass figure in that tight top and skinny jeans.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her tone dripping with mockery. “I didn’t realize I was your new shiny toy to parade in front of everyone.”

“Watch your tongue, Hazel,” I warn, my voice low enough for only her to hear.

“Or what?” she snaps, turning to face me fully. Her defiance is electric, and despite the irritation coiling in my chest, I can’t help but admire the way she doesn’t back down.

“You’ll lock me up?” she continues, her voice rising. “Throw me to the wolves—oh wait, you already did that once, didn’t you?”

“Enough,” I say, my voice sharp.

But she isn’t done.

“Why don’t you tell them the truth?” she says, addressing the pack now. “Tell them how their great Alpha rejected his Mate. How he believed a lie and destroyed something that was supposed to be sacred.”

“The truth is that you used your delicious body,” I pull her close to me, my hand grabbing a handful of her ass. A wicked smile spreads across my face, and I see the subtle fear in her eyes. “To desecrate whatever sacred bond we may have shared. You are now used, as you have decided what you want to be. A whore.” I wrap my hand around her back and tilt her head upward. I come close to her, close enough that my breath touches her face. “And while you are under my roof, under my authority, my word is law. And if I say you are bait, that is what you are.”

The tension between us is suffocating, and the air is heavy with the scent of our desires. I can feel the heat radiating off her, the defiance in her stance, the unspoken challenge in her gaze. Her scent of wildflowers and earth fills my senses, and that draw, that criminally magnetic draw to her, washes over me.

For a moment, I forget why I’m angry. I forget why I’m supposed to hate her, why I’m supposed to keep my distance.

All I can think about is her.

And that’s the most dangerous thing of all.

I push her back to Damon.

“Take her away.”

The other elders didn’t say anything as I turn toward my office.

Chapter 8

Hazel

The room they’ve put me in is larger than any I’ve slept in for years, but it might as well be a cell. The four walls press down on me; their pristine white paint mocks the chaos in my mind. A thick rug muffles my footsteps, and a heavy oak bed looms in the corner, its blankets perfectly folded.

The scent of cedarwood and pine lingers faintly in the air, a reminder that this is Moonfang territory—Kieran’s territory. I’ve never been here. Other than my brief interactions with him at the pack alliance negotiations, there's nothing else that tells me of his character outside of official settings…and when he's making me squirm with lustful passion. For all I know, he’s a ruthless warrior, a bloodthirsty Alpha who pillaged everything in his path that threatened his pack. And I witnessed it when he rejected me—the cold detachment in his eyes. And now, in the hallway.

I feel violated. And the rage that boils in my chest is hotter than lava. My wolf is constantly growling, her rage at how our Mate treats us fueling frustration that physically rattles my bones.

How dare he?

There was no soul in his eyes as he said those things to me. And fora moment, I am grateful that he rejected me. Because if this is the man the Goddess has destined for me, I should have torn his head from his body while he slept.

I pace the room, my steps quick and uneven as I figure out my next move. It’s silent except for the faint hum of the estate’s central heating and my breathing.

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