All Chapters of The Rejected Queen: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Rayna’s POVSleep never came.I lay beside Damon, listening to his steady breathing, feeling the warmth of him pressed against my back, and still my mind wouldn’t still. Wendrah’s words clawed through me, each one a splinter under skin. It only changed the form.When his arm loosened in sleep, I slipped free. Quiet. Careful. My wolf whined in protest at leaving him, but I hushed her, cloaking myself in silence.The palace halls were dim, silvered with moonlight. Guards patrolled, but none stopped me - the bond of Alpha and Queen cut deeper than duty. By the time I reached the outer courtyard, my pulse was thrumming fast and wild.The forest called.I shifted halfway, letting claws curl from my fingers, eyes bright in the dark as I moved through the trees. The night wrapped around me, cool and sharp, every sound crisp. An owl. The rustle of a fox. My heartbeat.“Come out,” I whispered, my voice carrying on the wind.The air stirred. A shimmer, faint at first, then stronger, until the f

Rayna POV His words slid into me like a challenge, low and sinful. The grief, the weight of Wendrah’s revelations, all of it trembled in me still - but the way Damon looked at me, like I was the only anchor he’d ever need, shifted everything.I swallowed, my voice rasping. “And what exactly do you have in mind to make me tired?”He chuckled darkly, pulling me across his lap with such fluid ease that my knees straddled his hips before I could protest. His hands roamed my waist, my thighs, claiming me with the sureness of a man who knew exactly what I craved. “Oh, little wolf,” he purred, lips grazing my jaw, “you won’t be able to stand by the time I’m finished.”Heat punched through me, feral and desperate. My fingers dug into his shoulders as I rocked against the hardness already pressing up beneath me.His lips trailed down my throat, sharp teeth scraping just enough to make me shiver. “Let me take your mind off everything,” he murmured against my pulse. “Let me remind you who you b

Rayna POV The palace was a storm of movement, voices echoing down marble halls as servants darted back and forth carrying trays, fabrics, lanterns, and gods knew what else. I had been ushered into my chambers before I could protest, trapped on a cushioned stool while two Omegas circled me like hawks.“Hold still, my Queen,” one scolded gently as she tugged at a strand of hair, weaving it into the elaborate braids she’d sworn were ‘absolutely necessary.’“I can face down a pack of rogue wolves,” I muttered, “but apparently not hairpins.”The younger Omega laughed, cheeks pink. “Your Majesty, if you want every Alpha in the room to listen when you walk in, trust us. The dress, the hair, the crown - these things speak as loud as your voice.”I sighed, but I didn’t fight them. Maybe she was right. Tonight wasn’t just about me. It was about the kingdom we were building, about showing unity where doubt still simmered.By the time they’d finished, the mirror showed someone I barely recogniz

Rayna POVFor a long heartbeat, I just looked at him. The elder’s presence pressed like winter itself - ancient, cold, patient. The kind of power that had ruled before my time, before Damon’s father’s time even.But fear wasn’t what the Goddess had put in me.“The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes,” I said softly. The words carried, clear as steel. “She doesn’t choose out of pity, or politics. She chose me because something new must rise - or everything we are will rot with the old.”I let that sink in. His eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger - something closer to calculation.“You ask if I believe I can lead without repeating the sins of the past?” My lips curved, faint but unshaken. “I don’t intend to repeat them. I intend to bury them.”A flicker went through the crowd. Even the defiant Alpha dropped his gaze for a moment, unsettled.The elder inclined his head, that faint smile never leaving his face. “Spoken like a ruler who has not yet seen what the past truly costs.”It was neithe

Rayna POVDamon’s hands were still on me, anchoring me to the world. His voice came rough with concern. “What happened? You just... collapsed.”“I didn’t collapse.” My voice came out hoarse, threaded with awe and terror both. “Goddess send me a vision.”His jaw flexed. “The Goddess? What did you saw?”I nodded. “Her. And her shadow.” I didn’t dare say the name again. Not here, not under this moon.For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath. The torches hissed softly, the marble cold beneath my fingers. Damon studied me like he could fight whatever had touched me with sheer will.“We can’t talk here,” he said.“No,” I agreed, forcing my breathing steady. “But we can’t disappear either. Not tonight. Not after… that.”“The council,” he said grimly.I met his gaze. “They’ll be waiting. And we can’t afford to look shaken.”He exhaled sharply, anger and worry tangled in the sound. Then, to my surprise, he reached out and brushed his thumb over my cheek - a fleeting, grounding touc