Page 10 of Claiming His Rejected Mate

My hands curl into fists at my sides.

His eyes narrow, the sharpness of his gaze cutting through me like glass. “I saw you and Kieran emerge from the forest,” he says, his tone low and biting. “I hoped—hoped—you had a plan, a strategy against Moonfang. Instead, you shame our pack by lying with a rival male.” I must have been loud. Someone must have seen us. “And don’t you dare deny it? There are witnesses that have done their rightful duty to our pack.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, and I feel my wolf stir, her growl rumbling low and steady in my chest.

I don’t respond. I can’t. The words are lodged in my throat, tangled up with the lingering stab of Kieran’s rejection and my wolf’s need to run back to him, to make him see that he was mistaken.

“Don’t you dare stay silent,” Magnus growls, his tone dripping with disappointment. “You come back reeking of heat and failure. Did you have a plan against Moonfang, or did you just decide to whore yourself to a rival male?”

The crowd stirs, their murmurs swelling into a wave of derision and disgust.

My wolf snarls, but I force her down, clenching my fists so hard my nails dig into my palms.

“Answer me!” Magnus bellows, his voice carrying over the crowd.

“I—” My voice cracks, weak and trembling.

“Magnus,” my mother says, her voice quiet but firm, a thread of steel woven through her softness. “You don’t know that—”

A slap cracks through the air, and a hush descends on the crowd. She is too stunned to react.

“Don’t defend her, Elara,” Magnus snaps, his tone colder than I’ve ever heard. “She needs to answer for this.”

Alpha Jag, standing off to Magnus’ right, steps forward. His presence commands immediate reverence from the crowd. “Speak, Callister.” The rumble of his voice vibrates through the crowd. “Defend yourself if you can.”

I look around, meeting the eyes of warriors and elders alike. Their expressions range from disgust to pity, and the weight of their judgment presses down on me like a boulder.

“She has no answer,” one of the elders, Delta Mark, sneers. His dark eyes gleam with malice. “And why would she? She’s not fit to be a Gamma’s daughter, let alone a warrior of this pack.”

Elara’s hand moves to her chest, her lips parting as if she wants to speak, but she hesitates, her gaze darting between me and Magnus.

I know nothing I say will change this.

The truth? That Kieran is my Mate? It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t want me. To him, I’m a spy, a liar. To my pack, I’m worse—a disgrace.

Still, I force the words out, my voice steady despite the tremor in my chest. “Alpha Kieran of Moonfang is my Mate.”

The crowd erupts.

Laughter. Jeers. Disbelief.

“Impossible,” someone sneers.

“She’s wolfless,” another voice cuts through. “How could an Alpha have a Mate like her?”

“She’s lying,” a woman says, her tone dripping with venom. “Trying to excuse her behavior by claiming the bond.”

“She’s brought shame on all of us,” Jag continues, his voice like oil dripping over fire. “If she has nothing to say for herself, then she should be punished accordingly.”

“I’m not lying!” I blurt out, the words ripping from my throat.

The crowd falls silent, their eyes boring into me like daggers. My wolf whimpers, but I steady myself, my voice shaking but clear. “Alpha Kieran…is my Mate.”

The air shifts, the weight of my confession settling over the crowd like a suffocating blanket.

Then the whispers start again, harsher now, cruel and mocking.

I feel my wolf pressing against the edges of my control, her fury bleeding into my thoughts. She wants to shift, to lash out, to tear through the wolves who dare question her claim. But I force her back, clenching my fists so hard my nails bite into my palms.