Page 88 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

And again, I curse this seal. It’s the reason my wolf is not healing me properly.

I glance across the field and spot my Adonis of a Mate. He’s shirtless, glistening in the warm sun, his hair grown out, done strands falling over his eyes. I can’t tear my eyes away. He’s irresistible in all the best ways. And he’s mine.

“Girl. You are drooling a river.” Ayana snaps me out of my fantasy and I shut my mouth. “I don’t blame you, though.” Her eyes following the direction I was staring in. Kieran takes a shirt from one of the young trainees. We watch him answer a question. He ruffles the pup’s hair before pulling the shirt over him. I bite my lip, missing every contour of his body as it disappears behind the black T-shirt.

“Yeah,” I swoon. He’s my Mate. My wolf tips in pride.

“So…you guys okay now?” Ayana nudges my shoulder.

“Yeah…our relationship has been neutral, if anything. He’s been stuck to me like glue because that is the only way to strengthen my wolf. I wonder if it’s working. With our bond strained, our relationship still an ember in the works, I wonder if my wolf is still able to draw strength from him.”

“Hazel, with the way you’re looking, I’d say it’s working. And there’s nothing neutral about your relationship. You look like you want to eat each other up.”

We laugh at that and she lays her hand on my thigh. “Look, he’s coming over.”

Kieran is jogging over to me. A smile breaks out on his face when he reaches me. My chest skips several beats at the absolute beauty that he is. The sun is right behind him, casting a halo around him, like I need a reminder that he’s the light of my life.

“You doing okay, baby girl?” he asks, squatting to my level. My face heats up. I could get used to this, but it’s still so new, and I can’t hide how shy he makes me.

“Alright, I'll give y’all some time,” Ayana giggles as she stands to leave.

But we all stop in our tracks when we catch the smell.

Nightclaw.

My head snaps up just as my guards open the gates to reveal the two figures walking into the Moonfang estate.

Magnus and Elara Callister.

My parents.

Most likely sent by Alpha Jag.

The entire front yard goes tense. Conversations cease. Eyes dart toward them, filled with suspicion, wariness.

I straighten, my expression hardening, and take a step forward, the warriors moving to flank us instinctively. Kieran raises a hand to stop them.

Magnus surveys the aftermath of the battle with a calculating eye. His broad shoulders are set, his expression unreadable, but there’s something assessing in his gaze as he looks at the Moonfang warriors.

His eyes don’t miss a detail, just like always. So I know he’s sizing us up. He’s making sure of our strength.

Elara, however, isn’t looking at them.

She’s looking at me, her worry is so visible in the lines around her eyes, and those creasing her forehead.

What do they want with me? My wolf growls, protective of me, ready to spill blood to make sure Magnus doesn’t hurt me again.

My body is rigid, my wolf still like carved stone, on alert, ready to lend me as much strength as she can. But I can feel the storm raging inside me nonetheless. I haven’t seen them in over two years.

“Callister,” Kieran says evenly, crossing his arms over his chest. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

Magnus’s gaze snaps to his. “I wasn’t expecting to come.” His voice is deep, calm, but there’s a worry to it. “But circumstances have changed.”

I narrow my eyes and add. “Is that so?”

His jaw clenches as he looks at me. He doesn’t say anything to me, but he continues talking to Kieran. “Eldon’s forces will come again. And not just for you.” He steps forward, eyes sharp. “He’s expanding his reach. I have intel that suggests he’s already sending scouts toward the Nightclaw borders.”

I don’t react outwardly, but my mind moves fast. I can tell right off that there are details he is choosing not to disclose.

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