Page 85 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

She lands gracefully, her powerful form is a beauty to behold.

“You’re—” My voice is hoarse, stunned.

She was a woman who had been used and discarded, stripped of everything—

And yet, here she stands, ready to fight still after everything. I’m beyond impressed by and envious of her.

She shifts mid-stride, her form melting back into her human body, blood streaked across her skin, her eyes dancing with exhilaration. “What?” she yells over the noise. “Thought I was just going to sit back like a princess while you had all the fun?”

Despite the chaos, despite the carnage, I laugh. A short, sharp sound that escapes my throat before I can stop it. “How did you even know where to find me?” I slice my sword through the air, cutting down a rogue who charges at my side.

“Sweetheart, I can recognize your scent from a mountain away.” She ducks, dodging a swipe from a warrior before snatching my dagger in the blink of an eye and driving it up into his ribs.

She pulls the blade free, flicking the blood onto the ground before flashing me another teasing smile and handing me my dagger back. “You’re doing great,” she says, speaking to the part of me she knows is bothered by the seal.

“Let’s fight.”

A rogue lunges for me, and Ayana is there before I can react, shifting back into her wolf and slamming into the enemy, sending him crashing into the mud.

I dive into the frenzy of snarls, fangs, claws, steel, and bodies colliding in a desperate, bloody dance. My muscles scream, my breath is ragged, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Every second counts. Every swing of my blade, every step I take—it all determines whether we survive or fall. My wolf fills me with as much strength and agility as she can.

A rogue slashes at my side, and I barely dodge in time, his blade slicing through the air. He misses my ribs but slashes my arm. I spin, my sword sinking into his gut before I shove him away, but my movements are slowing.

I fall to my knees in pain, clutching the bleeding wound. I tear my hem and tie it as quickly as I can to stop the bleeding.

Ayana is fighting three at once, her wolf a blur of teeth and claws, but even she is tiring.

We are being outnumbered. My eyes are frantic, searching for my warriors, for a way out.

The rogues move in fast, cutting off our escape. Ayana snarls, her wolf bracing for impact. My heart pounds as I do the only thing I can—calculate.

There are too many.

We won’t hold them off alone.

But if we can force them into a bottleneck—if we can drive them toward the ridge where the terrain works in our favor—

I grab Ayana’s scruff, tugging her closer. “Push them left,” I command, my voice urgent. “I need them funneled into the clearing near the ridge.”

She growls in agreement before launching forward, slamming into the first rogue with all her strength.

I move with her, cutting down enemies, forcing them exactly where I want them.

But we’re still outnumbered.

And then, just as the weight of it all starts pressing down—

A deep, earth-shaking growl rips through the battlefield.

And suddenly, Kieran is here in his wolf form.

His wolf crashes into the fight with the force of a hurricane, his silver fur streaked with blood, his eyes burning. He moves like a beast unleashed, tearing through Eldon’s men with merciless precision.

He shifts the second he can and runs to me. I’m distracted for a moment by the scars on his sweaty, bloody skin. Even in the grime of battle, he still looks like a god, hand sculpted by the Goddess herself. I roll my eyes at my wolf, who is drooling at this sight.

But there's also a flutter in my belly knowing what he did. He chose me. He gave up his chance to end Eldon because I was distressed. Thinking about how his wolf was attuned to me even in a state of bloodlust makes a smile tease my lips. Here was my proof that he wasn't going to abandon me anymore.

He checks in on me, but I have to stay in the fight despite the butterflies that flutter all over my insides.

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