Page 4 of Rejected by My Shadow Alpha (Mate to the Fallen #1)

"Drew…" I gasped, voice trembling. "You…"

"I tried," he groaned, his forehead pressing to mine, breath ragged. "I fucking tried to stay away from you."

His hands skimmed down my sides, slow, reverent, and shaking slightly as if even touching me unraveled him. He slid the zipper of my dress down, and I shivered when the fabric fell away, pooling around my feet.

He stepped back just enough to look at me, bare, vulnerable, and wanting.

"Beautiful," he whispered, voice hoarse. "You're so damn beautiful, Ruby."

I stood there trembling, my heart pounding and skin aflame as his gaze devoured me.

Then his hands came to my waist, and he guided me gently toward the bed.

My legs moved of their own accord, and breathless desire curled inside me like a living flame.

He laid me down like I was precious, his body blanketing mine as he kissed me again, softer this time, but no less intense.

His lips moved from my mouth to my jaw, down the column of my throat, and then lower, worshiping every inch of my skin with lips and hands that made my body arch and ache.

"Goddess, Drew…" I whimpered, threading my fingers through his hair as he took one of my breasts into his mouth, suckling gently.

Pleasure rippled through me, hot and alive, and when he switched to the other, teasing me with his tongue, I moaned shamelessly.

His touch was everywhere, slow and deliberate, like he was memorizing me.

I gasped when his fingers slid between my thighs, stroking over the slick ache there.

"You're soaked," he rasped, voice full of awe. "I want you, Ruby."

"Ohh," I moaned, bucking into his hand, his words heightening my pleasure.

He kissed me again, deep and consuming, while he stroked me in slow, torturous circles that had my hips lifting off the bed.

I clung to him, my nails digging into his shoulders as he pushed a finger inside me, then another, curling them just right.

I came undone in his hands, crying out his name.

He kissed me through it—kisses that felt like devotion, like oneness, like he was pouring all the things he couldn't say into my mouth.

As I trembled beneath him, he undressed, his eyes never leaving mine.

There was something different now, softer in his gaze and fiercer in his restraint.

He wasn't just hungry, he was gentle, like I mattered, like this mattered.

Drew climbed onto the bed, between my parted thighs, and cupped my face.

"Do you want this?" he whispered, voice almost broken.

I nodded, too full of emotion to speak. "Please," I breathed. There was no going back now.

He kissed me again, and then he entered me; slowly, gently, inch by inch, filling me completely. We both moaned at the contact, the connection. My arms wrapped around his back, holding him to me, as our bodies moved in rhythm, finding each other again and again.

He whispered my name like a prayer. I clung to him like he was my lifeline.

It wasn't just sex. It was everything. His pace was slow but deep, each thrust pushing me closer to the edge.

White hot pleasure rippled before my eyes, and I moaned aloud, thrusting my hips and urging him to go deeper.

Drew increased his pace, each thrust hitting my pleasure spot.

I screamed and held him tight. Then his wolf stirred, mine answered.

The bond shimmered between us, electric and ancient.

My wolf purred, begging to be marked. Drew's wolf reached for mine. He growled, and I felt it—heat, pain, and pleasure all colliding as his canines nicked the curve where my neck met shoulder.

Was he going to mark me?

"Ruby…" he whispered, his breath catching.

His canines lengthened, and as he thrust into me one last time, his teeth sank into the curve of my neck.

The pain was laced with pleasure, sharp and euphoric.

I gasped, and a cry tore from my throat as my orgasm slammed into me, wild and consuming.

Drew groaned, his body trembling as he spilled into me, his wolf sealing the bond with mine.

Everything changed.

A rush of heat and light surged through me. My wolf howled in delight and completion. The bond flared bright, connecting us on a level deeper than words or thought. I felt him, his soul, his love, his regret, and his hunger—everything.

Tears pricked my eyes as I held him, my body still trembling.

"You marked me," I whispered, breathless.

He went still and pulled away from me abruptly, like a door slamming shut. The warmth of his skin vanished from mine, and the room suddenly felt cold. Too cold. I blinked up at him, my heart still pounding from what we had just shared. My lips parted, searching for words.

"Drew?"

He was dressing, buttoning his shirt. Silently, slowly, and carefully, like each button helped lock something back inside him. Something wasn't right. I sat up, still naked and feeling vulnerable, confusion twisting through the haze of afterglow.

"Hey," I said softly, trying to catch his eyes. "Is everything okay?"

He inhaled like he was gathering the words carefully and painfully. "Do you even know who you are?"

The question made me blink. "What do you mean?"

He finally faced me. His eyes… they weren't the same. They weren't the same eyes that had looked at me like I was his mate.

"You're Ruby Alfonso."

The name landed between us like a curse. I frowned, confused. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

He laughed, humorless, his tone sharp. "Isn't it?"

Something in my chest twisted. "Drew, what's going on?"

He stared at me…I'd never seen it before. Cold, angry, and haunted. His jaw clenched. "You're the daughter of Alpha Alfred," he continued, voice flat and heavy. "The man who wiped my pack off the map and buried my family in fire and ash."

I froze. His words sliced through the air like a blade. My ears rang.

"What?" I whispered, my pulse stumbling.

He stared at me like I was a ghost, his tone venomous. "Your father is a beast, and I will destroy him."

His daughter. My father. What was he talking about?

"Drew…I didn't…I'm not…"

"You're his blood," he said bitterly, eyes like steel. "And I needed him to hurt."

Something inside me cracked. "What are you saying?"

He took a breath. His hands were shaking. "Marking you was necessary."

The words made no sense. Necessary?

"Wait…" I shook my head. "You don't mean that. You… we just…" My voice splintered. "We're fated mates."

His expression twisted. "That bond? That was instinct. Not love."

"No," I said. "You felt it. I know you did. You looked at me like…"

"I took what I needed," he said, sharper this time. "Don't confuse a bond with something sacred."

The room spun. I clutched the sheet like it was the only thing keeping me upright.

"Was this revenge?" I asked, my voice raw.

He didn't answer.

But he didn't need to.

I saw it in the hard lines of his jaw and the way his eyes refused to meet mine.

"Oh Goddess," I whispered. "You used me."

He slammed his hand on the wall, and I flinched. "I don't care! The Cornerstone Pack and your father are all my enemies!"

Something flickered in his eyes, something raw and dangerous, but he shoved it down with a cruel smile.

"He took the Luna of our pack and destroyed everyone and everything that mattered to me.

" His eyes fell on the silver necklace on my neck.

His eyes flashed with an intense fury that made me feel the depth of his anger," and now I've taken from him.

I returned the favor." He stepped forward, towering and imposing. "You were just the weapon."

My knees buckled, but I didn't fall. I couldn't fall. I was still naked beneath his gaze, still pulsing from the bond that had flared just moments ago. My wolf whimpered, clawing at me from inside, howling in pain. The mark on my neck burned like a curse.

"You marked me," I whispered, disoriented. "You claimed me, yet you call me your enemy?"

"No." His voice was ice. "I branded you. Big difference."

I flinched, like he'd struck me.

"You're lying," I whispered. "I felt it, Drew. We connected. You wanted me. You kissed me like I was…"

"Stop." His voice cracked like a whip, but something flickered in his eyes…something raw. "Don't confuse lust with fate. You wanted to feel special? That's on you."

My heart broke with every word. "You're my mate."

He laughed, but it wasn't cruel. It was hollow, almost like he was in pain. "Fate's a joke, Ruby, and I'm done pretending it means anything."

His jaw clenched, and he looked away like he couldn't bear to see my face. His fists trembled at his sides, and for a second, his breathing faltered as if the weight of what he was about to do was crushing him.

Then his voice dropped, guttural, broken. "I reject you."

The silence that followed wasn't victorious. It was heavy and suffocating. Like both of us had just lost something neither of us truly understood. The words hit me like a physical blow. I felt my chest split open, and something sacred was ripped out. My lungs forgot how to breathe.

"No…" I gasped, clutching at my bare chest, trembling. "You… you can't…"

He turned away.

I felt dizzy and sick. My dress lay crumpled on the floor like the ruin of something sacred. I yanked it up with shaking fingers, not even trying to zip it. My hands wouldn't obey.

"You'll regret this," I rasped, tears clouding my vision.

He turned slowly. His eyes were cold and unreadable. "I doubt it."

"Coward," I spat, my voice full of venom. "You would rather suffer in your hate."

He flinched at that but only for a moment. Then his features hardened again. "Good. Now you know how it feels to lose the people you love. Tell your father I am coming for him."

I choked on a sob and straightened my shoulders. I wouldn't cry here, not in front of him. I adjusted my torn strap with trembling fingers, my heels clicking against the cold floor as I walked to the door.

"Ruby," he said suddenly, his voice strained.

I didn't let him finish. "I hate you," I said, my voice cracking.

He nodded, his eyes resolute. "Good," he said. "Hate will keep you warm."

I stumbled out the door, blood on my neck, betrayal in my chest. Every step felt like knives, but I didn't stop.

I wouldn't. I had a thousand questions about Drew, my father, and Drew's clan being wiped out by my father.

But first, I had to survive this heartbreak because what's worse than being betrayed?

Being betrayed by someone your soul chose. The tears fell hard and fast.