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Todos los capítulos de The Rejected Queen: Capítulo 81 - Capítulo 90

146 Capítulos

81.

Rayna POV “And this curse…” My voice wavered. “I thought I broke it.”Wendrah’s gaze softened, almost motherly. For the first time since I had known her, she looked tired. “No, child. It only changed the form.”Before I could reach for her, before I could demand more—her glow faltered all at once, like a candle swallowed by wind. The clearing went cold. Empty.“Wendrah!” I lunged forward, clawing at nothing but shadows. My hands met only air, my heart slamming against my ribs as if trying to break free.Silence answered me. Not even the rustle of leaves.I dropped to my knees, the earth biting into my palms. My wolf howled inside, raw and frantic, as though we’d just lost family.Boots pounded against the ground, snapping me back. Kael burst from the trees, blades already half drawn, Garrick close behind her. Both froze at the sight of me, crouched and shaking.Kael’s eyes darted, sharp and searching. “Rayna… what happened? Where’s Wendrah?”I forced myself upright, my throat dry, th

82

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

83.

Rayna’s POVThe palace corridors felt longer in the dark, each step back toward our chambers heavier than the last. My mind was a storm - Wendrah’s fading face, Lira’s merciless truth, the echo of words I wasn’t ready to carry.By the time I pushed the chamber door open, the fire had burned low, shadows clinging to the corners. I slipped inside quietly, careful not to wake him. Damon slept light, but maybe… maybe the bond would let me steal this one secret until I could breathe again.I eased into the bed, the sheets cool against my skin, and turned carefully toward him.“Where were you?”The low rumble of his voice cut through the dark. Not drowsy. Not half-asleep. Waiting.My heart jolted. His golden eyes gleamed faintly in the firelight, open and steady, fixed on me.I swallowed. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”“You didn’t,” he said, his voice calm but edged. “I woke when the bond pulled tight and you weren’t here.”I froze, the truth snagging in my throat. “I just needed… air.”“Air.

84.

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

85.

Rayna POVMorning came far too quickly. I woke tangled in Damon’s arms, his chest pressed against my back, his hand heavy on my hip. For a moment, I stayed there, letting the steady rhythm of his breathing soothe me. His warmth, his presence, the faint burn where his mark rested on my skin - it was tempting to never move again.But the palace had come alive. Voices echoed through the halls, footsteps hurried past the doors, and the distinct clang of someone dropping a tray made Damon groan into my neck.“Chaos,” he muttered, his lips brushing my skin. “Absolute chaos.”I laughed softly, prying his hand from my hip. “That’s what happens when you decide to host a ball in less than a week of founding a kingdom.”He cracked one golden eye open, giving me a look that was equal parts fond and exasperated. “Correction. You decided.”“You’re the one who demanded we start uniting everyone. The ball is part of that.” I slipped out of bed, tugging a robe around me. “Besides, you and Garrick will

86.

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

87.

Rayna POV The challenge rang out, sharp enough to sting. The music hadn’t even faded from the air and already the first crack of defiance split the night.I didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. My wolf pressed against my skin, hot with fury, but I lifted my chin and met his gaze steadily.The hall waited - every Alpha, Beta, every servant, every wolf holding their breath for Damon to snarl, for me to falter, for something to shatter.But I smiled. Just slightly.“I see,” I said, my voice carrying clear as a bell across the marble. “You must be one of the three who never answered the call.”A murmur rippled through the hall. The Alpha’s jaw flexed.“You came here tonight to be seen,” I continued, stepping from Damon’s hold, letting the weight of the crown and the crescent moon speak with me. “To remind us all that the old order still breathes.”His pale eyes narrowed, but I didn’t let him speak.“You ask if I rule with my crown or my mate’s hand?” I paused, letting the silence stretch, daring

88.

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

89.

Rayna POVThe terrace had gone still again, but his words lingered, hanging in the air like smoke.“Tell your Goddess that the old order isn’t done yet.”I repeated them under my breath, tasting the shape of them. They weren’t just arrogance - they were faith twisted into defiance.My wolf paced inside me, uneasy. "He didn’t mean the old council," she murmured, her voice low and edged with instinct. "He meant something older."I felt Damon step closer behind me, the warmth of him steady, grounding. He hadn’t moved since the Alpha vanished into the dark, but I could feel his fury simmering under the surface.“He’s playing with fire,” he said quietly. “You should have let me-”“No.” I turned to face him, the moon painting his face in silver and shadow. “If I’d let you tear him apart, we’d have lost more than a traitor. We’d have lost information. He spoke too freely for a man acting alone.”Damon’s eyes narrowed. “You think he’s following someone?”“I think he’s serving something,” I sa

90.

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

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