Page 4 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

I hesitate, my body rooted to the spot, but he doesn’t wait for myanswer. He tugs my arm, and my feet follow like they’re no longer under my control. And more still, they move because I want to. Because everything in me wants to be around him. To breathe the same air as him. To protect him. To die for him.

My goddess, slow down. You just met him, Hazel. But I don’t stay in my head for long. The whispers start immediately, buzzing like flies in the air.

“Is she in trouble?”

“Must’ve done something to piss him off.”

The females hovering around him earlier sneer, their laughter sharp and cutting.

“That won’t end well for her,” one of them says, her voice dripping with malice.

I clench my jaw, my wolf snarling inside me. I don’t know what’s worse—their taunts or the fact that I feel their jealousy like a dagger to my chest.

He pulls me past the edge of the crowd into the shadow of a tall oak, where the noise dulls to a murmur. My pulse pounds in my ears as I yank my arm free, the sudden movement fueled by anger I don’t recognize as my own.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I snap, the words out before I can stop them. This sass would have earned me a few weeks in the dungeon if it were any other Alpha. But this is my Mate, and for some reason, I know nothing will happen to me, no matter how scary-looking he is.

Kieran doesn’t answer immediately. He studies me, his gaze sweeping over me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle with awareness. It’s not just how he’s looking at me—it’s how he makes me feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall. I watch his jaw tighten, and I swallow, a throb settling between my legs just being in his presence.

“You’re not Moonfang,” he finally says. There’s a tilt to his head, like he’s already impatient with this small talk. His brilliant blue eyes darken with desire as I watch them sweep over me. They rest on my full chest before coming back up, pausing at my lips. I lick the bottom one reflexively, nervous under his gaze. I feel exposed. Naked. Like Ican’t hide from him. And the strange thing is…I don’t want to. I want him to look at me. The bond between us thrums rich with passionate need. There is a craving deep in my gut.

“And you are the Alpha of the Moonfang?” I breathe the words, even though I still can’t believe what is happening. My wolf is awash with glee that her mate is a formidable Alpha. More than that, other females will claw at each other just to be around him, and to try and get a piece of him.

His lips twitch. a flicker of something that could almost be amusement flashing in his eyes.

“I watched you fight,” he steps closer. “You didn’t fight like an amateur.”

“Not when I am a Nightclaw warrior. I have to prove my worth, don’t I?” I raise my chin to meet his gaze. My heart is pounding so hard I’m sure he can hear it, but I’m already addicted to this rush. I feel my wolf's euphoria being near him, hearing his voice, basking in his earthy scent that smells like tea and fresh water.

“You fought well,” he says, his voice softer now, though no less intense.

The compliment throws me off balance, and I blink up at him, searching for the catch, even though every fiber of my being is darting all over the place in elated validation. But his expression is unreadable, his gaze locked on mine like he’s waiting for something.

“Thank you.” My cheeks are so warm; I must look so flushed to him. I feel validated in all my years of training. He knows what to say to me, and I think my willpower to resist him slips by the second.

He steps even closer, the heat of his body seeping into mine. “Tell me,” he says, his voice dropping to a near growl. “How did you do it?”

I frown, caught off guard. “Do what?”

“Hold your own against Cain,” he says, his gaze searching mine. “He should’ve torn you apart.”

The words should sting, but there’s no malice in his tone—just curiosity. And maybe…incredulousness?

I swallow hard, the truth bubbling before I can stop it. “I don’t know,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just…did.” He must beexpecting some elaborate explanation of how I had to train for weeks just to face him.

He studies me for a moment longer, his piercing gaze making me feel like he’s peeling back layers I didn’t know I had. There is a smirk on his lips. It’s like he enjoys watching me react to his words. But more than that, there is a hunger in his eyes, and I know that hunger is in mine, too. I bite my lip again, and his wolf growls in response.

I hate the way my body reacts to him, drawn to him in spite of myself. I can feel my slick coating me with readiness to take him. But it’s dawning on me now that even he doesn’t want me. He must think us weak. He must think me unworthy of being his Luna. Even though I was skeptical initially, the possibility of his rejection aches deep in my chest.

“Let me guess,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You pulled me aside to tell me I’m not good enough to be your Luna.”

His smirk fades, his expression hardening. He leans in then, so close I can feel his breath on my skin, the heat of his body making my pulse race.

“My wolf hasn’t stopped looking at you since you stepped into that pit. I have come to claim you, Mate.”

The confession leaves me breathless, and for a moment, the world tilts.

I stare up at him, my heart pounding so loud it drowns out everything else.

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