Page 56 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

My wolf snarls, scrunching his snout and baring his fangs. The guards bristle, sensing the danger of my wolf's anger.

“Leave us,” I order the guards.

“Alpha,” Damon says, his tone calm, measured, as if he doesn’t feel the storm brewing in me.

I lift my head slowly, meeting his gaze. There’s something off in his posture—a stiffness, a guardedness that wasn’t there before. He knows that I know the truth.

His eyes flick to the desk, to the damning evidence spread across its surface. His jaw tightens, but his expression remains composed.

“I figured this was coming,” he says, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

My wolf snarls, his rage bubbling just beneath the surface. I lean back in my chair, my hands steepled in front of me as I regard him. “You’ve been busy.”

Damon doesn’t flinch. “Everything I’ve done has been for the good of the pack.”

“Don’t lie to me,” I snap, my voice sharp as a whip. “You’ve been feeding Eldon information, sabotaging our efforts from within. And you have the audacity to call it loyalty?”

His composure cracks, his shoulders stiffening as he takes a step closer. “You don’t understand, Kieran. You’ve been so blinded by your obsession with Hazel and this bond that you’ve lost sight of what’s best for Moonfang. I had to take matters into my own hands while you chased a fantasy.”

I’m on my feet before he finishes, my wolf’s fury surging to the surface. “Don’t you dare use her as an excuse for your treachery.”

“Treachery?” Damon scoffs, his voice rising. “I’ve been holding this pack together while you chase after a rival’s castoff. Do you have any idea how many of our people doubt you because of her? The discord that you have planted into our pack because you are obsessed with a Mate that doesn’t even want you? You abandon the work you have built, the pack you have kept together with your own—”

My claws extend, the urge to rip him apart nearly overpowering. My snarl interrupts him. “They doubt me because you’ve been planting those doubts, Damon. Don’t think I don’t see it now. The spies you've planted have told me a lot about your little sermons to overthrow me.” Rage burns in my chest. The need to see him torn apart tints my vision red.

He sneers, his wolf flashing briefly in his eyes. “I’ve done what I had to. Eldon promised a stronger alliance, a chance to secure Moonfang’s future. You were too distracted to see the bigger picture.”

“Eldon is a snake,” I growl, stepping around the desk. “And you’re a fool if you think he would’ve honored any promises he made to you.”

Damon’s hand twitches toward his side, where I know he keeps a dagger concealed. My wolf tenses, ready for a fight, as the tension in the room thickens to the point of suffocation. He must have planned to take me out if his plans did not go the way he expected. He must have been ready to dig that dagger into me all along. It wasn’t enough for him to keep it metaphorical.

“This doesn’t have to end in blood, Kieran,” Damon says, his voice low. “Step down. Let someone else lead. Someone who isn’t blinded by a bond he can’t control.”

The audacity!

My laugh is cold, humorless. “You think you’re fit to lead? After everything you’ve done?” It is my wolf in the fore now, his Alpha strength and power merging into my flesh.

Damon doesn’t respond, his eyes narrowing as he assesses me.

“You must be a fool to think I will leave my pack in your hands.”

The silence stretches, the room crackling with unspoken threats. And then he moves.

He’s fast, but I’m faster. My wolf takes over without shifting, and we collide with a force that shakes the room. His dagger flashes, slicing through the air, but I knock it aside, my claws ripping through his sleeve.

“You betrayed your pack,” I snarl, slamming him into the wall. A few bones crack, and I press even harder, the crunch of the fractures exciting my vengeful wolf. “You betrayed me.”

Damon grits his teeth, his wolf growling as he struggles against my grip. “You betrayed them first, Kieran. When you chose her, a Nightclaw, over us.”

The words sting, but I push them aside, my focus razor-sharp. He sees an opening and lunges, his claws aiming for my throat, but I twist, using his momentum to throw him across the room. He crashes into the desk, papers scattering as he rolls to his feet.

“Is this what you wanted?” I demand, advancing on him. “A fight? A chance to prove yourself?”

He doesn’t answer, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he circles me.

“Come on, Damon,” I taunt, my claws flexing. “Let’s end this.”

He lunges again, and this time, I meet him head-on. Our wolves collide, the sound of claws on flesh and snarls echoing through the room. The fight is brutal, primal, and every strike is fueled by years of trust shattered in an instant.

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