The King’s Rejected Mate

Nicole I should’ve known something was wrong the moment I walked in. The air had an odd, unsettling smell I couldn’t quite place. My fingers tightened around my chest, grounding me as I stepped further into the house. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t this. It felt like I’d stepped onto the set of a horror movie. The place was trashed—bodies everywhere, blood splattered on the walls, and body parts scattered across the floor. I felt sick. What the hell happened while I was playing? Taking deep breaths, I forced myself to move forward. As much as I wanted to run, I had to find my family. As I stepped over dead bodies, I wanted to break down. These were the same people I’d spoken to earlier today. Why did this happen? After a few more steps, I found my parents lying next to each other, their throats torn out. My heart shattered. I knelt beside them, holding my mother close as tears welled up in my eyes. No! This can't be! Who dared to do something so cruel? A creak from up

Alaric's pov I arrived at Drogomor Palace because of the invitation; the princess of this kingdom was looking for her mate. I couldn’t have cared less, as I despised this kingdom, but I really needed my mate, and I’d been searching for her for the past five years. Upon discovering that the princess wasn't the one after all, I dismissed myself. I decided to take a stroll around the palace—it had been ages since I last stepped into this palace. As I walked around, I had to admit, there were some pretty girls here, but none that actually interested me. I briefly spoke with some of the other Alphas in attendance, at least the ones I was on good terms with. They were older and wiser and gave lots of great advice. They brought their unmated sons and daughters with them, hoping they would find their mates. I knew they were hoping I would be mated to one of their girls, but that was not happening—not if the Moon Goddess had anything to say about it. I walked around some more and w

Derek's POV I stood behind the window, with a bottle of wine in my hand, staring at the luminous moon hanging in the sky when my memories began to flow. Five years ago, I was just eighteen, and I had yet to find my wolf, which made me a disappointment to my parents. They were kings, powerful in their own right, and their relentless demands felt overwhelming. “You’re too weak. You’re reckless. Your brother is the one fit to lead,” they had said. “You’ll never be worthy of this palace,” my father’s voice cut through, cold and laced with disappointment. “Not until you find your wolf and prove you can control it.” Control. That’s all they ever talked about—power and dominance. Control your power, control your emotions, control everything. But no one spoke of the pain of not belonging, of feeling like a ghost in my skin. I begged desperately to the Moon Goddess for strength, for a glimpse of my wolf, for any way to escape the suffocating expectations, but there was nothing. Th

Alaric's POV The moment I stepped into that hallway, the scent of Derek hit me like a punch in the gut. I let out a growl, realizing he was in the room with my mate, Nicolas. I immediately opened the door in annoyance, and there he was, standing far too close to Nicolas, like a thing that he owned. The sight of it set every nerve in my body on edge, and a growl rose in my throat before I could stop it. My wolf, Klaus, growled at the sight, demanding I tear King Derek away from his mate right then and there, but I immediately tried to calm him down. "Step away from him, King Derek," I said, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. Derek’s eyes narrowed, but he flashed that infuriating smile of his, as if he were beginning to enjoy my torture. “Or what?” Is he seriously questioning me about why he should get the hell away from my mate? He truly is the mad king! I held his gaze without flinching as I began to walk closer. “Or I’ll make you.” I didn’t see this as a conf

Nicole's POV As soon as we were discharged from the hospital, we took off to Alaric's pack. The drive to Alaric's pack would take about six to seven hours, and I just stared out the window, silent for the majority of the way. I wasn’t sure what I was doing nor what i was going to do at Alaric's pack when I got there. But one thkng i was sure of, me trying as much as possible to forget everything that had just happened about King Derek. I knew that Alaric was my second-chance mate, and he was already showing me how much he cared by doing things for me that no one had ever done, even going as far as teaming up with me to bring King Derek down for my sake. I guess the Moon Goddess has finally blessed me with someone like him, a mate that I would finally be able to call my own. But I couldn’t help but wonder if the pack would accept me as their leader. I am a nobody; I had no pack, no parents, no family. Regardless even though I was still an Alpha’s daughter, I was nothing. If Alaric'