บททั้งหมดของ His Rejected Mate's Secret : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

(Delph’s POV)The storm had started hours before the ceremony, but I didn’t cancel it.The Bloodstone Pack doesn’t bow to weather or weakness.I stood beneath the great hall’s open roof, rain sliding down the edges of the stone pillars, watching my wolves kneel as I raised my glass.Another year of prosperity. Another year under my rule.And yet, the silence inside me was louder than the thunder outside.The mark on my chest,the one that should’ve carried my mate’s bond had long since faded. I’d convinced myself the ache had, too. Until it hit me.That scent.Soft. Wild. Familiar.Like the air after a storm and the faint sweetness of jasmine.It tore through the crowd before I saw her a whisper of something I swore I’d never feel again. My wolf, Draven, went mad instantly.Mate.The glass in my hand cracked. I didn’t realize I’d crushed it until blood dripped down my palm.Every sound blurred the ceremony, the crowd, the chants of loyalty.All I could hear was the echo of her heartbea

(Afnan’s POV)The east wing smells the same.Pine, old wood, faint traces of smoke and him. Always him.The guards leave after locking the heavy door behind me. The sound of the bolt sliding into place feels louder than it should, echoing through the quiet halls. I’m not sure what hurts more that he ordered it or that part of me expected it.I stand in the middle of the room, letting the memories claw at me for a minute before I shove them back down. The twins sleep on the bed, their small bodies curled together like two tiny stars that don’t know they’re shining in enemy skies.I brush a damp curl off my daughter’s forehead and whisper, “You’re safe, my love. No one’s taking you from me.”It’s a promise.It’s also a lie because in this house, nothing is ever safe.The door opens behind me, slow and deliberate.I don’t need to turn to know who it is.Delph doesn’t knock. He never did.His presence fills the space before he even speaks, heavy, commanding, familiar enough to make my wol

(Afnan’s POV)The mansion feels different in daylight.Less like a home, more like a trap disguised in gold.Sunlight crawls through the tall windows, turning the dust in the air into glitter. The guards at my door pretend not to stare, but I can feel their attention like claws scraping my skin.Delph hasn’t come back since dawn. I can still smell him, though pine and rain and the ache of everything unsaid.Part of me hopes he stays away; another part listens for his footsteps.The twins nap on the rug near the hearth. They sleep easily, unaware of the storm outside these walls. I envy them for it.A soft knock makes me stiff. When I open the door, a small, gray-furred wolf pup messenger rank bows low and shifts back into human form. He can’t meet my eyes.“The elders request your presence this evening,” he says. “For questioning.”My stomach drops. “Without the Alpha’s order?”He hesitates. “They said the Alpha already agreed.”He’s lying; I can hear it in the tremor of his voice.De

(Afnan’s POV)The fire has burned down to embers.The twins are asleep again, small bodies curled against each other, the rhythm of their breathing the only calm sound in this entire house.I’m not sure when I started reading the same line of the book over and over. The words keep slipping away from me and my thoughts always find their way back to him.Delph.His voice still echoes from the Council chamber; the way it shook the air, the way it silenced even Serena. I’d seen him angry before, but not like that.There was something different in it, something that felt almost like… protection.I close the book and stare into the fire.It’s foolish to start thinking in maybes again. I came here for safety, not for hope.A soft knock breaks the quiet.Once. Twice. Then the handle turns.Every muscle in my body tenses.No one comes here without permission.The door opens, and there he is, tray in hand, the faint smell of pine and smoke following him like a shadow. For a heartbeat I think I

(Afnan’s POV)The morning arrives too.No birds, no distant training shouts, not even the steady rhythm of the pack’s heartbeat that usually hums beneath these walls. Just silence, heavy and wrong.When I open the curtains, the courtyard below is crawling with guards.More than yesterday.They stand in pairs, watching opposite directions, watching for something or against something, I can’t tell.The twins stir at the noise of clinking armor. I hush them back to sleep and wrap my cloak tighter. The air feels colder even though sunlight spills across the floor.At first I think I’m imagining it, the faint metallic tang in the air, the weight of eyes on my back. But when I step into the corridor, two warriors shift instantly, blocking the stairway.“Orders from the Alpha,” one says. “No one leaves the east wing.”I blink. “Even me?”His gaze flickers toward the children behind me. “Especially you, Luna.”The title again. It cuts differently this time not mockery, not respect, but confus