All Chapters of Rejected By The Beta, Claimed By The Alpha King: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Victoria entered the throne room like a feral animal, dragged between two guards whose expressions remained professionally blank despite her struggles. Her perfect blonde hair hung in tangled clumps, her face blotchy and tearstained. The ice-blue dress she'd worn to the ball had been replaced by plain prison garb that hung loosely on her frame. One night in the cells had accomplished what years of my suffering never could – it had broken her carefully constructed image of perfection. Athena stirred within me, her satisfaction curling through our shared consciousness like smoke.'Look at her now,' she purred, her presence pressing closer to the surface of my mind. 'Not so perfect anymore.'I kept my expression neutral as the guards forced Victoria to her knees before the thrones. She resisted briefly, earning a sharp jerk that sent her sprawling forward onto her hands. When she looked up, her eyes widened at the sight of me seated beside Lukas, wearing formal attire and a crown that ha

I left Amelia on the balcony, the taste of victory still fresh in my mouth. Victoria's execution had sealed what the claiming bite had started – my mate had witnessed wolf justice delivered in her name and hadn't flinched. When I returned to our chambers at ten, the scent of bath oils and warm water greeted me, drawing me to the bathroom door. She sat submerged to her shoulders, copper hair darkened by water, piled atop her head in a messy knot. Her eyes closed, throat exposed, vulnerable in a way she'd never allowed before. Ares stirred immediately, his hunger a constant pressure beneath my skin.'Tonight,' he growled, the word reverberating through our shared consciousness. 'No more waiting.'For once, we were in perfect agreement. I'd been patient – far more patient than my reputation would suggest possible. I'd given her time to heal, to adjust, to accept her new reality. But the execution had changed something in her. I'd seen it in her eyes as Victoria's blood st

I woke to the sensation of hands sliding down my stomach, warm palms skimming over my hips with deliberate slowness. My mind floated in that hazy place between dreams and wakefulness, body responding before consciousness fully returned. Those hands parted my thighs with gentle insistence, and something warm and wet dragged through my most intimate place. My eyes flew open, a gasp tearing from my throat as pleasure shot through me like lightning.Lukas. The Alpha King was between my legs, his mouth where no one had ever touched me before, blue eyes locked on mine as his tongue flicked over a spot that made me see stars. I watched in shocked fascination as he pleasured me, his massive shoulders keeping my thighs spread wide, hands gripping my hips to hold me in place.When his tongue circled that sensitive bundle of nerves again, I cried out, instinctively covering my mouth with my hand to stifle the sound. My entire body trembled, unused to such intense sensation so soo

I watched Lukas dress with deliberate efficiency, pulling on black trousers and buttoning a dark grey shirt that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders. His movements were precise, economical, nothing wasted—like everything else about the Alpha King. Mere days ago, I'd been a servant. Now I observed my mate—my husband in all but formal ceremony—from our shared bed, where hours earlier he'd claimed me for a second time with a gentleness that still surprised me. The dichotomy between the brutal king who tore out hearts and the considerate lover who'd awakened me with his mouth between my thighs left me perpetually off-balance."You should dress, little luna," he said, catching my gaze in the mirror as he fastened silver cufflinks at his wrists. "I'm hungry, and you need to eat."I slid from the bed, conscious of his eyes tracking my naked form as I moved to the massive wardrobe that had mysteriously filled with clothing in my size overnight. The dresse

For four days I had counted the cracks in the ceiling. Seventeen, with the longest one branching like a river delta across the water-stained plaster. Four days locked in this room that had become my prison. Four days since I'd shouted things that servants weren't supposed to say. Four days of Julian visiting with his whip and his smile that never reached his eyes. My back was a map of pain, each lash a border I couldn't cross to find safety. I shifted on the thin mattress, wincing as fabric caught on half-healed wounds. Outside my window, the afternoon sun slanted across Silver Lake's manicured grounds. How many times had Amelia and I hidden in those gardens, whispering dreams of escape that seemed impossible? Now Amelia was gone, run away or dead, nobody would tell me, and I remained, paying the price for loyalty to a girl the pack had rejected. They'd come for Amelia's belongings the day after she disappeared. Victoria had supervised with icy pleasure, ordering ever