บททั้งหมดของ Rejected by my mate, Claimed by Alpha Ryder: บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

My throat closed up so tight I could barely get the words out.“That’s Nana,” I said. My voice sounded rough and far away.Doris tilted her head. Her eyes were soft and patient. She didn’t push, she just waited.“She was my closest friend back then in high school,” I said. “We met in our first year. She was the only person who could make me feel relaxed. The only girl I ever let get that close to me before you came into my life.”I looked at the picture. It hurt to look at it.“When I turned eighteen after my parents died, the council of elders said I had to choose a Luna. I was going to choose Nana,” I continued. “I had already told the top council and everyone close to me, so they knew it was coming.”My birthday party was supposed to be the big moment. I planned to tell the whole pack on that day. I would stand on the platform, hold her hand, and tell everyone she was my Luna. Nana was very excited. She kept saying she couldn’t wait to stand beside me.

~Doris~I stood by the door for a long moment after Ryder left, listening until the sound of his boots faded completely. The room felt too big and too quiet without him. My chest ached a little like part of me had walked out with him.I turned the lock slowly, then I stepped outside.I didn’t want to sit alone in that room staring at the walls. So I decided to find Ms. D. She always made everything feel calmer, like a warm blanket on a cold night.I walked down the quiet corridor, my bare feet soft against the wooden floor. When I reached her door, I knocked gently but there was no answer.The door wasn’t fully closed. It stood open just a crack, like someone had left in a hurry. I pushed it wider and peeked inside.I stepped in anyway. Maybe she had just gone to the kitchen or the garden. She’d be back soon.I sat on the edge of her bed, hands folded in my lap. The mattress dipped under me. I waited.Minutes passed but still no footsteps in the hall.I stood up and started walking ar

Dust still clung to my black training clothes, mixing with the sweat on my skin. I smelled like dirt, but Ryder didn’t seem to care. He kept one strong arm around my waist, half-carrying me the whole way back to the pack house.“You did better than you think,” he murmured again, his voice low and warm against my hair. I just leaned into him. My body hurt, but his touch made everything feel a little less heavy. The way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered made my chest flutter even through the pain, but all I could do was squeeze his hand tighter.My stomach growled, loud enough that Ryder chuckled.“Hungry, little Luna?” he teased gently.I nodded, cheeks warm. We stepped onto the porch. Ryder reached for the big front door, but before he could push it open, I froze.Through the glass panels I saw them.Seated in the sitting room was Anna, my stepmom right in the middle of the fancy couch.Veronica and Vanessa on eit

I saw the shock in their eyes when I told them to leave.Real shock.The kind that cracks straight through the mask they always wore. For years, they had been so sure of their place above me. So sure I would never fight back.And now… I had.Not with words.But louder than words could ever be.They must be crazy to think I will forever remain the weak Doris they knew.For so long, I had been the quiet one. The broken one. The girl they could push, slap, mock, and silence without any consequence. Now I was standing in the center of the room.In my husband’s house.As Luna.And I had told them to fucking get out.They knew exactly why I was doing this.And I knew exactly why they had come here in the first place, because I know them more than anyone else.It was never about me. It had never been about me.They didn’t suddenly care. They didn’t suddenly love me. They didn’t wake up one morning and decide to treat me like fami

My back stayed glued to the wall, knees drawn up, arms wrapped so tight around my legs that my fingers ached. Lucious stood there like a shadow that had learned how to smile. His question still hung in the air: Because if you’re hiding something… I promise I’ll find out.My mouth went dry and I could taste fear on my tongue, bitter like old medicine.I forced the words out, voice shaky and small. “I… I wasn’t feeling too strong, sir. My stomach turned suddenly. I felt like I was going to throw up right there in front of everyone, that’s why I ran. Nothing more and it’s not what you’re thinking.”I even tried to laugh a little, but it came out broken and weak.Lucious didn’t move, he just stared. Those dark eyes drilled into me like he could peel back my skin and read every secret I had buried for eighteen years. The seconds stretched long and heavy. I heard my own heartbeat loud in my ears. Could he smell the lie the way wolves smell blood?He tilted hi