บททั้งหมดของ Rejected And Claimed By Them: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

Edward taught me something no one ever had before how to depend on myself. I was born a werewolf, marked with the moon’s own blood, yet the shift had never come. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I ached for it, the wolf inside me stayed silent, locked away behind walls I could never break through. My former pack had called me broken, useless, a stain on their bloodline. My ex-mate had laughed and said I was less than a proper female weak, unworthy, good only for chores until he found someone better. And he had found her, hadn’t he? Someone who shifted easily, who bore the alpha’s mark with pride, who could give him the strength and status he craved. But Edward… Edward never once looked at me like I was lacking. He looked at me like I was whole already—like the wolf was still there, waiting for the right moment, the right strength, the right me to wake it up. “There is no use wishing for what you cannot control yet,” he had told me on our first morning of training, his v

The ground heaved again, harder this time, and I was pulled tight against Casimir’s chest before I could stumble. My hands fisted in the soft fabric of his tunic, my face pressed close to his skin, and a hot rush of embarrassment flooded through me what must he think of me, clinging to him like this when we barely know one another? But the shaking would not stop; the very air felt charged, heavy with something ancient and angry, and I could feel how deeply this realm was suffering, just as mine had been. Every tremor was a warning, a sign that whatever sickness had crossed through the portal was not done spreading, and that nowhere was truly safe anymore. “Are you alright, Lily?” Casimir asked, his voice steady and gentle, cutting through the roar of shifting earth. “You need not hold on out of fear alone if you are uncomfortable, only say so, and I will step back at once.” I looked up at him, my hands still resting against his chest, and saw nothing but care and understanding in his

We stood frozen for a moment, staring up in awe and dread at the colossal ancient tree we had once thought of only as shelter. Its trunk, so wide it would take ten people linking arms to circle it, began to shift creaking, groaning, moving with an unsettling, unnatural speed. Deep within its gnarled wood, two glowing red eyes opened wide, fixing straight on us with unblinking malice. It was alive. And it was hunting us. “Run, Lily! Now!” Casimir shouted, his voice sharp with urgency. He snatched my hand in his and we bolted, our feet flying over roots and stones, our breath coming in ragged gasps. The ground shook behind us as the massive trunk swung down like a giant’s club, smashing into the earth exactly where we had stood only seconds before, sending dirt and splinters flying everywhere. It struck again, harder this time, and we threw every ounce of strength we had into our legs, pushing past pain and fear and exhaustion. That was when something woke up inside me deep, primal, t

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in the middle of a bustling, sunlit market unlike anything I had ever seen. Elves with hair like spun silver and gold walked gracefully between stalls; fairies with gossamer wings flitted overhead, carrying baskets of glowing berries; witches in dark robes displayed rows of shimmering potions in glass vials; dwarfs with thick beards and broad shoulders called out loudly, showing off piles of shining metals, carved stones, and bundles of rare, sweet-smelling herbs. Everywhere I looked, there was color, noise, and magic… but underneath it all ran a thin thread of fear. Two fairy women standing near a flower stall spoke in low, worried voices close enough for me to hear. “Have you seen the clouds?” one asked, wringing her hands. “They keep turning darker and darker, even when the sun is high.” “I know,” her friend answered quietly. “Word is spreading fast the King and Queen have called all their advisors and guards. Whoever finds out what thi

My blood ran cold, every muscle locked tight as his tongue dragged slow along my skin slimy, wrong, nothing like the gentle touch I knew. I squeezed my eyes shut, and for a heartbeat I did not see him; I only saw Casimir’s smile, the way he held me when I was afraid, the quiet promise he had made just hours before. Fight, I told myself. He is still in there. He would not let this happen. I forced my eyes open, staring straight into those empty black pits. “You say he is asleep?” I said, my voice shaking but loud. “Then wake him up yourself! Because I know he would never hurt me. And I know he would never let a monster like you take control of him forever.” The shadow laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “He is weak! He hides from what he is! I am his true strength” “NO!” I shouted, and I reached out not to push him away, but to cup his face in both my hands, right over those crawling purple veins. “Casimir! Listen to me! It is Lily! I know you are in there! You told me I am your true m