His Rejected Mate: Her Cold Hearted Alpha

*Adele's point of view*I stood there, staring at the closed doors Demarion had just walked through. My mind felt slow, like it was struggling to catch up with what had happened. My father had handed me over without hesitation, all to protect his weak pack.A chill ran across my skin. I did not need to turn around to know he was behind me. He always stood too close, close enough to steal the air from my lungs.His hand settled on my shoulder. My body stiffened.“You are going to make me a lot of money,” he whispered near my ear. His breath felt cold. “You will keep me safe too. So behave. Follow the rules. Do whatever Demarion tells you.”Then his hand lifted. His footsteps faded. Just like that, he was gone.I stood there, unmoving.His words should have hurt, but they barely did anymore. I had heard them all my life. What stayed with me was the part about obedience. The part about Demarion.Fear settled deep in my chest.Alpha Demarion did that to people. His name alone could silenc

*Adele's point of view*That afternoon, I stayed in bed until Cindy returned with my dinner.At first, we ate in silence. Then she smiled at me, shy and uncertain, and somehow we started talking. One question led to another, and before I knew it, the room felt warmer.Cindy was my age. Twenty. She had not found her mate yet. Her pack had been destroyed by rogues, and Demarion had taken her in afterward. Serving in his household was her way of repaying that debt.She was quiet around strangers, careful with her words. But once she relaxed, she laughed easily. Her stories came out fast, full of little surprises. I could not understand how she had not found a mate. She was beautiful. Soft blonde curls framed her face, stopping just at her neck. Her blue eyes were bright and kind. She stood taller than me, graceful without trying.By the time she finished clearing the tray, I already liked her.Eventually, she had to leave. The door closed, and the quiet returned.My thoughts drifted, as

*Demarion's point of view*I stepped into the room, silent and deliberate. The air shifted the moment I entered. She was there, lost in her own world, moving to the rhythm of music only she could hear. Her hands swept across the floor, brushing against scattered papers, her body swaying naturally. Every movement drew me in, like a thread I could not resist, and I hated it.I hated it because I could feel my wolf stirring, restless and dangerous, drawn to her in a way I could not control. I hated it because my mind was screaming at me to stop, to turn away, to leave her alone. And I hated it most because every instinct I had wanted to dominate, to claim, to make her mine.But I didn’t want her. I told myself that a hundred times. I don’t want a mate. I don’t want her.I moved closer, my steps quiet, calculated. Her back stiffened before she even knew I was near. My hands found her hips instinctively, not touching roughly, but enough to let her know I was there. I saw her freeze, the sh

*Demarion's point of view* Adele stood frozen in front of me.She did not move. She barely breathed. Her eyes stayed locked on mine, wide and unsure, like a cornered deer that did not know which way to run.The sight of her made my chest tighten.I hated it.I looked down at her and felt it again, that pull I had known from the very first moment I saw her. The moment our eyes met, something inside me cracked open. I knew she was mine before she even spoke.And that terrified me.I was not supposed to feel this way.My father’s voice echoed in my head, sharp and cold, just like it always had.An Alpha does not feel.Feelings were weakness. Love was weakness. A mate was the greatest weakness of all.My father ruled without mercy because he had none. I learned the truth when I was younger. He had once had a mate, my mother. After she gave birth to me, he rejected her. The bond broke her mind. Not long after, she took her own life.He never mourned her.Instead, he ruled harder. He train

*Demarion's point of view* Adele came down the stairs, and the sound of her heels tapping against the steps reached my ears before I even saw her.I pulled back from Serena the moment I heard it.My eyes lifted.And there she was.Adele.For one second, the world slowed. Her body went rigid on the stairs. I saw it happen. Her shoulders tightened at first. Then her breath caught. Even from where I stood, I could hear the shift in her heartbeat. Fast and Uneven.Pain flashed across her face before she buried it.I knew that look. I caused it.Her eyes locked with mine. The bond hummed between us, sharp and heavy. Then something in her expression hardened. A wall slid into place behind her eyes. I saw memories pass through her mind. Every cruel word I threw at her. Every cold look. Every time I pushed her away.She swallowed it all down.Her face went blank.She broke eye contact, walked past me without a word, and headed straight for the doors.I watched every step she took until she d