All Chapters of Rejected By The Alpha, Crowned The Rogue Queen : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

SIERRA’S POVThe sensation spread faster than fear, faster than reason. The world inside me, my thoughts, memories, even the sound of Isaak’s voice, fractured, like a house of glass struck by an unseen hammer. Aurelian was frantic, his voice cutting through the collapse, furious and strained as he tried to anchor himself to what was left of my crumbling self. He reached for memories, for fear, for me, but there was nothing solid left to grasp.The structure that had held him there simply gave way. With no mind left to bind him, no consciousness to root him, he was torn loose, dragged backward into nothing as the last fragments of my inner world fell apart.It was almost beautiful. Almost. The chaos, the quiet surrender of everything inside me, the release from the endless pull, my heart thumping hollowly in my chest.I swallowed, tasting the burn of the pressure under my skin, tears slipping down without sound. I continued to tell myself that it was worth it, that if I die this ends.

SIERRA’S POVThe outer corridors were chaos. Shadow wolves swarmed the first checkpoints, snarling, teeth and claws flashing. Our units met them, holding lines just enough to open the path ahead. Wolves dove low, snapping at ankles, leapt over fallen bodies, and barked commands mid-lunge. Our own wolves, trained and coordinated, ripped into the shadows, teeth flashing, hacking at the dark forms before they could reach the flanks. One wolf pinned an enemy to the wall, growling, shaking it violently before the guards finished it off. Another leapt through a collapsing archway, slamming into two attackers, rolling, and coming up with fangs bared.The plan was simple: clear the way, let me get to Aurelian, and slow the minions long enough so no one would get cut off.Isaak stayed a step behind, eyes scanning constantly, growling low at anyone getting too close.“Please be careful.” he said.There was a quiet strain in his voice, like he was physically holding himself back from grabbing

ISAAK'S POVMonths had passed since Aurelian fell.The world insisted on moving forward, even when parts of it still felt hollowed out.Ithacus was loud again, not with battle, but with rebuilding. Stone was being hauled, timber dragged across the ground as voices argued about routes, supplies and boundaries. Life forcing its way back in whether we were ready for it or not.I sat at the long table with Xenox and the remaining council, maps spread out between us, corners weighed down by daggers and cracked stones.“We can’t reopen the eastern trade road yet,” one of the elders said. “The ground’s unstable.”“It’s been unstable for weeks,” Xenox replied. “At some point we stop waiting for perfect conditions and just deal with the fallout.”“That fallout includes crushed caravans and dead merchants.”“And keeping it closed includes starving civilians. Pick your disaster.” Xenox turned to me then. “Or what do you think alpha Isaak?”Xenox never pretended these meetings were anything but n

ISAAK’S POVShe wasn’t looking at me when she said it, her gaze fixed on the ground.“Hey,” I said softly, reaching for her without thinking, one hand closing around her wrist. “Look at me.”She met my eyes reluctantly, like she was bracing for a verdict.“You don’t stop being who you are because one part of you went quiet,” I said. “You don’t lose your worth because the world took something from you.”Her mouth trembled. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re still… you. A wolf. An alpha.”I huffed, the sound half a laugh, half disbelief. “Sierra, if being a wolf was the only thing that made someone worthy of leading, half the elders I’ve dealt with wouldn’t last a day.”That earned a surprised giggle.“There it is,” I said, pointing at her. “That sound. I’ve missed that.”She scrubbed at her face with the heel of her palm, annoyed at herself for smiling. “You’re impossible.”“I’m right,” I corrected. “And stubborn. Deadly combination.”She shook her head, but her shoulders eased, just

SIERRA’S POVSilver light still clung to my skin, to Isaak’s, and to Rhaedon’s across the circle with pressure that made the air feel thick and charged.Whispers broke the silence first, then they rippled outward, growing louder and confused.I felt Isaak move before I saw him, the sudden flare of heat to my right. His lips peeled back from his teeth in a silent snarl, shoulders squaring as his gaze locked onto Rhaedon like he’d found a threat that needed to be eliminated immediately.Across the circle, Rhaedon reacted in kind.The Lycan King didn’t bare his teeth, but the change in him was unmistakable. His spine straightened, his presence expanding, dominance rolling off him in a suffocating wave. His eyes burned brighter, molten amber hardening into something feral.“Isaak,” I snapped, stepping forward without thinking.The movement drew both their attention at once, the silver light tugging sharply in my chest as if reacting to my decision. I planted myself between them, one hand