All Chapters of Lycan King's Cursed and Rejected Mate: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

MAYAThe ceremonial robes clung to my skin like they were made for me centuries ago. The red runes moved when I moved, pulsing like living things. I caught my reflection in the hallway mirror as I descended the stairs: silver streaks glowing under the moon runes, eyes too old for my face, and for one heartbeat, I didn’t even recognize myself.Xander waited at the bottom. His breath caught when he saw me. “You look…” His voice cracked. “You look exactly like the first night I saw you under this moon.” He reached for my hand, reverently, as if touching me might break some spell.I forced a smile and let him lead me to the car. My brain scrambled for landmarks: the crooked oak on the corner, the blue mailbox shaped like a fish, the gas station with the broken neon sign… anything to remember the way back if I ever got the chance to run.We drove in silence until the city thinned into nothing. Then the car turned onto a dirt road that ended at a rusted warehouse that looked abandoned from

MIRIAMTwenty years ago…The morning bells of the Moon Temple had just faded, and the prayer hall still hummed with the last echoes of the dawn chant. I knelt beside High Priestess Liora, with my palms pressed together and lips moving through the sacred words, but my heart wasn’t in them. It hadn’t been for weeks.I was nineteen, chosen, blessed with the Silver Mark on the shoulder blade that proved the Goddess herself had touched me in the cradle. I had risen faster than any Sigma before me: Moon Devotee, personal apprentice to the High Priestess, next in line to lead the Temple when Mother Liora passed into the stars.We Sigma wolves are born for one purpose: to serve the Moon Goddess without question, without distraction, without mates. Purity was everything, and desire was death.And I had broken the greatest law.It started with a glance.The White Mountain Council had come to Stormwatch Pack for the annual summit. I walked three steps behind Mother Liora as we greeted the Lycan

MIRIAM“Miriam?” Mother Liora turned with the candlestick trembling in her hands. Her voice cracked. “My child, is that really you?”Tears spilled before I could stop them. I sank lower, grabbing her legs. “It’s me, Mother. I’m sorry.”She lowered herself with effort and cupped my wet face. “You’ve carried this alone all these years?” She stroked my hair while I sobbed into her shoulder. “It’s past, child. It’s past.”The words only made me cry harder.When the storm eased, she pulled back and smacked my arm. “Foolish girl! Why not visit even once in twenty years? We thought you were dead!”“Ow!” I rubbed the spot, pouting. “You still hit like a warrior.”“Don’t make me put you over my knee,” she glared, then softened. “Where have you been hiding?”“Human world,” I said, leaning into her. “I run a small café. It’s a simple life. I’m sorry. I was young and stupid.”“You still dress like a human,” she scoffed, eyeing my floral dress. “Hideous.”The door burst open, and footsteps followe

MAYAWith trembling hands, I lifted the paper closer to my face. The ancient symbols seemed to shift and dance in the moonlight. My heart hammered against my ribs as I began to croon the words softly."Go ahead, Maya," Xander encouraged from where he stood near the center stone. "Trust yourself. Trust the power within you."I took a shuddering breath and continued. Suddenly, something extraordinary happened. My voice began to tune in with a melody that seemed to emerge from somewhere deep within me, as if the song itself was teaching me how to sing it. A strange sensation began to wash over me, starting as a gentle warmth in my chest.This feels... familiar, I thought, even though I was certain I'd never sung these words before. Like coming home to a place I've never been.The warmth spread through my chest, radiating out to my fingertips and toes like liquid fire. It was as if the song itself was breathing life into me, filling me with an energy I'd never experienced before. My voice

MAYAHe pulled me in closer as our kiss intensified. I completely gave away to his touch. My knees buckled and I lost control of my legs, but Xander caught me before I could fall to the ground. He leaned further into me with his left hand on my back for support and the right on on my cheek.After what felt like an eternity, he pulled away from me. Then he took my bleeding palm and pressed it against his own. Our blood seeped into each other, mingling and binding us together in a way that felt far more permanent than any marriage vow."There," he whispered against my ear. "Now we're connected forever."He led me to the first standing stone, holding our joined hands out so that a drop of our mixed blood could touch the ancient surface. As soon as it made contact, the stone ignited with a red thread of energy that spread out like fire to connect with the second standing stone.We walked to the second standing stone and repeated the process, then the third, and the fourth. With each stone