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055 | First Encounter with Selene
Last Updated:
2023-12-21 23:57:50
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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
Last Updated : 2023-12-22The 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
Last Updated : 2023-12-23The 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
Last Updated : 2023-12-24The 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
Last Updated : 2023-12-25The 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
Last Updated : 2024-02-02The 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
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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
Last Updated : 2024-02-04The 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
Last Updated : 2024-02-05
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Ethan’s POVI couldn’t stop staring at Sammy. I’d been pummelled by revelations today - Aurora was alive, and here, and she was willing to forgive me - and, perhaps even more incredible than that…I had a son. We had a son.The woman I had pined for was here, her warm body pressed to mine, our son slumped against us, asleep, and I couldn’t believe it. My life had been turned upside down. That didn’t mean I wasn’t angry. Damn it, I was furious. She’d kept my boy from me. ‘You can’t blame her for that,’ sighed Sterling. ‘I know. Don’t make me remember,’ I replied, but it was too late. My mind was spinning down the one path I wanted to always avoid.I’d been swayed by idiocy and left my mate out in the cold. The fact she’d lost our other baby because of me…I wasn’t the same man I’d been then. I couldn’t believe I’d treated her like that.But I had.I’d pushed her to make those crazy choices. She’d gone to extremes to keep herself, and our child, safe from me. It made my throat fill
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 077 | I Am Both
Aurora’s POVThe words lingered in the air between us. I could’ve reached out and plucked them with my fingertips. They were a palpable thing - a curse I wished I could recall.Then Ethan let out a single, sharp breath.My chest squeezed as I watched the emotions racing across his handsome, chiselled face. His jaw tensed, then relaxed, then tensed again.I waited on tenterhooks for him to speak.“I knew it,” he said eventually, the words rough around the edges. “Not for sure, but… I felt a connection to him. And, damn it, Aurora, he looks just like me.” His brow creased; he refused to meet my eyes. “I wondered why I wanted to be close to him. Separate from wanting to be close to you, I mean. I-“ He cut himself off and dragged a shaking hand through his dark hair. I had so much to say, but I held my tongue. He needed to process this. He finally looked at me. “You kept my son from me.” It wasn’t an accusation. It was simply a fact. A cruel, horrible, awful fact.“I had no choice. I wo
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 076 | Fatherhood
Aurora’s POV Ethan spent the night. Not in the way I’d anticipated or even hoped - and yet it was infinitely better. I longed to share a bed with him, skin on skin, a melding of bodies and minds as we kissed and talked and made love… But instead he was here, taking care of us. I had a front row seat to watch my son’s relationship with his father bloom. Before everything had happened, I’d dreamt about bringing up a child with Ethan. Then I’d feared him ever finding out the truth. Now, telling him the truth felt like the most natural thing in the world. How he hadn’t seen it for himself I didn’t know. They looked so alike, sat together on the sofa, heads bowed as they spoke. Ethan ruffled Sammy’s hair; my heart squeezed painfully. ‘It’s only a matter of time until he works it out,’ Violet said. ‘He knows who you are now, and he knows how old Sammy is. It wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together.’ I bit my lip. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. I’ve had so much else to think
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 075 | Who Took Him?
Aurora’s POV I glanced back at Ethan. He nodded, his jaw set. He stepped closer to me, a silent promise that he - quite literally - had my back, no matter what I opened the door to reveal. I opened it. Sammy lay crumpled on the floor. I dropped to my knees with a cry. “Sammy, sweetheart, look at me,” I pleaded with him. He mumbled something incoherent. I scooped him into my arms; Ethan held the door open for me so I could bring him inside. His eyelids flickered as I laid him down on the sofa. “Sammy?” I whispered, pushing a lock of dark hair off his forehead. He looked so pale, but I could see the steady rise and fall of his chest and hear the soft intake of his breaths. “Shit,” Ethan cursed, running both hands through his hair. He looked between me and the still-open door. “They only just knocked. Whoever took him has to still be close, Aur. I can go after them, or I can stay here with you and Sammy.” I cradled Sammy’s icy cheek. I wanted him to stay, to comfort
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 074 | Sammy is Missing
Aurora’s POVWith shaking fingers I clicked on the light. The cold white flash burnt my retinas. “Sammy?” I called out softly, still hoping he was in the bed, still hoping he was where he was meant to be. I took a step closer.The duvet had been pulled back. A book had been left abruptly, as if dropped, face-down with its spine groaning. Sammy would never leave a book like that.My gut churned.“Sammy!” I cried, panic flaring in my voice.I tore around the room, flinging back the curtains and opening the wardrobe. There were no thoughts in my head, nothing concrete or sensible that would help me find him. There was just terror, raw and biting.Ethan was drawn into the room by my shout. “Is everything okay?”“Sammy’s gone.” I spun around to face him. My bottom lip wobbled. “He’s not in here.”Ethan nodded, reaching out a hand to comfort me even as his expression hardened. I knew that look; that was the Alpha in him stepping forward, the part of him designed to deal with any crisis. H
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 073 | Volcanic
Aurora’s POV“What’s wrong?” I asked. He hadn’t pulled back from me, not an inch. Not even a millimetre. “Don’t stop,” I pleaded.If I paused to think about this, I might never get the chance to have it again. Our relationship was too precarious. “I can’t do this out here,” he whispered, pressing tiny, butterfly kisses up my neck until his breath warmed the shell of my ear. “You’re freezing cold. And… it doesn’t feel right, our first time being out in the open.”His lips brushed over my skin with every word. Shivers of pleasure rolled freely down my spine. I was lost to them. I was lost to him.“I don’t care,” I said breathlessly.He laughed, low and sinful, and I dragged his mouth back to mine. Every piece of him felt like unchartered territory; I wanted to map each stretch of muscle and each sharp line of his face with my lips and tongue. I wanted to know him again, with no pretence between us.“You will care, later. I don’t want to stop, but I don’t want to take you like this. Yo
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 072 | Under the Cover of Darkness
Aurora’s POVMy heart leapt at his words. It felt like my soul surged towards his, that energy buried deep inside me desperate to entwine with his. It wasn’t that everything I hated about our shared past had suddenly vanished; it was simply that my need eclipsed everything else. For a split second, I was no longer the hardened woman I’d become. I let my pain slip away. I let it reveal the vulnerable heart underneath, the one I tried so hard to conceal around him.Oh, Ethan…His gaze flicked from my eyes, dipping lower, caressing my lips. “I still love you,” he rasped, like he was realising it himself for the first time. “You have every right to hate me. I know there’s so much we still need to talk about. But I know how I feel, and I know what I want.” His eyes met mine. “You.”My stomach swooped. There was still so much for us to discuss – but I had to stop kidding myself. I might have set out to get revenge on Ethan, but my feelings for him were still just as real as they’d been a
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 071 | Lies Unearthed
Aurora’s POV“Let me go,” I whimpered. But, deep down, I knew it was over. “I can’t.” His voice was raw, croaky. “I need answers.”I writhed against his grip. His fingers tightened around my shoulder. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said softly. “But I can’t let you go.”“You did before.” I struggled against him. My limbs surrendered to the power of my fear and relief, making me weak in his arms.My pulse pounded against my temples. It’s over, it said, again and again and again. It’s over. “I missed you every second that you were gone,” he croaked, and I jolted upright. I sought out his eyes as they met mine. I felt like I could see deep into his soul. “I knew meeting Aria – meeting you again – felt like coming home. I just didn’t know why.” “You hated me,” I whispered. My eyes filled with tears. “You forced me to divorce you. You tried to make me – make me…” I couldn’t say it. The mere memory of what I’d been through was enough to close my throat.Ethan dragged a hand through his
The Alpha's Rejected Mate is the True Heiress 070 | Ethan, I...
Aurora’s POV“Aria,” Ethan rasped, his voice cloaked in the same shadows as his face. I could see only a ghostly figure beside the Wishing Tree, silver moonlight slicing over the broad cut of his shoulders and narrowly missing his features. But I would know his voice anywhere, even in death.I already had, I supposed. Was this my rebirth? Was this my second chance?Edging closer to him, I tried desperately to make out his eyes. When I did, I realised they were closed. “You wanted to meet me,” I murmured.Violet had been right. It would have been a relief to see Selene standing there instead of him. I hadn’t known what to expect from Ethan, but even so his harsh posture was a surprise. His letter had been so kind, and yet he had not moved an inch towards me.“I did.” I agonised over the emphasis he put on ‘did.’I swallowed hard. “Is everything okay, Ethan?”“It was,” he groaned, suddenly breaking from his stiff posture and dragging both hands through his hair. “When I sent you that l
