All Chapters of Marked for Ruin: The Alphas’ Rejected Mate: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

KADEThese meetings bored me.Every time we gathered, the elders droned on about the same ten agenda items, the seers issued vague warnings about impending peril that never seemed to come, and we were reminded - yet again - of our duties as alphas in training.It was a tedious cycle, and I had long stopped expecting anything interesting to happen.Not that there was much to do anyway. The pack knew better than to challenge the authority above them, so compliance was the norm. Everything ran like clockwork, predictable and dull.My mind started drifting, wondering what else I could be doing with my time instead of sitting here, listening to the same old nonsense.I let my gaze sweep over the gathered wolves. Some had come in their wolf forms, others in their human ones, but communication was open to all.They could voice their opinions if they wanted - though most of them never did. They were content with being led rather than thinking for themselves.At least, that’s what I thought.T

ELLAThe feeling that hit me the day I stepped out to get groceries hadn’t gone anywhere, which put me in a permanently foul mood.On my way to school, I walked past some students who were talking in low tones about something, but I didn’t bother to find out what the topic was. On a normal day, I didn’t speak to them, and I wouldn’t try now that I was in a terrible mood.Whatever it was, I would hear about it when I got to school, or Lyla would meet me at the gate and give me all the details.She was a cheerleader. Nothing went past her eyes and ears around these parts. If anything, her teammates were part of the grapevine that spread gossip around the school, so she was definitely going to be the first to hear any juicy information from the correct source.In all honesty, I wasn’t particularly interested in knowing any gossip or learning about anything anyone had said, would say, or had to say. I simply wanted this feeling that constantly tugged at me to be gone.It was worse than th

ELLAAs I walked away, I replayed the conversation in my head and couldn’t help but smile at how I had handled the situation. It was better than I expected. I had been thrown off by his sudden appearance, but I quickly adapted and made the best of it.“I didn’t cower,” I muttered to myself as a grin crept onto my face.I felt elated. For a moment, I forgot about everything else that was troubling my mind and focused on being an entirely different person from who Lucian and his brother knew.I could tell that he wasn’t expecting that - but he should’ve known better. From the moment they rejected me, it sparked a flame in my soul. One I never knew was capable of being lit, and while I was seemingly unable to fan the embers on my own, Lyla had been a great source of encouragement.My thoughts shifted to Lyla as I made my way out of the woods. She hadn’t come to the meeting point, as she stated in her note, and Lucian’s presence had disrupted my stay. I just hoped she wouldn’t go there ho

ELLA“Look who the cat dragged out,” I said as I walked through the front door and met Lyla leaning against my locker. She chuckled and folded her arms, waiting until I got closer to where she was standing before responding.“Good morning to you too, Miss Harper,” she smiled, and I giggled at her formal tone.It was a great morning, to be honest. I had woken up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. It was a new feeling, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with it, but I liked it. I felt free, like the world was at my fingertips and I could do anything I wanted.Seeing Lyla made me feel a lot better. She had an unreadable expression but still managed to maintain her calm and collected personality.I reached into my locker, collected the books and other items I needed for my classes, and locked it before turning to her.“I got your note yesterday,” I said as we walked down the hallway. We had different classes this morning but still had enough time to chat before we had to go our separate

KADE“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”That was my waking thought that morning, and at first, it seemed bizarre. But as the day progressed, I understood why that line kept looping in my mind. The universe had decided to plague me with thoughts of Ella Harper, and I hated it.Getting out of bed was the worst part. I already knew I’d spend my day in a permanent state of irritation, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.It had been at least forty-eight hours since her name was mentioned at the pack meeting, and I was still thinking about it. The fact that she had come up in the conversation unnerved me.If it mattered to the pack that Lucian didn’t have a mate before taking over leadership, that posed a problem for me as well.If my coup succeeded, the odds weren’t looking so favorable at this point. But if there was the slightest chance that things would go as planned, that would put a wrench in the entire process.Being mates with Ella was the worst arrangement the universe cou