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049 | Time to Go
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 050 | Stay or Go?
Aurora’s POVI yelped, yanking the covers up and hiding my exposed body. “Ethan!” I squealed. His gaze darkened as he looked at my bare shoulders, his pupils dilating. His tongue flicked out, wetting his lower lip. Then his throat bobbed, and he took an involuntary step back.“Oh.” Zoe bit back a grin, but it was still a ghost of her normal smile. “I’m sorry, Aria. I didn’t think you’d be…”“You didn’t think I’d be in bed?” I asked scathingly. “That’s funny, considering I’m on bed rest.”She went pale. “Sorry,” she muttered again. I felt a twinge of guilt for wiping even the ghostly smile from her lips, but a small, vindictive part of me relished in it. Zoe deserved to feel bad. She’d slept with Ethan and then kept it from me. Whether it was in the past or not didn’t matter; it was just wrong. And making herself out to be the victim, when I was the one who’d been forced to fake my own death and run? I ground my jaw and decided that I didn’t feel bad at all.Ethan, at least, had the d
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 051 | Decision Made
Aurora's POVGuilt wrapped around my heart as I tucked a note Ethan had left me into my suitcase. He'd slid it under my front door at the crack of dawn. I'd heard him muttering to himself and hesitating on the porch before the paper had been folded twice, quickly, with purpose, and it had scraped over the door mat before I'd heard the sound of his rapidly retreating footsteps.Sighing softly, I picked it up and read his carefully written words again. His handwriting was neat, painstaking, and I knew this wasn't something he'd scribbled down in a rush. Dear Aria, it read,I didn't mean what I said in the hospital. I was upset, and frustrated, and I lashed out, and I'm sorry. You were right, too, when you said I needed to think this through. It's not just Selene I have to think about, but Serena as well. This effects us all and I don't want to act impulsively.That said, I know how I feel. I know the Moon Goddess has given me a second chance, and I'm not going to lose it. I'm not going
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 052 | Home
Aurora’s POV“We’re here.” Swallowing hard, I squeezed Sammy’s little hand. It was clutching mine so tightly I was losing feeling in my fingers, but I didn’t say anything. He needed me.And, right now, I needed him more than ever. We were setting foot somewhere I’d never expected to see again. The hair on the back of my neck prickled as we took our first step away from the car.The Silver Shade Pack looked different to how I remembered it, but then I’d never spent much time on the actual pack grounds. Ethan and I had our house and our life and, although I’d once been its Luna, Silver Shade had never been as much a part of my life as it had been his.Add to that the fact that I was seeing my old home through new eyes, and it made total sense that the once-familiar buildings and gardens looked a little odd to me.But I didn’t think it was me. The pack grounds were deathly silent as we inched our way towards the medic’s quarters, hand in hand, both of us quiet, the only sound we made th
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 053 | Two Mates?
Ethan’s POVThings were about to get… weird. I’d thought this would work. I’d thought Selene would stay in Berlin. It didn’t matter what I’d said to Aria when I’d tried to placate her; I wanted to believe her, but she was hell bent on thinking Selene was behind every bad thing that had happened to her. It had been easy to get caught up in her delusions when she’d looked so fragile, so scared, but the truth was that as soon as I’d been back on my own, I’d realised how crazy it was to think that Selene would lie about being in Berlin to antagonise a sweet, innocent doctor she’d never met.Selene had her faults, but they were always logical. I could understand why she worked so hard to keep up appearances; she was a wealthy heiress with a lifetime of expectations weighing heavy on her shoulders.What Aria believed held no logic. There was no way Selene was lurking in Midnight City, twiddling her moustache after orchestrating a car crash. It was impossible.I had to focus on reality. Al
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 054 | Stepping Back in Time
Aurora’s POVThe lift dinged, announcing its arrival, but I didn’t react to it. I couldn’t.My eyes were fixed on Ethan and Selene outside. His hand tangled in her hair. His eyes fluttered closed. His chest heaved. I could feel the intensity of the mate bond as I watched. Violet was crying out in my head, making my own despair worse.Selene grabbed him around the waist, her long, slender red nails digging in to his sides. She leant back; he was quick to support her, tugging her closer.I gulped. I felt like I’d stepped back in time. This was just like walking into The Midnight Club and coming face-to-face with the two of them kissing, uncaring who saw, gleeful and amused by their own twisted deceit.Ethan had told me he and Selene were just together for the public eye. He’d even said she was seeing other people, in secret. But this didn’t look like a performance for the public or the press. This looked intimate. This looked real.“Doctor Aria? Is everything all right?” Leyla tugged
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 055 | First Encounter with Selene
Aurora’s POVSelene looked exactly the same as I remembered. Perfectly curled blonde hair. Cat-like green eyes. Beauty mark under her eye. Her beauty was almost intimidating up close. Even when I’d looked like her, I’d never carried myself the way she did. She oozed confidence without quite touching on arrogance. An Omega like me could never pull that off.Even so, it was like staring into the past.But something more important struck me up close.It was her. I knew it.It was Selene who’d been there at the car crash. It was Selene who’d been in the woods with Dominic Butcher. It had all been Selene.It didn’t matter what anyone else believed or what they told me. It didn’t matter that her pretending to be in Berlin made absolutely no sense at all. It didn’t matter because I knew, deep down, right to my bones, that she’d been there for the worst moments of my life.I realised this as I pasted on a smile, scrambled around to find my friendly doctor persona, praying all the while that s
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 056 | Another Complication
Aurora’s POV“What happened?” Sammy gasped. “I don’t know,” Selene said, with the perfect amount of worry and calm carried in her tone. Enough to keep Sammy calm, but enough to let him know how concerned she was too. Yuck. “I was just giving your mum this welcome hamper and she collapsed.”Sammy’s hands pressed to my face. I couldn’t open my eyes; everything was swirling and spinning, making me so dizzy I felt like I was going to be sick.Realisation burrowed beneath the nausea. Sammy had come out of our room. Selene could see him. If Selene could see him for long enough, up this close, she could see how much he looked like Ethan. That gave me enough of a jolt to open my eyes. “I’m okay, sweetheart,” I croaked.He held out his hands to help me up. I took them but pulled myself up, letting him think he was hefting the bulk of my weight. “Thank you,” I whispered, smiling softly at him.“What happened, Mummy?”“I just got a bit light-headed, that’s all. I’m fine now.” I forced my smile
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 057 | This Is Your Life
Aurora’s POVI let Selene drag me downstairs. I was too dazed and confused to put up any sort of a fight. Violet kept chattering away, making side comments and hooting uproariously at everything she said, and I felt so alone with this abnormal version of her in my head that I couldn’t dredge myself out of my misery for long enough to fight back. I’d lost my son and, along with him, all my sense of purpose. Sammy scurried off ahead of us to find Ethan. I made a little sound of despair as he rushed off.He didn’t even look back.‘What do you call a deer with no eyes?’ Violet crowed. ‘No idea! Get it? Like no-eyed-deer? Ha!’‘Who are you?’ I groaned. ‘Um, your wolf? Girl, what is with you today?’‘What’s with me?’ I cried. ‘I’m the normal one here! You’re acting like a you’ve had a personality transplant!’Violet scoffed. ‘Says the baby snatcher. Incorrect, boo. Try again.’I rolled my eyes at her but otherwise ignored her jibing. She wasn’t my wolf. I didn’t know what had happened to
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The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 066 | Like Mother, Like Daughter
Aurora’s POVSeeing Serena up close was strange. I knew what she looked like, of course, but I’d never been face-to-face with her. She was the perfect mix of Ethan and Selene – but she also looked an awful lot like Sammy.She shared his dark curls and rosy cheeks, his bright eyes and curious expression. She had Ethan’s strong jaw, too, paired with Selene’s softer features, like her small, straight, freckled nose.It struck me as odd for a second that she and Sammy looked so alike, like they could be twins, almost, but of course it made sense. They shared a father, and genetically, back before I’d drastically changed my own appearance, Selene and I had been identical. That wasn’t just Selene’s nose I was seeing in Serena’s face; it was mine, too.“What are you doing out here?” I asked softly, crouching down to be at her eye level. “Waiting for Mummy and Daddy. They told me to stay out here.” She rocked back on her heels. She was wearing a woolly dress with patterned tights, and my hea
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 065 | Damage Control
Aurora’s POVI would, at some point, be able to deal with the sudden tilting of my world upon its axis. That was the logical conclusion to draw – but it hadn’t happened yet.Selene knew I was Aurora Everheart. This was not me guessing, not me jumping to conclusions. There was no allusion in her statement.Selene knew. ‘Uh, oh,’ Violet whispered.I gulped. ‘You said it.’I scrambled desperately to think of something to say to make this go away. I had to act casual, to act like Selene was crazy, to laugh if I had to – but what if none of those things worked? I spent so long second guessing myself that my expression got caught between laughter and fear, and I said nothing.Selene just smirked at me, the cat with the cream as her cold green eyes assessed me with a victor’s glint. I had to say something, do something – but what?I opened my mouth, determined to at least try to defend myself, but before I could Selene spoke.“Ethan! She’s in here,” she called out, twisting at the waist to
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 064 | I Know Who You Are
Aurora’s POVThings didn’t go back to normal for me as quickly as I’d hoped. Standing at the window in my guest room, I sipped slowly at the potion that kept my wolf’s identity masked, knowing I was lucky that Ethan hadn’t sniffed Violet out while I’d been in the hospital again. Apparently he’d sat by my bedside night and day, according to Medic Leyla, who’d told me this with stars in her eyes and her fingers toying constantly with her ringlets. To her, it was a good thing. To me…Ethan. I shuddered at the memory of his rough hands on me. I hadn’t been able to look at him the same since I’d woken up here, back in reality. I still didn’t fully understand what had happened to me.Leyla had given me her hypothesis, which made sense, but everything that had gone on in my so-called dream state felt so real. According to her, I’d collapsed outside my room while talking to Selene. Selene had rushed me to the hospital, where I’d entered a comatose-like state and been unconscious for three day
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 063 | Evil Poison Do Not Touch
Ethan’s POVMy eyes zeroed in on each shelf, narrowing as I searched every bottle, jar, and plastic container for anything out of the ordinary.Sterling huffed at me. ‘Do you even know what you’re looking for?’‘Not really. Just anything that seems out of place. Shout if you see a vial that’s labelled Evil Poison Do Not Touch or something, yeah?’This time, his huff was more of a wry laugh. ‘Sure.’It wasn’t only Selene who had no business being in this cupboard – it was me, too. The longer I looked the more I despaired. Everything had a name about four syllables too long for me to understand any of them. The words blurred together, becoming an illegible streak of meaninglessness. ‘What about that one?’ Sterling said.‘Which one?’‘Up, left – no, down a bit. Yeah. That one.’My fingers closed around the bottle. It was small, about two-thirds of the length of my thumb, and contained an unnaturally blue liquid. ‘It’s not labelled.’‘Exactly.’I held it up to the light. It sparkled, gli
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 062 | Up To No Good
Ethan’s POVHer brow furrowed as her gaze snagged on my limp hands. I suddenly didn’t know what to do with them. The cold touch of the metal doorknob was branded on my palm.“Everything all right?” she asked, her tone cautious.Selene hovered halfway between Aria’s bed and where I was guiltily stood. Was that fear I detected in her pretty green eyes – or was she just looking at me like I was the one up to no good?“Fine.” My brain scrambled to come up with a halfway sensible reason for my being over here.Sterling hissed, ‘Tell her you’ve got a headache and you’re looking for pills.’‘Thank you.’ I could’ve kissed him. Instead, I crossed the room in four quick strides and took Selene’s hands in mine. Aloud, I said, “Everything’s fine. I’ve just got a headache.” I nodded back towards the cabinet, forcing a wince as I did. “I just wanted to grab some ibuprofen.” She tittered. “Darling, it’s no wonder you’ve got a headache. You’ve been holed up in this hospital for days.” Her throat bob
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 061 | Selene Being Suspicious
Ethan’s POVThat single, elongated tone was all I could hear. It ran and ran, forging onwards, carving a path of heartache through my chest. It was all I was truly aware of as I lunged over to Aria’s bed, reaching for her like a drowning man stretching his arms towards the water’s surface. Desperate. Terrified. Alone.Only I wasn’t alone. Selene’s familiar, long-fingered hand wrapped firmly around my bicep. It was both comfort and warning in equal parts. I sucked in a sharp breath. She couldn’t see how I really felt about Aria. I couldn’t let her know that. I had to keep myself in check, even though I was falling, falling, falling–The beep shuddered. It went silent.I realised we weren’t alone in the room as a doctor pushed me aside. “Sorry, Alpha,” she said, or maybe it was a he, as they elbowed me out of their way. Nothing mattered but her. Seeing her like this, again… I had to do better. I had to be better, for her.I stumbled aside in a daze, finally opening my eyes wide enough
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 060 | Falling Star
Aurora's POVMy soul exploded as Ethan’s lips met mine. Soft but firm, they held me locked in place; his hands snared my waist, my knees went weak, and I was stuck. I felt like a comet soaring through the stars, a trail of light glittering in the dark behind me – and then, suddenly, I was falling.It was worse than death. It hurt more. The pain in my chest eclipsed the pounding joy of my heart. Our mate bond lay in tatters, a drooping sail left lonely on a boat pillaged by pirates; it was so at odds with the heated press of Ethan’s lips to mine, so at odds with the sinful slip of his tongue, so at odds with the gentle caress of his fingers at the edge of my shirt.His hands clenched into fists. He ripped my shirt from my back. It splintered down the middle. Just like my heart.“You want to be my mate, little Omega?” he purred. Goosebumps rose down my arms, flaring like the shrill warning of an alarm. My pride stung, but I had to give in to him. Even with my soul yearning for his, w
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 059 | Easily Forgotten
Aurora’s POV“You don’t know who I am?” I looked into his dark eyes, trying to find the man I knew somewhere in them.They weren’t warm with affection. Staring into his eyes was like staring into the black of a cave, unsure what was lurking in the icy darkness.He looked just the same in every other regard. He was tall and dark and handsome, his jaw strong, his hair tousled, his shoulders broad. Even so - even though I recognised the tie he was wearing, thin and navy - this wasn’t the Ethan I knew.“Of course I do,” he scoffed, shaking his head at me. “I just said. Now put some respect in your tone, Omega, and greet me as I should be greeted.”“But you… can’t you feel it?” I pressed my palm flat to his chest. “We’re mates, Ethan.”He grabbed me by the throat and shoved me back against the wall. I cried out.“You think you’re my mate?” He laughed cruelly. “That’s so stupid I’m not even angry that some Omega,” he snarled the title, “would dare insinuate that I’m her mate.”He looked me
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 058 | Stuck
Aurora’s POVAfter a check-up, I was sent to have a scan in a gleaming, state-of-the-art suite. The Medic couldn’t find a thing wrong with head, not even the brain injuries I’d been told explicitly I had in my last visit to the hospital, but I didn’t try to argue with him. There wasn’t any point.Finding nothing wrong other than the fact I didn’t know anyone or my place in this strange world, I’d been sent home and told to rest before my shift in the morning. Selene had promised with owlish earnestness that she’d try to get me off kitchen cleaning duty, but the little smirk she’d worn all the while told me otherwise. I swore she knew something the others didn’t. Or was I really just going mad?I walked back up to my room slowly, dragging my feet. They suddenly felt too heavy for my legs to lift. I took the stairs, wandering past the lifts without a thought. The walk to the tenth floor was a long one, but it felt like it was over in a matter of seconds.I felt around in my pocket for
