All Chapters of HIS FORBIDDEN REJECTION : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

(Ray’s POV)The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was him—Zane—standing beside Maya.Her hand was resting on the edge of my hospital bed, fingers trembling, eyes swollen from crying. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. Then reality burned through my fogged mind like a cruel dawn.“Ray,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “You’re awake…”The sharp scent of disinfectant filled the room. Machines beeped softly, a reminder that I’d survived something I barely remembered. My chest ached where the seatbelt had dug in during the crash. But pain wasn’t the reason my pulse quickened.It was him.Zane was too close—leaning near her as though he had every right. His tone was calm, falsely soothing. “You scared us all, brother,” he said, the word brother sounding like a taunt. “You should rest. Maya’s been here the whole night.”I tried to sit up. “Why the hell are you here, Zane?”“Because she called me,” he replied smoothly. “You needed blood. I have the same type.”Maya flinched. “Ra

Maya POV“Are you seriously ignoring both of them?” Luna’s voice crackled through the phone, sharp and worried.I sat at the edge of my bed, my fingers buried in the wrinkled sheets. “What choice do I have, Luna?” I whispered, my throat tightening. “Ray told me to leave. And Zane—” I broke off, the memory of his unexpected kiss burning like a scar across my mind. “Zane doesn’t know what ‘no’ means.”“You can’t hide forever,” Luna said softly. “You need to face them. Especially Ray.”I laughed bitterly, but it came out more like a choked sob. “Face him? He looked at me like I was poison, Luna. Like he regretted ever touching me.”A small silence hummed on the other end. “You still love him,” she finally said.I stared at the faint moonlight filtering through the curtains, tracing the shadows that cut across my trembling hands. “I don’t know what I feel anymore,” I whispered.It had been three days since the confrontation—three days since I left Ray’s mansion and three sleepless nights

Maya’ POV“You said you loved him, didn’t you?”Zane’s voice slices through the air like a blade.I freeze, the coffee cup trembling in my hand, hot liquid spilling over my fingers. The scent of roasted beans mixes with the bitter ache clawing at my chest. My heart pounds, not from the burn, but from the venom in his tone.“What are you talking about?” I whisper, setting the cup down before it shatters.He steps closer, his presence consuming the small office space. The air thickens with his scent — pine, smoke, danger. “Ray. You told him everything. You told him about us.”I blink, my throat tightening. “There’s no us, Zane. You kissed me when I wasn’t thinking straight, when I was—”“Lonely?” His lips twist into a mocking smile. “Desperate? You forget I can feel your pulse when I touch you. You wanted it.”My chest constricts. The heat that creeps up my neck is not entirely anger. It's a shame — and something I can’t name.The door bursts open. Ray’s voice fills the room.“Is that t

Maya’s POV“Did you see this?”Lana’s voice crackled through the phone before I even had time to breathe that morning. I was still half-dressed, my hair tangled, the dawn light leaking through the curtains like silent judgement. Her tone was off — not the usual tease or tired drawl from late-night shifts. This one was sharp, trembling.“What is it?” I murmured, pressing the phone between my shoulder and ear while fumbling with the buttons of my blouse.There was silence on her end for a heartbeat — then a screenshot landed in my inbox.When I opened it, the air in my lungs turned to glass.It was me.Standing under the glowing ice chandelier of the Arctic Ice Hotel — the night of the pack’s annual gathering. My gown shimmered like frost, my neck bare except for the thin silver chain Ray had clasped there himself. His mark glowed faintly under my skin in the photo — that cursed, invisible reminder of what we once were, captured now for the whole world to see.“Lana…” I whispered, my vo

Maya POV“I can fix this for you,” Zane said, his voice low, almost soothing, but there was poison in his tone that made my stomach tighten.I stood at the far end of his office, the city lights pouring through the glass wall behind him. The world outside looked blurred — a storm of gray and gold — but inside, everything was too sharp, too cold.“You mean you can make the suspension disappear?” I asked, my fingers twisting around the strap of my bag. I didn’t want to sound desperate, but my voice trembled. “You said you had connections—”Zane smiled, the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t just have connections, Maya. I own them.”He moved around the desk, his footsteps soft against the marble. “But my help isn’t free.”I swallowed hard, trying to breathe through the thick air between us. The scent of his cologne — smoky cedar and something darker — made my chest tighten. “You already ruined my life once,” I said. “Why would I trust you again?”“Because,” he said, pausi