All Chapters of Rejected by the Beta, Claimed by the King: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Elara’s POVThey say the mate bond is the closest a wolf can get to heaven. The Elders tell us it feels like the missing piece of your soul finally clicking into place, a warm, golden tether that binds you to your other half forever.They lied.For me, the mate bond didn't feel like heaven. It felt like a serrated knife twisting in my gut.I stood in the center of the Silver Moon Pack’s grand ballroom, my hands clutching the skirt of my dress. It was a silver polyester thing I had bought from a thrift store three towns over. It was too tight in the chest and itched against my skin, but it was the only thing I could afford.I scrubbed floors for six months just to save the twenty dollars for it.Tonight, I told myself, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Tonight everything changes.The grandfather clock in the corner began to chime. Dong. Dong.Midnight. My eighteenth birthday.And then, it hit me.The scent. It washed over me like a tidal wave, drowning out the s

Damon’s POVI closed the bathroom door behind me, and the moment the latch clicked, I lost control.My knees hit the floor. A low, guttural growl ripped through my chest, shaking the walls of the master suite. My claws lengthened, punching through the expensive tips of my dress shoes, gouging deep grooves into the black marble floor.MATE. MATE. CLAIM. MARK.My wolf, shadow-dark and ancient, was thrashing against the cage of my mind. He wanted to break down that door. He wanted to tear that cheap, bloody dress off her body. He wanted to sink his teeth into the soft curve of her neck and bind her to us so permanently that even death couldn't separate us."No," I gritted out, sweat beading on my forehead. I dug my fingers into the stone floor, fighting the transformation. "Not yet."SHE IS OURS, my wolf roared, flooding my senses with her scent vanilla, rain, and the underlying metallic tang of her fear. SHE IS HURT. WE MUST HEAL. WE MUST KILL WHO HURT HER."We will," I promised, fo

I stopped at the edge of a table, holding tightly to the back of a velvet chair.Face-to-face with him, Damon was overwhelming; he smelled dangerous, hot, and consuming. His sheer size made the massive dining table look small. He didn't sit; he waited for me to come. "Sit," he murmured, pulling out the chair for me. I sat down, and he pushed the chair in, his body brushing against my shoulder. The heat radiating off him made my skin prickle. I expected him to go to the end of the longer table, just like the Alpha of the Silver Moon pack sat miles away from his family just to show dominance, but he didn't; he pulled his chair right next to mine, scraping the wood against the floor so close that our knees almost touched."Eat," he commanded, pointing at the food. My stomach growled loudly in the quiet room. I felt embarrassed and looked down at the plate. There were pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruits, and pastries. It was more food than I usually saw in a whole week at the pack house."I...