Page 49 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

The man scrambles to defend himself, but I’m faster, my claws slicing through the air. Blood splatters across the floor, the coppery scent filling the room as my rage fuels every strike.

“Kieran, stop!” Hazel’s voice cuts through the haze. The fear and desperation in her tone makes her voice shake.

But I barely register her words. My focus is singular, my wolf demanding retribution for all the ways they have endangered my Mate.

“Kieran—”

The man lets out a pained groan as I pin him to the ground, my hand wrapping around his throat. My claws pierce into his neck, and I smell the fresh blood pumping as he starts bleeding out. His eyes widen in terror, and for a moment, I see my reflection in their glassy surface—feral, unhinged, monstrous.

Her words finally pierce through the fog of my anger. I release the man with a growl, shoving him away. He scrambles to his feet, clutching his wounds as he stumbles toward the door. The guards grab him, and I motion for them to take him away. I will interrogate him if he survives.

This can’t be a coincidence. I’ve ensured that the estate is under close surveillance. I have the best equipment in the industry. There are no chances of a stranger sneaking in without the alarms going off, unless they were assisted by an insider who knows the intricate workings of the estate security. There is no doubt in my mind that he must have been working with someone.

The silence that follows is deafening.

I turn to Hazel, my chest heaving as I struggle to rein in my wolf. She’s now standing near the bed, her arms wrapped around herself like a shield. Blood stains her hands, her dress, even her face. But it’s the look in her eyes that cuts deeper than any blade.

Fear.

Pure, unadulterated fear.

It roots me in place, my stomach twisting as I realize the truth. She’s not scared of the intruder. She’s scared of me.

“Hazel,” I start, my voice hoarse, but she takes a step back, her eyes wide and wary.

“Don’t,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “Don’t come any closer.”

I freeze, the weight of her words crushing me. She was scared awake, in her most vulnerable state, barely dressed, barely feeling like herself, with her weakened wolf. I feel bad for everything she has been through, and after the night we’ve had. This is what I bring before her in her moment of weakness. The weariness in her eyes, the lines on her face, they prick at my chest, calling out the ways that I have contributed to her pain. My wolf whines, his earlier rage replaced with guilt and regret.

She shakes her head, her breath hitching as she glances at the blood staining the room. “Just…leave.”

The finality in her tone hits me like a punch to the gut. I nod stiffly, forcing myself to turn away even as every instinct screams at me to stay.

Soon after, I order Hazel’s room to be switched. I tell myself it’s for her safety, to give her a space untouched by the events of last night. But deep down, I know it’s also a way to ease my guilt, to give her a fresh start away from the memory of my failure.

I don’t see her when the move happens. She avoids me entirely, her presence still palpable as her scent is still strong, still intoxicating, still so maddeningly seductive to my being, to my wolf. It is like torture, knowing that she is not far, but now I can’t reach her, not even if I tried. My wolf is restless, his frustration simmering beneath my skin as every attempt I make to reach her is met with silence.

No longer a hostage, no longer here under any of the accusations I have held against her, she has every right to refuse me. And I know all she feels for me is throbbing, searing anger.

So, I try another approach.

Silk designer dresses, rare jewels, anything I think might soften her anger. It’s a clumsy effort, but I don’t know how else to fix this. We haven’t spent any time with each other, which would have createdfamiliarity. All of those years have been taken from me because of Damon’s treachery and my blindness to it. And now I am left with nothing but the broken pieces my decisions have left behind.

Hazel, of course, doesn’t make it easy.

The first gift, a delicate silver necklace, is returned the same day, placed neatly on my desk with a note that reads: “Not interested.”

The second, a gown of deep emerald green that I thought would bring out the fire in her eyes, is left outside my office, untouched.

By the third attempt is a rare bottle of perfume. I don’t even bother checking if she kept it. I rack my brain, trying to figure out what I can do next.

She won't see me, so I can't take her out. She won't receive my gifts or the notes that go with them. My wolf is restless and my heart aches.

I can't stop worrying about her recovery. The healer has been giving me updates of her health and she hasn't improved. Being away from her is weakening he…and there's nothing I can do. I'm on the verge of losing my Mate, and it's all my fault.

My body is filled with need for her. I'd been suppressing it all along because there was no way I believed she could be mine.

But now that I know she's been mine all along, my body, mind, and soul crave her, and I cannot fight it anymore.

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