Semua Bab Lycan King's Cursed and Rejected Mate: Bab 71 - Bab 79

MAYAIt’s been a year and six months since that night in the clearing, since the scream that tore out of me, since Nanny carried me away over her shoulder, since Xander’s grinning face was the last thing I saw before everything went black.Some people have a turning point in life, a moment where everything shifts and they step into strength, or suddenly decide to wear a cape and save the world. I never wanted that. I wasn’t interested in becoming anyone’s hero. Especially not for the people who had spent years mocking me, whispering behind my back, shaming me for something I had no control over. If I was ever going to sacrifice my peace, my safety, my life, it would be for people who deserved it. Not for strangers who had already decided I was less than them.That night had changed me in ways I still couldn’t fully understand. The memories lingered like dark clouds at the edges of my mind, always threatening to drift closer. But I refused to let them in. I pushed them away, and burie

FINNI lay on the threadbare cot, staring up at the cracked ceiling for what felt like the millionth time. The lines were spider-webbed across the stone like scars, and I’d memorized every one. Time lost all meaning down here. I stopped counting the days after the two-year mark… maybe longer.This dungeon wasn’t meant for pack members; it was built for rogue wolves, murderers… the worst of us. But Kael had ordered me dragged here when I refused to break in the holding cells.The stench alone should have been enough to crack anyone. It wasn’t. Every time the burn of iron cuffs bit deeper into my wrists, every time the cold seeped into my bones, I thought of Maya. Atleast she was safe and far from him. That single thought was armor. I’d rot here a thousand years before I gave Kael even a whisper of where she’d gone.A soft groan escaped as I shifted on the cot. The iron cuffs had rubbed my skin raw again; the burn was familiar now, almost comforting in its constancy. I’d grown used to t

KAELI pushed open the heavy door to my bedroom and let the mask fall. The polite smiles, the steady voice, the calm assurances I’d worn all day for the elders, the council, the grieving families… they shattered the moment the door clicked shut behind me.Grandfather was stable, at least. That was something. The doctors said the deep Feral bites and the massive blood loss had forced his body into a healing coma; he’d wake when he was ready. Soon, they promised.But the sight waiting inside my room turned exhaustion into raw fury.Selene paced by the window like a caged animal. Living in the same packhouse as her was punishment enough most days. Tonight, after everything, I had no patience left for her games.I didn’t speak. I didn’t even look at her. I crossed the room in long strides, already unbuttoning my shirt. The fabric felt suffocating. It was stained with hospital smells and dried sweat. The buttons fought me tonight like stubborn little bastards, but I finally yanked the shir

MAYAI stood under the narrow overhang at the entrance of the company building. Rain had never been my favorite. It always felt like the sky was grieving something I didn’t understand. And tonight, of all nights, it decided to come down in sheets when the forecast had promised clear skies. Of course I’d left my umbrella at home.The streetlights shimmered on the wet pavement, turning the city into a blurred watercolor painting. I pulled my coat tighter. The buses would stop running soon; the last one to my neighborhood left in twenty minutes. Miss it, and I’d be sleeping on the office couch again; something I’d done once and swore never to repeat. All I wanted was my warm apartment, a steaming cup of chamomile, and three blankets pulling me into sleep.I debated making a mad dash for the bus stop two blocks away. Two blocks in this? I’ll look like a drowned cat.The glass doors behind me swooshed open. I turned, half-expecting security, and instead found Paul stepping out into the dam

MAYAThis was the first time I’d ever let a man into my apartment, let alone one who’d just admitted, in his own roundabout way, that he saw me as a woman now. Not just his old friend Maya. A woman he desired.My phone buzzed in my pocket, saving me from spiraling.It was Nanny.I answered quickly. “Did Finn get there already?” she asked.“This was your plan?” I hissed, glancing toward the bathroom door where water still ran. “You could’ve warned me, Nan. Do you know how shocked I was when he just appeared outside my office?”“I was more surprised than you, darling,” she said with a wistful sigh. “Finn has grown into such a handsome man. For a moment, my mind ran wild. It wouldn’t be bad at all if you two got married, you know. He’s been your best friend forever.”I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see. “He’s the Alpha Heir, Nan. He’s not going to abandon his pack for me. Besides, we’re just friends. Nothing more.”“He traveled all the way from Ashbourne just to see you,” she c