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Chapter 21

Author: Amelia Reid
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-02 16:02:23

IXORA – POV

I woke to the scent of dried blood.

Not mine. Not even Ronan’s anymore. But the memory of it. The way it clung to his skin, soaked his shirt, stained our floor. It lingered in the air like something sacred and dangerous all at once.

Ronan wasn’t in bed.

The sheets beside me were cool.

I sat up slowly, the ache between my ribs reminding me of the night before. Not just what we’d shared, but everything that came before, the look in his eyes when he stood in the doorway, soaked in vengeance. The bodies outside.

Aiden.

Marcus.

Ray.

All gone. Because of me.

I wrapped my arms around myself and sat in silence, the weight of it pressing down like a fog. I didn’t regret Ronan coming back to me. But I couldn’t shake the knot tightening in my gut.

This was going to cost us.

Downstairs, I found Ronan shirtless in the kitchen, bruises blooming across his shoulder and ribs. He was nursing a mug of coffee, staring into it like it held answers he couldn’t find.

He didn’t look at me when I
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  • Rejected By Him; Claimed By His Crazy Brother   Chapter 31

    IXORAThe sky had turned a deeper shade of indigo, stars blinking to life above the trees like hesitant witnesses. I walked the edge of the forest, just past the training fields, my bare feet sinking into damp grass. Each breath felt heavier tonight. Not because of fear—but anticipation.I wasn’t sure if it was the council, or the murmurs of war clawing through the pack like a sickness, but everything in the air felt taut. Something was coming.The wind stirred again—reacting to me. It always did now. I lifted my hand and let the breeze curl around my fingers. Sometimes I thought I could hear it speak. Other times, it screamed.Ronan stood by the treeline, arms crossed, watching me like he always did. Not with worry, but with awe. I didn’t know how to carry that. I was just Ixora. The girl who once couldn’t even look herself in the mirror without wondering what was wrong with her. Now the council looked to me like some kind of savior, and that frightened me more than the rogues ever h

  • Rejected By Him; Claimed By His Crazy Brother   Chapter 30

    IXORAThe wind curled like a whisper against my cheek as I stepped out into the clearing. It had rained the night before, and the scent of wet earth filled the air—calming, grounding. I needed that. I needed something to remind me that the world was still rea, something that drawed me out of my thoughts , even after everything. My power still felt like a stranger inside me—dormant yet restless, clawing at the edges of my being like it was begging to be seen.Ronan watched me from across the field. There was a patience in his gaze, but also wariness. Like he didn’t quite know what version of me would surface.“You don’t have to push yourself,” he said softly.I tightened the strap of my training tunic. “I’m not pushing myself. I’m preparing.”He nodded, and we began again.It wasn’t physical strength I was struggling with—it was control. The way the air would still just slightly when I concentrated. How the ground would seem to thrum beneath my feet. I didn’t understand it, not ful

  • Rejected By Him; Claimed By His Crazy Brother   Chapter 29

    IXORA POVThe air crackled around me as I stepped into the field. Morning dew clung to the grass, and a soft mist curled around the trees like spirits still deciding whether to rise or rest. My heart was a thunderstorm, quiet for now but aching with the promise of rain.Power hummed beneath my skin—soft at first, like the purr of something wild waiting to bare its fangs. I flexed my fingers, and the wind shifted, as though answering a call I hadn’t consciously made.Ronan stood across from me, arms folded, eyes sharp. There was pride in his gaze, but also concern. He never said it, but I knew he feared I would burn too bright, too fast.“You sure about this?” he asked.I nodded, jaw set. “I need to know what I can do.”So we began. Again.Each step, each movement, felt like unlocking a door I hadn’t known was sealed. My senses expanded. The ground beneath me wasn’t just earth—it was memory. The wind wasn’t just air—it was thought. My power wasn’t just mine. It felt... ancient.I raise

  • Rejected By Him; Claimed By His Crazy Brother   Chapter 28

    IXORA'S POVThe morning mist coiled low around the trees like a sleeping beast, quiet but unsettling. I stood barefoot in the clearing behind the training grounds, the dew soaking through the hem of my sweats. Celeste’s sharp voice echoed in my head: *"Balance, then power. Breathe through your fear."*I did.The air filled my lungs like thunder. My heartbeat slowed, then steadied. I was learning to channel something more than just strength—something subtle, something inside me. The more I trained, the more I felt this gentle, silvery pulse in my chest, like threads of moonlight coiled beneath my skin. Celeste hadn’t said anything yet, but I knew she felt it too. My power was... different. Not raw and loud like Ronan’s. Not wild and scattered like the rogues'. Mine hummed like a whisper in a thunderstorm.I wasn’t ready for battle yet, not fully. My body still ached some days, and the memories crept up on me like shadows I couldn’t outrun. But I wasn’t helpless anymore.Celeste approac

  • Rejected By Him; Claimed By His Crazy Brother   Chapter 27

    IXORA'S POVThe morning mist coiled low around the trees like a sleeping beast, quiet but unsettling. I stood barefoot in the clearing behind the training grounds, the dew soaking through the hem of my sweats. Celeste’s sharp voice echoed in my head: *"Balance, then power. Breathe through your fear."*I did.The air filled my lungs like thunder. My heartbeat slowed, then steadied. I was learning to channel something more than just strength—something subtle, something inside me. The more I trained, the more I felt this gentle, silvery pulse in my chest, like threads of moonlight coiled beneath my skin. Celeste hadn’t said anything yet, but I knew she felt it too. My power was... different. Not raw and loud like Ronan’s. Not wild and scattered like the rogues'. Mine hummed like a whisper in a thunderstorm.I wasn’t ready for battle yet, not fully. My body still ached some days, and the memories crept up on me like shadows I couldn’t outrun. But I wasn’t helpless anymore.Celeste approac

  • Rejected By Him; Claimed By His Crazy Brother   Chapter 26

    IxoraThe morning air had that kind of stillness that usually meant something bad was coming. I pulled my boots on, fingers trembling slightly—not from cold, but from nerves. It had been a week since I started training again, and though my body ached from sore muscles and bruises, there was something else clawing at me from the inside. A feeling I couldn’t shake.Celeste stood across the field, arms folded, watching me with those sharp, icy eyes. She didn’t smile much—but then again, maybe that’s what made her good at this. She never sugarcoated anything.“Again,” she said as I landed in a crouch, my breath heavy.“I just did ten rounds.”“And you’ll do ten more if you want to live through what’s coming.”Celeste didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to. Her presence was enough.I pushed myself up and wiped the sweat from my brow. “You sound like you know something.”Her eyes flickered. “We all know something, Ixora. But only a few of us choose to prepare.”The wind picked up just t

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