Semua Bab Rejected then Claimed by the Alpha: Bab 31 - Bab 40

Serena The last time I saw Kael’s eyes like that was the day I left with Ari. Back then, he had worn the weight of silence like a crown, his stare cold and final, daring me to walk away but begging me in ways words never could not to. Now those eyes were on me again, only different. Not a challenge. Not a wall. But a wound left open. He was standing at the far edge of the courtyard, half-hidden in the stone shadows that wrapped around the pillars. He didn’t come forward, didn’t call my name, didn’t even try to pretend he had business being there. He just stood, tall and watchful, and his gaze was fixed on Ari. Ari didn’t. My son was too busy charging through the grass, sword in hand, his cape flying behind him as if he had wings. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Kael. The way he leaned against the stone, still and heavy, like the world pressed down harder on him than it did on anyone else.He had no idea that his father’s eyes followed his every step, no idea how tightly Kael’s han

Serena I should have realized the storm was coming the moment I felt the first ripple of unease in the house, not when the chandeliers flickered, not when the staff moved quicker than usual down the halls, but the very instant Kael told me to come to the meeting a second time. He said it in that way he does when the weight isn’t about him, when he’s carrying someone else’s trouble on his shoulders, and I knew before I even followed him down the long corridor that whatever waited in the council room was going to be about me again. He looked excited, i could pick that the moment i set eyes on him. He was probably preparing something special as an appeal for how he couldn’t defend me last time. The room was full before I entered. Councilmen sat stiff at the table, the Elders in their tailored suits looking like the air itself bent around them, and a cluster of senior pack members lined the back wall, murmuring like they were waiting for a verdict before it was even announced. Rowan

Serena’s POV “Can we talk?” Her voice was soft, not the tone I expected. I didn’t answer right away. I was still staring at the open door, unsure if I’d imagined her standing there, dressed simply, her hair pinned back, no guards in sight. Mirah looked like she’d rehearsed this moment ten times and still wasn’t sure how to play it. I stepped aside without a word. She walked in. My mother rose from the couch the moment she saw her, every line in her face tight. I felt the tension coil in my shoulders too, but I kept my voice steady. “What do you want?” Mirah didn’t sit. She stood in the middle of the room, as if she knew she didn’t quite belong. “I’m not here to fight,” she said. “I came to… apologize.” I raised a brow. I didn’t say anything. Neither did Ma. Mirah clasped her hands in front of her, her gaze flicking briefly to the window, as if searching for a way to escape the discomfort she’d willingly walked into. “I was wrong. About you. About Ari,” she continued

Serena’s POV A month had passed since Mirah’s surprise riding invitation. For weeks after, we lived quietly no drama, no whispered rumors that came to me. Ari laughed, ran, played in the estate courtyard. Kael came to him, and I let myself breathe. I believed, for a while, that Mirah had stepped back. That maybe she had changed. Or her power had cooled a bit. But peace can be fragile. That morning, I woke to a summons: a pack meeting. Official you were invited, it said. My stomach dropped. Not my first meeting but I dreaded being in the same space with those cruel people The moment I held the sheet of paper in my hand, I knew they were ready to move. I sat at the little table in our apartment, sunlight just beginning to filter through with indifferent hope. I stared at the page as the world around me stayed quiet and still. How quick they were to call this meeting. How delicate they’d made it look. How urgent. And how, of course, it would happen here, in this estate tha

Serena’s POV I didn’t go back to my room after the council meeting, because if I had locked myself in those walls I would have broken down, and I refused to give Mirah that satisfaction. Instead, I found myself outside, standing near the fountain, where the water rose and fell in steady arcs, its sound soft enough to calm but not strong enough to silence the noise inside my head. Her words kept replaying as if she had branded them into me: “I’m pregnant.” I thought I was prepared for anything, but I wasn’t prepared for that. Not because I wanted Kael back, not even because I thought I still had some secret claim over him, but because it made everything suddenly clear. Mirah wasn’t the kind woman she pretended to be in front of others, not the generous Luna she liked to play at; she was sharp and deliberate and willing to twist the truth until it bent in her favor. Tonight she had proven she knew exactly how to play this game, and she played it without mercy. The meeting itself