All Chapters of The Rejected Mate’s Dark Rise: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

JaneThe phone felt heavy in my hands. Months had passed since I’d last spoken to Mom, and the guilt gnawed at my chest. I’d been so consumed with training, with proving myself, that I’d let our relationship slip through my fingers.My thumb hovered over her contact. What if she was angry? What if she’d given up on me?Taking a shaky breath, I pressed the call.“Pick up, Mom,” I whispered to myself.On the third ring, her familiar voice filled the silence. “Hello?”“Hi, Mom.” The words came out smaller. “How are you?”“Jane! Oh, my darling daughter.” The warmth in her voice nearly broke me. “I’m fine, sweetheart. How are you doing? I’ve been so worried.”I could picture her now—probably sitting in her favorite chair by the window, the one where she used to read me stories. Despite what I’d told myself, she wouldn’t have aged that much in these few months.Mom had always been beautiful, with the kind of timeless grace that made people stop and stare.But I knew she’d been lonely. Befor

Alpha RichardThe sound of high heels clicking on the marble floor told me Amelia was coming. She didn’t knock—she never did.She walked into my office like she owned it, wearing a tight red dress that showed off her body.“Hello, darling,” she said in a sweet voice that made me want to growl.I didn’t look up from the territorial reports spread before me. “You knock before entering my office. Always.”“Oh, Richard.” She laughed, a sound like tinkling glass that grated on my nerves. “Surely I don’t need permission to see my own mate.”The word ‘mate’ from her lips made my jaw clench. I set down my pen and looked at her with cold eyes.“You are not my mate, Amelia. You’re just a deal. Something useful. Just because I gave you the Luna title doesn’t mean you earned it.”Her smile cracked for a second. Pain flashed in her eyes before she hid it. “Of course, Alpha. I just meant—”“I know what you meant.” I leaned back and stared at her like she was nothing. “And that’s exactly why you’ll

JaneI was in the training room, pushing myself harder than ever before. Today was the day my ex-mate, who had rejected me, would introduce and mark his new mate. The thought made my stomach twist into knots.Why should I die when he lives? No. I refused to let him take my life—not after everything I had endured. Not after the bullying, the insults, and everything else he put me through.My hands shook as I wrapped them tighter. Each breath felt like fire in my lungs, but I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop.A storm of emotions churned inside me—anger, desperation, and a fierce resolve not to surrender. With every punch I threw, with every bead of sweat that slid down my skin, I was driven by fear.My heart raced like a wild animal trapped in a cage, but I poured every bit of anxiety into my training. I wouldn’t let fate seal my doom without a fight.The leather of the punching bag was warm and slick under my fists. I could smell my own sweat, taste the salt of tears I refused to let fal

JaneI was furious at everything. I had waited my whole life for my mate, dreaming about the day I would meet the person who was supposed to love me unconditionally. And this is what I got? A threat to my life? A man who humiliated me in front of everyone like I was nothing?He rejected me without even trying to know me. Treated me like garbage at the club, his eyes cold and disgusted when he looked at me. He was willing to mark another Luna and then kill me just to be rid of the inconvenience I represented.I deserved someone who would love me. My mother had always talked about fated mates like they were the most beautiful gift the moon goddess could give.She said when she met my father, it was like coming home. But mine? Mine felt like a curse, a punishment for some sin I didn’t even know I’d committed.“I blamed him for not giving me a chance,” I added, my voice getting quieter but more intense. “I blamed my father for hating me because I didn’t have a wolf. I blamed my entire pac

RichardThey kept pushing me. Every single one of them—Raymond, Parker, the Elders. They all thought they could force me into accepting her. That weak, pathetic excuse of a mate the moon goddess had cursed me with.What good was she? No strength. No power. No wolf. A disgrace to our kind. She didn’t deserve to be near me, much less be bound to me for eternity. I was superior—in blood, in strength, in purpose. And they dared to suggest I accept her?Fools.Even my own wolf betrayed me. Raymond too—he threw me under the bus for her. Parker killed Amelia over his so-called fated mate. Disgusting. What was this world coming to?I had waited for years—for a mate worthy of me. A queen to match my reign. And instead, the goddess handed me her. That… thing.I clenched my fists and stormed out of my office. I needed to burn this rage. I needed to remind myself what power looked like—what submission felt like. I went to the club.The moment I walked in, the world shifted. Music throbbed. Lights