All Chapters of Rejected then Claimed by the Alpha: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Serena’s POV The house was too quiet when I came back. Not the ordinary kind of quiet that lingered after Ari’s tutor took him away for lessons, but a silence that pressed against the walls as if it was holding its breath, waiting for me to notice. I climbed the stairs slowly, already picturing a long shower to rinse the garden soil from my hands, maybe even a nap if the weight in my chest allowed it. I reached for the door, expecting the familiar click of the lock, but it wasn’t there the door was ajar, tilted just slightly, as if someone had stepped through without caring enough to close it again. At first I thought maybe my mother had come in to fetch something, but when I whispered her name into the hallway, the air swallowed it and nothing answered back. A strange chill rippled across my shoulders, yet I pushed the door open anyway. The sight broke me before my mind could even shape it into sense. She was lying on the carpet, one hand near her face as if she had tried

Serena The hall smelled of smoke and lilies. Too sweet, too heavy. My mother had hated lilies. She always said their scent clung too long, like a ghost that wouldn’t leave. Now they surrounded her coffin in suffocating wreaths, mocking her with every breath I took. I stood at the edge of the aisle, staring at the polished wood, my fingers trembling around the black shawl draped across my shoulders. My knees wanted to give, but I forced them to lock. I couldn’t collapse here, not in front of everyone, not when they were watching me. Every whisper in the crowd burned against my skin. The daughter returned, only to bury her mother. How cruel the fates can be. I insisted we brought her back here to lay her to rest among her ancestors. This was her home until shame threw her out . I didn’t blame them, my mother has been away from this place for the longest and bringing her back here felt like the right thing to do to honor her. I haven’t been here before so

Serena’s POV Kael’s ring still sat in the drawer beside my bed, untouched, as if even the sight of it would burn me. I had told him I wasn’t ready, and ever since then, those words replayed in my head like a curse I couldn’t undo. Each night I thought time might soften the sting, but instead it built a wall between us silent, heavy, unspoken. Kael hadn’t pressed me, hadn’t demanded, hadn’t even tried to sway me. He was gentle, waiting, almost too patient, and that patience frightened me more than his anger ever could, because Kael was not a man who waited forever. That morning, I felt the weight of it before I even opened my eyes. The air in the house was tense, charged, as if it knew something I didn’t. When I made my way downstairs, the sound of voices stopped me. Too many voices. Low, commanding, echoing from the dining hall like they owned the space. “…it is unacceptable, Kael,” a voice growled, deep and sharp. “You cannot lead a pack without a Luna. The council already wh

Serena I kept asking myself questions I could not answer. I wondered what had happened when I touched Elyra’s hand. I wondered why I had seen what I saw. I did not know if it had been real or if I was losing my mind. I wondered why the pulse in my blood had felt so strong as if it were guiding me to something dangerous. I wondered what it could mean if it was real. I sat by the fire in Kael’s study with my knees tucked under me, staring at the flames as they danced and crackled. My chest felt heavy, but I knew I could not keep this to myself any longer. Kael was at his desk with papers spread before him and his hand moved across them quickly, which showed he was more restless than focused. His hair fell over his forehead and his jaw was tight. The firelight cast sharp shadows on his face. I took a deep breath and said, “Kael, I need to tell you something.” He did not look up immediately and asked, “What is it?” I swallowed and tried again. “Something happened today in th

Serena I hadn’t had a single moment of rest since Elyra came into this house, and sleep felt like a dream I could no longer reach, because how could I close my eyes when there was a snake moving in my home, silent and deadly, ready to strike at any second. From the first day she arrived, she walked through this house as if it had always been hers, like she owned every step, every glance, every word, and every smile was meant to dominate, to control, to take everything that was not hers. I kept wondering who had made her queen, who had given her that power, and the answer was cruelly clear. Kael had. He had given her his loyalty, and now she wore it like a crown while I had been erased from his world. He barely noticed me anymore. He looked through me like I was nothing, like I was a ghost standing at the edge of his sight, and when I tried to reach for him, even just a little, he pulled away, shutting me out like I was dangerous, like I was a sickness he could not touch. And E