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Chapter 23: "Learning the Pack Ways"
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2024-11-13 01:50:06Related chapters
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 24: Training begins
Alison’s POV“Get up, Alison,” came the clipped, frosty voice from across the room. My eyes snapped open, and there stood Katherine, already dressed in full training gear, her arms crossed and her gaze drilling into me with impatient distaste. “Daylight is burning, and half the pack is already out and about. Five minutes to join us outside or there will be consequences.”She spun on her heel and left, her footsteps echoing down the hall, leaving me scrambling. Heart pounding, I jumped out of bed, feeling a swell of frustration and determination collide within me. I knew Katherine had no real intention of making this easy. She’d do everything in her power to make me feel inadequate, to test my patience, and above all, to make me question my worthiness as Luna. But if this was a battle she wanted, I’d give her one.Quickly freshening up, I threw on my training clothes and bolted out the door, the cool morning air biting at my face. As I reached the training grounds, I slowed, taking in
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 25: "Sabotage in the Shadows"
Alison's POVI squared my shoulders, exhaling as I stepped onto the training grounds. Every step I took felt heavier under the watchful eyes of the pack members who were present today. It's two solid weeks into my Luna training and I can strongly say I was improving, physically and mentally, but Katherine's relentless regimen and barely hidden disdain didn’t make it any easier. I expected resistance from her. What I hadn’t anticipated was the simmering hostility of the pack, whispers, sidelong glances, and thinly veiled sneers that felt like daggers in my back, I had thought that by now seeing my resilience they would finally accept me, but I was wrong. “Good thing You’re early today,” Katherine’s voice cut through my thoughts like a whip. She stood at the edge of the training field, her posture rigid, her eyes as sharp as ever. She crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping over me as if searching for a flaw. “Let’s not waste anymore of our time. Warm up with the forms we practiced yesterd
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 26: An Attempt
Alison’s POVI slammed my fists into the training dummy, the rough burlap splitting under my relentless strikes. Sweat trickled down my back, and my breathing came in hard, sharp bursts. It wasn’t just the physical exertion, it was the constant weight of disapproval, the glares, and Katherine’s icy words disguised as guidance."You think that's enough to lead a pack?" Katherine’s voice cut through the training grounds, slicing into my concentration like a blade.I straightened, meeting her gaze with unwavering resolve. "I’m doing my best.""Your best won't keep this pack safe." Her lips curled in a faint smirk. "And certainly not from someone like Caitlyn."Caitlyn whose training had ended, stood smugly nearby, let out a soft chuckle. She’d been my shadow these past weeks, undermining me at every turn. During training runs, she’d conveniently “forget” to warn me about uneven terrain, leaving me stumbling. In sparring sessions, she’d whisper insults low enough that only I could hear, h
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 27: Seeds of Doubt
Alison’s POVThe scent of roasted meat and fresh herbs filled the grand hall as the pack gathered, their voices a low hum of anticipation. I stood at the head of the room, watching the steady stream of pack members settle into their seats. My chest tightened, but I kept my chin high, masking my nerves. Tonight’s ceremony was crucial.. a chance to prove myself.Katherine’s words from earlier echoed in my mind.“This is your chance, Alison,” she had said, her icy tone unmistakable. “If you can’t handle the responsibility of a simple pack gathering, how will you ever manage as Luna?”Her cold gaze was a weight I couldn’t shake. She’d made it clear: failure wasn’t an option. And I wouldn’t give her or Caitlyn the satisfaction of seeing me falter.“Everything is ready,” I told myself, adjusting the silver bracelet Xander had gifted me. The decorations, the food, the seating arrangements, I had overseen it all. No one could accuse me of being unprepared.As the ceremony began, I moved throu
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 28: Katherine’s Test
Alison's POVA cold gust swept through the room, rustling the drapes as I sat in the corner, staring at nothing. The disaster from the other day still fresh in my mind like a broken record. Their faces sneering, judging and burned into my memory. Even now, days later, I couldn’t escape the suffocating weight of it.Katherine’s scathing voice had been the loudest of them all, piercing through me like a dagger. I should’ve been used to her disdain by now, but her words carried a venom that still stung. Her verdict lingered in the air: You’re not good enough. You’ll never be good enough.I curled up tighter in the chair, pulling the blanket around me. How had things spiraled so far out of control?A sharp knock at the door jolted me from my thoughts. I sat up, my pulse quickening. “Yes?”The door creaked open, and a maid stepped inside, her expression carefully blank. “Good morning Miss Alison, Lady Katherine requests your presence in her quarters immediately.”My stomach dropped. Kather
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 29: The Ceremony
Alison's POVI woke up to the first rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains, but the light did nothing to chase away the heavy dread weighing on my chest. My heart thumped erratically, a wild rhythm of anxiety that refused to settle. Today was the day. The Ancestor’s Ceremony."Please, Moon Goddess, I prayed silently, staring up at the ceiling. Help me get through this. Help me prove myself" The quiet plea echoed in my mind as I forced myself to get out of bed. My feet hit the cold floor, and I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to calm the tremor in my fingers.The bath was lukewarm, but it did little to ease the knot in my stomach. I scrubbed every inch of my skin, as though washing away my doubt and fear. As I slipped into the dress I’d carefully chosen... a soft, flowing cream-colored gown with intricate embroidery symbolizing the ancestors, heard the door creak open.I stiffened. Only one person entered my room without knocking.“Xander,” I said softly, my voice barel
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 30: The Elders’ Meeting
Alison's POVThe air in the pack house felt heavy, suffocating, like a storm waiting to break. Whispers had reached my ears early that morning, whispers of a meeting called by the elders. The tension was palpable, coiling around my chest like a python.A sinking feeling took root in my stomach as I was summoned. It wasn’t a request, it was an order. My heart pounded with every step I took toward the council room, the walls closing in around me. I tried to steady my breathing, but my wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind.As I approached the tall wooden doors, I paused, my palms clammy. Beyond those doors lay judgment not just of my actions but of my worth."You have to do this," I told myself. "They won’t break you." I pushed the doors open.The sight before me stopped me cold.The elders were seated at the long table, their expressions grim, like they were preparing to deliver a death sentence. Katherine sat near the center, her posture regal, her sharp eyes gleaming with cru
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 31: Motivated
Alison’s POVThe garden had always been my solace from the day I arrived here, a place where the chaos of the pack house couldn’t quite reach me. The early morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of dew-kissed flowers and the earthy aroma of freshly turned soil. I sat on the stone bench, my fingers tracing patterns on my skirt, my mind a whirlwind of doubt and pain.Every harsh word spoken during the meeting echoed in my head like a cruel symphony. Katherine’s cold, unforgiving tone. The smugness in Caitlyn’s grin. The silent judgment of the elders.You’ll get one last chance.The weight of those words was crushing. What if I failed again? What if this time, I couldn’t claw my way back? My chest tightened, and I buried my face in my hands.A soft crunch of footsteps behind me jolted me out of my spiraling thoughts. My head shot up, heart racing.“Miss Alison.”I turned to see Luke, Xander’s Beta, standing a few feet away. The golden morning light illuminated his sharp features
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Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 54: She’s Awake
Xander’s POVThe room buzzed with tension, the weight of Lydia’s testimony hanging heavy in the air like an approaching storm. My pulse hammered in my chest, each beat echoing the disbelief coursing through my veins. Alison, an Alpha's blood? No, it couldn’t be. But she was lying lifeless in my room? My throat felt dry as sand paper, my mind a whirlwind of doubts and fragmented truths. The room was suffocating, a mix of aged wood, the faint tang of ink from council documents, and the oppressive energy of too many power-hungry alphas confined in one space.Alpha Gaius stood tall at the center, his voice slicing through the murmur of the council like a blade. “Do you still need more proof?” His eyes, sharp and unyielding, bored into the Head Alpha, daring him to counter his claim.The Head Alpha finally exhaled, a long, deliberate sigh that silenced the room. His gray eyes, clouded with years of judgment and authority, darted between Gaius and me. “This council deeply acknowledges your
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 53: Lost but Found
Xander's POV The tension in the council chamber was palpable, a suffocating mix of suspicion and unease that clung to the air like smoke. My mind replayed the events of the hearing again and again, searching for any angle, any detail that could have predicted the interruption.And yet, there he was.. Alpha Gaius.He stood beside me now, a towering figure draped in the kind of authority that demanded attention without effort. He was a living legend, feared and respected in equal measure, yet an enigma. His return to the council was as unexpected as it was unsettling. Gaius had disappeared from these gatherings years ago, refusing to acknowledge the peace treaty. Rumors swirled, speculating that his discontent stemmed from personal loss, but no one had dared to question him directly.Until now.“I found her,” Gaius said, his voice low but steady.The words hung in the air, heavy with implication.I turned to face him fully, frowning. “Found who?”“My daughter, silly” he replied simply,
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 52: The Hearing
Xander's POV The library was airy quiet, except for the faint scratching of my pen against paper. Even the air seemed heavy, pressing against my chest like an unseen weight. I had been here for hours, trying to steady my thoughts, rehearsing the defenses I might offer to the Alpha Council. A single misstep today could spell disaster.. not just for me but for my entire pack.The scent of leather-bound books and aged parchment mixed with my own unease. My wolf stirred, restless and irritable. The beast had been on edge ever since I received the third and final summon. Ignoring this one wasn’t an option.Suddenly, the faint creak of the library door interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t look up. I didn’t have to. His scent... clean, sharp, tinged with pine was unmistakable. Luke.“They’re ready,” his voice broke the silence, steady as ever, but carrying a subtle undertone of concern.I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I capped my pen and leaned back in the chair, exhaling slowly. My finge
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 51: Last Summon
Xander’s POVFew months ago, my life felt untouchable, a tapestry woven with strength, power, and what seemed like an unshakeable bond with Alison. Now, it felt like that tapestry was unraveling, each thread pulling apart, leaving me with nothing but raw, exposed nerves.I sat in my office, the weight of the pack’s future now crushing down on me. Two summons from the Alpha Council lay on the desk before me, their bold, blood-red seals mocking my every decision. Ignoring them had been a calculated risk, but now, it was one I could no longer afford. The council demanded my presence, and every instinct I had told me it was a trap... They had heard what Kendrick did to my mate, but yet they had disregarded that just to honor some Treaty even my father before me wasn't in support of.A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. “Come in,” I said, my voice hoarse from days of barking orders and sleepless nights.Darius, the physician, stepped in, his face an unreadable mask of professionalism, th
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 50: Captives
Xander’s POVThe night was too quiet, the kind of quiet that hums with anticipation, where even the wind seemed to hold its breath. I stood on the hill overlooking the Silver Moon Pack's borders, the faint glow of their territory bleeding into the darkness. Every muscle in my body was taut, my wolf clawing at the edges of my control, thirsting for retribution. Tonight, there would be no treaties, no negotiations.Tonight, blood would be spilled.The evidence was undeniable, and my patience had run dry. Alison's frail body haunted my every waking moment, her life hanging by a thread because of Kendrick's cowardice. My hands clenched at my sides as I turned to the warriors flanking me. My most loyal pack members, their faces grim and determined, waited for my command.“Alpha,” Luke whispered beside me, his voice low and cautious. “Are you sure about this? The council... ”“To hell with the council,” I snapped, my voice a growl that made his wolf shrink. “They can keep their treaties and
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 49: Secrets Begin to Emerge
Xander’s POVThe study was suffocating, the air thick with frustration and desperation. For the first time in days, I sat at my desk, surrounded by towering piles of books, old scrolls, and scattered notes. The faint scent of aged parchment mixed with the bitter tang of desperation. My fingers tapped restlessly on the desk, a metronome to the chaos within me.I flipped through another ancient tome, its brittle pages threatening to crumble under my rough touch. Nothing. Page after page of useless lore and vague remedies, none of which offered even the slightest glimmer of hope. My jaw tightened, the frustration bubbling beneath the surface.Alison’s face flashed in my mind... pale, cold, and still as death itself. Yet, her wolf clung to life, faint but present, like a single ember in a pile of ash. The physician had called it a miracle, but I called it torment. She was here but slipping further away every moment.A knock at the door broke my concentration. I slammed the book shut, the
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 48: Divided Loyalties
Xander’s POVThe room was suffused with an eerie quiet, broken only by the shallow, uneven rhythm of Alison’s breathing. It was maddening, watching her cling to life, her chest barely rising, her skin icy beneath my trembling fingers. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her fragile form. Her golden hair, once vibrant, now fanned lifelessly across the pillow, her complexion drained of its natural glow. A hollow ache twisted in my chest. She wasn’t gone, not yet but she was slipping through my fingers, and I was powerless to stop it.Cain, my wolf, prowled beneath my skin, restless and wild. He growled, a low, guttural sound that echoed in my mind, urging me to lash out, to tear apart anyone who dared to cross us. I gritted my teeth, gripping the bedpost to ground myself. But even that was fleeting. Cain wasn’t just restless, he was furious, teetering on the edge of control. And I was starting to let him.A knock at the door shattered the fragile silence. Luke stepped in, his face
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 47: Confronting an Alpha
Xander’s POVThe air felt heavier than usual as dawn broke through the castle windows. Each ray of light seemed to mock my mood, indifferent to the storm raging inside me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, adjusting the thick leather belts and silver clasps of the Official Nightfang Alpha’s war attire. Every piece fit snugly, a second skin that promised dominance, but beneath it, I felt hollow.The face staring back at me was taut with fury and guilt. Alison. The one person I’d vowed to protect now lay in the infirmary, death circling her like a vulture. And I had failed her.A knock broke through my thoughts. Luke entered cautiously, bowing slightly before speaking. “The car’s ready, Alpha. The team awaits your command.”I nodded without looking at him. “Pick only 4 warriors to accompany us, Dismissed,” I said curtly. I needed a moment, one last goodbye before I plunged into chaos.My boots were heavy against the stone floor as I entered Alison’s room. The stillness here was s
Rejected: Mated to Another Alpha Chapter 46: The Diagnosis
Xander’s POVThe stillness in the room was suffocating, heavy with the weight of despair. Alison’s pale figure lay motionless on the bed, her breaths shallow and uneven, each rise and fall of her chest a fragile tether holding her to this world. Her once radiant glow was replaced by a ghostly pallor, her warmth stolen by the venom coursing through her veins. I sat beside her, gripping her icy hand, feeling the emptiness in her touch as if the life we once shared was slipping away.I closed my eyes, bowing my head, my voice barely a whisper."Moon Goddess," I began, my words trembling with desperation. "If you're listening, hear me now. Don’t take her from me. Don’t punish her for my failures. I know I let her down, I allowed this to befall us, but please... spare her. She’s too innocent, a light in my darkness. Take my strength, take my life if you must, but leave her to shine a little longer in this world."Cain, my wolf, howled within me, his grief a sharp blade in my chest. He want
