Semua Bab The Rejected Mate Is Back And Rising: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Chapter 1: The Road to Shadow RidgeElena’s POVThese mountains have not changed. There is still the smell of pine, rain and regret in the air. Each mile I drive through feels like swallowing glass.Maya sleeps in the backseat, her little head rolling with each curve. Her breath comes thin and shallow. I keep glancing at the mirror, afraid she’ll stop breathing if I blink too long.“Almost there, baby,” I whisper. “Just a little longer.”She doesn’t answer.The dial of the dashboard goes on past midnight. The fog fills the road and rings the car round. My wolf is weak and uneasy within me. She hates this place. I do too.Shadow Ridge. The home I once dreamed of ruling beside Damon Blackwood. The same home that threw me out five years ago when he rejected our bond.I grip the wheel tighter. I didn’t come back for him. I came back for our daughter.Silver Veil Syndrome. The name itself sounds like a curse. It’s what happens when a pup is born from a broken mate bond. Her wolf is fading,

Chapter 3: The Heir I Never Meant to HideElena’s POVThe silence after his words is unbearable.“Our pup.”Marcus stands frozen, eyes darting between us. Maya stirs again, groaning softly.“Get back,” I say quietly.Damon doesn’t move. His chest rises and falls hard, his wolf still pushing beneath his skin. His voice trembles with fury. “You kept her from me.”“She’s sick,” I snap. “That’s what matters.”“You had my child and ran.”“I had no choice.”“There is always a choice.”I laugh bitterly. “Not when you’re thrown out bleeding and rejected.”He flinches but doesn’t stop. “How old is she?”“Four.”His jaw tightens. “You left right after…”“Yes.”He exhales sharply, turning away for a second. His hands tremble as he drags them through his hair. “Gods, Elena.”I crouch beside Maya, brushing a hand over her cheek. “You don’t get to say my name like that. Not after everything.”He takes a step closer. “You should have told me.”“I owed you nothing.”“She’s my blood.”“She’s my life.”

Chapter 5: The Luna PretenderElena’s POVThe light of the dawn falls on the curtains, brash and undesirable. The wolfsbane dust is gone, swept off early in the morning. But the scent lingers, bitter and taunting.Someone in this house wants me weak.I won’t tell Damon. Not yet. He’d lock me down harder, and I can barely breathe as it is.A knock echoes through the suite door. Before I can answer, it opens.Victoria Nightfang walks in like she owns the air itself.Her perfume hits first, rose and venom. Her hair shines like black glossy obsidian and her lips are a painted smile hiding icy teeth.“Should I call you Elena Winters?” she says smoothly. “Or had I better say, the prodigal rogue who came back.”I get out of the chair, and each muscle is tensed. "You should say nothing at all.”She laughs lightly, gliding closer. “Still direct. I remember that.”“Then you remember to stay out of my way.”Her gaze slides toward the adjoining door where Maya sleeps. “So it’s true. The little gi

The Weight of Pack EyesElena’s POVEvery step through the packhouse feels like walking through fire.Whispers follow me everywhere.“Rogue.”“Fallen.”“Unmated.”The words stick like thorns under my skin.I keep my head high, pretending not to hear, but my wolf does. She growls low every time someone mutters under their breath.Rhea walks beside me with a clipboard, pretending everything is normal. “Ignore them,” she murmurs.“I’m trying.”“They’ll stop eventually.”I glance around at the faces watching us. Warriors pause mid-training. Omegas whisper behind their hands. Every eye drips judgment.“No,” I say quietly. “They won’t.”The pack courtyard stretches ahead, filled with murmuring voices. At the center stands the council platform, six elders seated like carved statues. Damon waits beside them, tall and composed, the weight of leadership draped around him like a cloak.When his eyes find mine, the noise fades for a heartbeat.“Alpha,” one of the elders says. “You may begin.”Dam

Ghosts of His FatherElena’s POVThe house is empty and I need a breath of fresh air."Where is Marcus when you need that brat?" I groan, searching for my brother.He can't just release such news and then leave me in suspense, I need more.I find Marcus slumped against the porch rail, a bottle dangling from his hand. His eyes are glassy, his shirt half untucked, and he smells like he bathed in whiskey.I should leave him there to wallow. That would teach a lesson.But my wolf nudges hard inside me. A shove.A low growl.Stay.“For what?” I mutter under my breath. “He did this to himself.”My wolf pushes again. He is family.I sigh, annoyed. “Fine.”I sit on the opposite end of the porch, arms folded as Marcus lifts the bottle toward me. “Drink?”“No.”He laughs. “Still too good for whiskey?”“I am too tired for your stupidity.”He leans his head back, staring up at the moon. “Too tired for the truth too, I guess.”The comment prickles my skin. “What truth?”He waves the bottle lazily