All Chapters of Rejected Mate: Rise of the Lycan Princess : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Cora's POV By the third day after the truth, the pack had stopped looking at me like I might crack open if someone breathed too close. That was progress, I supposed. I woke to the sound of distant training....steel against steel, boots pounding frost-hardened ground. Frostbite never truly slept, but it moved differently now. Sharper. More alert. The rogue threat lingered like a bruise beneath the skin of the pack. I dressed slowly, deliberately. I didn’t rush the way I used to, scrambling to keep up, afraid of being left behind. That fear had dulled, not vanished, but softened enough that I could breathe through it. When I stepped outside, the Alpha Queen was already there. She stood near the far edge of the courtyard, watching the younger warriors train. She wasn’t directing them. She wasn’t commanding. She was simply observing, hands clasped in front of her, her posture calm but attentive. She sensed me before I spoke. “You move quietly,” she said without turning.

Cora’s POV The dining hall had never felt so large. It was ridiculous, really. I had eaten here a hundred times before. Laughed here. Fought here. Thrown bread at Hannah here. Sat across from Eric while he pretended not to watch me like I was the only person in the room. But tonight it felt like I had stepped into someone else’s life. The long oak table had been cleared of the usual noise and bodies. No warriors. No pack chatter. No clanking armor. Just three plates set neatly at the center. Three glasses. Three folded napkins. Three. I stood at the entrance longer than I should have. “Are you going to hover there all evening?” The Alpha King’s voice wasn’t harsh. It wasn’t booming like it usually was when he addressed the pack. It was almost… careful. I stepped forward slowly. The Alpha Queen was already seated. Her posture was elegant without trying. Her blond hair fell over one shoulder in loose waves, and for a moment, I hated how much my wolf stirred at the

Cora’s POV I didn’t expect it to feel this normal. That was the strangest part. Not the guards outside the dining hall. Not the royal insignia stitched into the tablecloth. Not even the way the entire pack seemed to walk a little straighter when the Alpha King passed by. No. The strangest part was how… quiet it felt between the three of us. Just us. No Eric. No Hannah. No royal council. Just me. And them. The invitation had come earlier that afternoon. Not formal. Not announced. The Queen had simply found me in the corridor and said gently, “Would you have dinner with us tonight? Just the three of us.” No pressure. No expectation in her voice. Just hope. And for reasons I couldn’t fully explain, I’d said yes. Now I stood outside the smaller private dining room, staring at the carved wooden doors like they might swallow me whole. I could face rogues without blinking. But this? This made my palms sweat. Before I could overthink it, the doors opened from the insi

Cora’s POV I woke up lighter. Not because everything was fixed. Not because I had suddenly figured out who I was supposed to be. But because something inside me had stopped fighting quite so hard. The word had slipped out last night ....... Mother ......soft and fragile and unplanned. I hadn’t meant to say it. But I hadn’t regretted it either. And that… that felt important. I found my father on the training grounds again. It still felt strange thinking the word. Father. But it didn’t feel wrong. He was sparring with two royal warriors when I approached. He noticed me instantly. Dismissed them with a flick of his hand. “You’re early,” he said. “I'm kicking your ass today” His brow lifted slightly. “Careful.” I stepped onto the sand ring. “No shifting,” he reminded. “Don’t start.” This time, when we fought, it was different. Not cautious. Not testing. Just… natural. I adjusted my stance the way he’d taught me. Controlled my shoulders. Focused my breathing.

Cora’s POV The Frostbite gates didn’t open for strangers. They especially didn’t open for rival Alpha heirs. So when the southern watch horn sounded twice , I was already outside before anyone came to get me. Snow crunched beneath my boots as I stepped into the courtyard. Eric was ahead of me, posture rigid, warriors lining behind him. And then I saw him. Cain. Dark coat dusted with snow. A small escort behind him ...... not an army, not a threat. Just enough to show status. He dismounted smoothly, scanning the Frostbite grounds with sharp, assessing eyes. Then he saw me. Everything else faded from his focus. “Cora.” Eric shifted slightly in front of me. “You’re a long way from home,” Eric said coldly. Cain’s gaze flicked to him, unimpressed but controlled. “My father sent me.” That caught attention immediately. Eric didn’t relax. “For what?” Cain’s voice was steady. “The rogues are organizing beyond regional lines. My father believes this is larger than territory