All Chapters of Alpha’s Rejected Healer: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The room he'd given me was beautiful in a way that hurt. Not the sparse quarters of a prisoner, but the chambers befitting someone of importance. Someone who belonged.Soft velvet drapes in deep forest green hung from ceiling to floor, framing windows that overlooked the valley below, now bathed in the golden light of sunset. The fabric was rich, expensive—imported, I realized, recognizing the particular weave that could only come from the southern territories.Heavy wooden furniture, carved with the pack's symbols—wolves running beneath a crescent moon—anchored the space. A desk with intricate inlays, a wardrobe that could have housed three people's worth of clothing, a dressing table with a silver mirror that reflected my tired, wary face.Everything was perfectly appointed, from the fresh flowers on the mantelpiece to the stack of books on the bedside table. Someone had gone to considerable trouble to make this space welcoming, comfortable.A fire already lit in the stone hearth, a

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken accusations and unasked questions. I could feel his gaze on me, a tangible weight against my skin.Servants entered and set down dishes: roasted venison glazed with herbs and honey, fresh bread still steaming from the ovens, thick stew rich with root vegetables and spices I didn't recognize. A platter of early summer berries, glistening like jewels. A carafe of deep red wine.The smells were warm and heavy and comforting in a way that made my stomach ache.But I had no appetite.Not for food.Not when every cell in my body was tuned to him, when the wolf in me whined and scratched to be closer, to press against his skin, to reclaim what had been lost.Kael reached for a carafe of water and poured two glasses. His movements were fluid, controlled—but too careful, too precise. The slight tremor in his hand when he set the carafe down revealed what his expression did not.He was managing himself

Words failed me. How could I explain what I felt through the bond? How could I make them understand the terror that clawed at my insides, the absolute certainty that if I didn't reach him soon, something irreparable would happen?"No one is allowed inside," the second guard said, stepping forward. His hand moved to rest on the hilt of his blade—not drawing it, but making it clear he was prepared to if necessary. "Alpha's orders were explicit."A hand landed lightly but firmly on my shoulder, guiding me back. The touch was respectful but unyielding—a clear message that I would not be passing.I stared at them, frustration and desperation warring inside me. The bond surged again, stronger this time, carrying with it a fresh wave of Kael's suffering. My knees nearly buckled under the weight of it.I didn't have time for this.He's suffering.He needs you.The realization struck me with the force of physical blow. Despite everything that had happened between us, in this moment, he needed

I took a hesitant step forward, my hands trembling at my sides. The magic still swirled around me, responding to my emotions—to the fear and concern and something deeper that I refused to name."Kael," I said again, louder now. My voice seemed to reach him through the haze of pain and transformation, his eyes focusing on me with desperate intensity.He shuddered violently, claws scraping against stone with a sound that set my teeth on edge. His body convulsed, another wave of incomplete transformation rippling through him. Bones shifted beneath skin, muscles stretched and contracted unnaturally.The air was thick with the scent of blood and magic and burning desperation.He was losing the battle.Losing himself.I had seen this before—once, long ago, in another wolf. A transformation gone wrong, a spirit caught between forms. It had not ended well. The memory sent ice through my veins, cold fear mixing with the heat of the bond."You're not alone," I said, my voice breaking on the wor

Kael's body trembled with restraint, every muscle in his powerful frame taut as a bowstring as he slowly, carefully, lowered himself further, until the heat of his skin seared the few inches of air separating us and I could feel the whisper of his breath against my lips.I felt him everywhere.The scent of him—earth and pine and something darker, something uniquely him that spoke of midnight hunts and ancient forests and power beyond mortal comprehension—wrapped around me like a second skin, seeping into my pores, marking me with his essence. The heavy weight of his presence crushed down on my lungs, stole the air from my chest, made me dizzy with want and need and something that went beyond both.His eyes traced the curve of my face as if memorizing it, as if he were an artist and I were his masterpiece, lingering on my parted lips, the flush spreading across my cheeks, the rapid pulse beating in my throat. I could feel him in my mind, his consciousness brushing against mine through