Todos os capítulos de Rejected then Claimed by the Alpha: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

Serena The first thing I heard was the sound of weeping. Soft, broken sobs, like someone trying not to be heard. But I knew that voice. I had heard it all my life—shouting warnings, whispering lullabies, praying behind closed doors when she thought I was asleep. My mother. I opened my eyes slowly. The ceiling was unfamiliar at first—plain, white, and blinding under a fluorescent light. Not the Alpha’s wing. Not the servant’s quarters. The clinic. A sterile scent clung to the air. Antiseptic and metal. The pillow beneath me was thin and scratchy. My mouth was dry, and my entire body ached like I’d been hit by a truck. Or worse—by truth. I turned my head, barely able to move, and there she was. Ma sat beside my bed, her back hunched forward, face buried in her palms. Her shoulders trembled with every cry. Next to her stood the pack doctor, a kind older woman with streaks of gray in her hair. She held a chart in her hands and gave me a gentle nod when she saw my eyes o

Serena Time passed like a whisper. Some days felt like they would never end. Others vanished before I could even understand them. But every single one built something. A routine. A rhythm. A quiet kind of peace. The bakery grew warmer with each passing day When we first started working there, it was small barely five customers a day, and most of them just wanted coffee and day-old bread. But after Ma joined, everything changed. She brought her old recipes with her the ones she used to cook back at the Moonclaw estate. Warm honey-butter rolls. Soft, garlic-twisted loaves. Fluffy meat-stuffed buns that sold out before the sun even fully rose. She never bragged about it. She just worked with a quiet kind of magic. And people noticed. Word spread across the town. Now the line started before dawn. There was laughter in the kitchen, flour on our faces, and warmth in our chests. The woman who owned the bakery gave Ma her own key. She gave me a stool to sit on when my belly got t

Serena Ma was already sitting at the table when I came back. She didn’t ask anything. She just looked at me with those eyes that already knew too much. I told her what the healer said. Her head moved before I even finished. “You’re not going back there.” “I have to.” “They threw us out. Like garbage. You’ve forgotten?” “He’s dying, Ma.” Her lips pressed together until they trembled. “There has to be another way.” “There isn’t.” She caught my wrist. Her hand was shaking. “That place will destroy you. That man will destroy you.” I met her eyes. “Then let him try.” Her mouth opened, closed. Nothing came. “I won’t return like the girl I was, I’m not naive anymore or someone who will tremble at his sight. I said, the words tearing out of me. “I won’t bow. I won’t beg. I’m going back as a mother. If Kael won’t help his son, I’ll break that mansion stone by stone.” Ma’s hand slipped away. She looked at me as if she was watching someone she no longer recognized. Ari

Serena The ride home was quiet. Ari slept with his head on my lap, soft breaths fogging the quilt pulled over his face. The roads blurred past the windows, wet with last night’s rain. Forests. Empty fields. A world moving on like nothing had happened. But everything had. Kael had claimed his son. Mirah had watched it. And the Elders—they knew now. It was only a matter of time. The moment we reached the edge of town, my heart began to settle. Not because I felt safe, but because I knew this place. These streets. The cracked sidewalk outside the bakery. The rusted mailbox with its crooked lid. The people who waved even when they didn’t know your name. This wasn’t just where I hid after being thrown away. This was where I rebuilt. Where I became something stronger. Our building came into view. Third floor. One window cracked open. A flowerpot still hanging from the balcony railing, wilted but alive. Home. Not perfect. Not protected. But ours. The driver hel

Serena I heard the knock before I saw him. Three slow, deliberate taps. Not like a neighbor. Not like a stranger. Like someone who had every intention of being let in. I glanced at Ma. Her hands froze mid-cut above a tomato. Her expression said it all. It was him. I opened the door slowly, heart pounding, hand tight on the knob. And there he was. Kael. Tall. Dark. Eyes colder than I remembered. But when he saw me, something in his face softened just for a second. He stepped back slightly, giving me space. “Serena,” he said, voice low. Rough. “You shouldn’t be here.” “I had to come.” I stepped outside and shut the door behind me, blocking the view of the apartment. “You tracked us?” “I asked around,” he said. “Quietly. I didn’t want to scare you. I just needed to know you were safe after what happened.” My jaw tightened. “We were safe until they came for him.” “I know,” he said, his face tense. “I heard. I should’ve been there.” I crossed my arm