All Chapters of Six-Times Rejected Freak: Claimed By The Alpha Prince: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I wasn’t sure what made me knock. Maybe it was the gratitude still blooming in my chest from the night before, or the way my heart quickened every time I thought about what Damien had done for me. He’d kept his word. He’d kept Malia safe, and now I felt like I owed him something—though I had no idea what.Before I could gather my thoughts, the door swung open.Damien stood there, his face soft with an unreadable expression. His shirtless torso gleamed in the soft light of the room, water droplets clinging to the strands of his hair. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.I swallowed hard, my pulse racing. He was so close. I could see the play of muscle under his skin, the sharp line of his jaw, the way his chest rose and fell with every breath. There was an overwhelming presence to him that I couldn’t ignore, no matter how hard I tried.“I just came to thank you,” I said, feeling my voice tremble slightly. “For helping with Malia. You didn’t have to, but you did. So

Damien’s POV I hated the way the fabric clung to my shoulders.The ceremonial tunic was too tight. Too red. Too bright. I couldn’t breathe in it without feeling like I was choking on expectations. It was made to make me look like a prince. Like a future king. But all I could see in the mirror was a man dressing up for a lie.“Pull it together,” I muttered to myself, fixing the collar with more force than necessary.I had managed to convince my father to keep the engagement small. That had been the only win I could scrape out of this mess. No grand ball. No trumpet fanfare. Just a quiet ceremony, enough to appease the council, satisfy the court, and buy me a little more time.Time to figure out how the hell I was supposed to get out of this without burning the kingdom down.The knock came just as I was adjusting the final clasp.“What?” I snapped, not in the mood for pleasantries.The door creaked open, and Darius stepped in.Of course.He hadn’t spoken to me in three years. Not sinc

Alina’s povMalia’s hand had slipped into mine, warm and reassuring. I hadn’t even realized how tightly I’d been clenching my fists until her fingers gently coaxed mine to loosen. My knuckles ached from the tension, and as I unfurled them, I felt how deeply my nails had bitten into my palm. The sting grounded me, if only slightly.I was still standing there. Still stunned. Still trying to make sense of what I’d just heard.Darius’s voice echoed again and again in my mind, the words wrapping around me like a vice, tightening with every repetition: “I want to take her.”Take. Me.Everything else faded. The once-lively music had stopped mid-note, leaving an uncomfortable silence in its place. The murmurs that followed swelled like a rising tide. I could feel dozens—no, hundreds—of eyes searing into me from every corner of the grand ballroom, judging, whispering, calculating. But I couldn’t move. My feet were frozen to the floor, as if the polished marble had fused with my soles.And then

Damien’s POVThe air in the throne room felt thick—like smoke without fire. My father’s presence always did that. It suffocated, pressed down like invisible chains, even when he wasn't trying. But now, he was trying. Hard.“She struck the Luna of an allied pack,” he said, his voice smooth like ice, deadly all the same. “You expect me to turn a blind eye?”“She was defending herself.” I didn’t raise my voice—I didn’t need to. “The Luna hit her first. You saw it. Everyone did.”He turned from the window slowly, deliberately. His gaze settled on me with that familiar weight, the one that had followed me since I was old enough to understand the power in his voice.“And what of it?” he asked calmly. “She should’ve taken the slap and remained silent. That’s what a proper omega would have done. But she—she struck back. In front of everyone. She humiliated Blair’s mother. And by extension, Blair. And by extension—me.”His words fell like stones. Calculated. Measured. Meant to bruise without b

Alina’s povThe warmth was the first thing I noticed.Soft, slow, steady warmth spreading from my side down to my toes. A plush mattress beneath me. The scent of cedar and something unexplainably him filled the air. My eyes cracked open, reluctant and heavy, but they opened.I wasn’t in the cell anymore.The ceiling above me wasn’t stone, and there were no chains on my wrists.I was in Damien’s bed.The realization settled into me like a calming tide. My gaze drifted to the window—the light spilling through told me it was still morning. I blinked, letting it all sink in.Safe.“Hey,” came a quiet voice.I turned my head slowly.Damien was there, standing at the side of the bed with a tray. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… his eyes were soft.“You’re awake,” he said.I tried to sit up, pushing the heavy blanket down. My limbs felt like wet cloth, but I managed. “Yeah,” I rasped. My voice cracked like dry parchment.He moved quickly, placing the tray on the nightstand and po