All Chapters of The Rejected Queen: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Rayna POVThe first thing I felt was him. Not his arms, not his warmth, not even his scent - though those were still there, wrapped around me like a cocoon. No, what I felt was deeper. Inside me. Through me. Damon’s wolf thrummed in my chest as if it had taken up residence beneath my skin, pressing against my ribs, stirring with every beat of my heart.The bond pulsed like fire in my veins. It wasn’t a thread - it was a river, raging, hot and wild, carrying pieces of him into me and dragging mine into him. Every time I inhaled, I felt his breath fill me. Every time my heart thudded, it echoed with his.My wolf stretched inside me, uncoiling with a satisfied growl that was too sharp, too primal. She felt… bigger. Stronger. The air tasted different, thick with scents I hadn’t noticed before - the damp moss beneath us, the faint tang of blood, the ozone crackle of magic. My wolf surged, and for a terrifying heartbeat, I wasn’t sure if she would stop.“Easy,” Damon murmured, half-asleep,

Rayna POVHis gaze snapped to mine, hot and golden, and the bond pulsed hard between us - an echo of defiance, heat, hunger. I felt his wolf push against his skin the same way mine clawed inside me, restless, demanding.“Rayna-” His tone was warning. Always warning. Always holding back.I stepped forward, refusing to lower my eyes, refusing to yield. “I’m not a child you can shield behind your back. Not anymore.”The air between us thickened, sharp with tension. My wolf stretched, prowling just beneath my skin, daring him to push me further. I could feel his dominance pressing against me like a wall - and for the first time, I didn’t shrink from it. I pushed back.Lira muttered something under her breath and stepped aside, clearly realizing she wasn’t the one either of us was focused on anymore.Damon closed the space between us in two strides, his chest nearly brushing mine, his scent wrapping around me like smoke and heat. “You don’t know how dangerous this is,” he hissed.“And you

Damon’s POVThe air smelled of blood before we even reached the outpost.It clung to the trees, iron-thick and metallic, making my wolf’s hackles rise. Every step of our approach deepened the growl in my chest until it was a constant rumble. My warriors shifted restlessly behind me, catching the same scent, their wolves pressing against their skin in agitation. The forest was too quiet - the kind of silence that screamed ambush.Beside me, Rayna walked tall, her chin high, her eyes glowing faintly in the twilight. She wasn’t the same woman I’d dragged out of the Moonclaw woods weeks ago. Something burned inside her now - hotter, brighter, wilder. Even her silence carried weight.And it made me both proud and feral, because every wolf within a hundred miles would feel it too.“Outpost is ahead,” Kael murmured, striding up at my left. Her arm was still bandaged from the last fight, but her sword-hand didn’t tremble. She gestured to the ridge cresting above us. “Smoke trails just over th

Damon POVAiden staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth, but his posture was still Alpha - chin high, shoulders squared, as if sheer arrogance could make up for the wounds tearing him apart.“You think you can stand against me, rogue?” Aiden spat, his words cracking with fury. “You’re nothing. A stray mutt gathering the broken and the weak. You’ll never be Alpha. You’ll never be more than a thief playing king in the dirt.”A growl ripped from my chest, low and vicious. My wolf surged forward, demanding blood.I circled him, shoulders rolled forward, ready to tear him apart. “Better a king of rogues than an Alpha who chains his pack with fear,” I snapped back. “Better be a man who protects than the one who throws his mate away when she doesn’t match to his perfect life .”His face twisted. That hit where I wanted.“You don’t know what she is,” he spat. "Oh. I know exactly what she is. My mate. And that is enough for me." I snapped back and I lunged. Our bodies collided

Damon POV Rayna sagged in my arms, her body trembling with exhaustion, her skin still streaked with blood that wasn’t all her own. I laid her on the bed, but the sight of crimson smeared across her throat, her chest, her hands - her claws - lit a growl low in my chest. She was magnificent. Terrifying. But she was mine. And I couldn’t leave her like this. “Come.” My voice came out rough, more command than request. “You need the blood off you.” Her eyes fluttered open, silver faint at the edges. “I don’t care,” she whispered. “Not right now. I just- ” I cut her off with a kiss, hard and grounding, then pulled back just enough to murmur against her lips. “I care. You’re not sleeping in another man’s blood.” She blinked, breath hitching, and let me pull her up. Her legs wobbled, but I held her steady, carrying half her weight as I guided her toward the small bathroom inside the cabin. I twisted the tap, hot water steaming into the tub. The scent of iron and earth clung to her