All Chapters of Rejected by the Alpha Heir, Mated to His Rival Brother: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Kaden's POVThe door clicked shut behind her.I stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty space where she had been. The silence was heavy. The air was thick with everything she had said. Her words still echoed in my mind, cutting deeper than I wanted to admit.Then I slumped back into my chair. The weight of it all pressed down on me. Her disappointment. The way she had looked at me like I was something pathetic. The way she had walked out without a second glance.Isolde laughed. It was a cold, mocking sound that shattered the silence."Well," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "That went well. Really stellar performance there, Kaden. Truly impressive."I didn't answer. I couldn't. My mind was still on Ciara. On the way she had walked out. On the way she hadn't looked back. On the finality in her voice when she had said she would do it without me."You're pathetic, you know that?" Isolde walked toward my desk, her heels clicking against the floor with each delibera

Ciara's POVI marched out of Kaden's quarters, my footsteps echoing against the stone floor like thunder. My hands were shaking. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. I was furious—at him, at myself, at the entire situation.I had actually thought he would help. I had swallowed my pride, pushed down my disgust, and gone to him because I had no other choice. I had stood in his study, in front of Isolde of all people, and I had begged. I had laid out everything I needed, everything I was fighting for, and I had asked him to be better than the man I knew he was.And he had thrown it back in my face. He had tried to trap me. To control me. To use my desperation against me. He had dangled his help in front of me like a carrot, and when I refused to play his game, he had let me walk away.I walked faster, my heels clicking against the stone. The corridor stretched out in front of me, endless and cold. I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I couldn't stay there.

Ciara's POVThe Alpha stared at me. His eyes were hard. Unreadable. The firelight from the hearth cast shadows across his face, making him look older than he was. More tired. More worn down by years of leadership and difficult decisions."Why do you think that?" he asked. "Why do you think Draven is being wrongfully accused?"I leaned forward in my chair. My hands were still trembling, but I forced them to still. I clasped them together in my lap and met his gaze. The leather of the chair creaked beneath me as I shifted closer to his desk."Because I know him," I said. "I know what kind of man he is. I've seen him work. I've seen him sacrifice. I've seen him put this pack above everything else. He would never betray us. Never."The Alpha leaned back in his chair. He studied me for a long moment, his eyes moving over my face like he was searching for something. A lie. A crack in my conviction. Then he shook his head slowly."You're young," he said. "You're in love. And love makes us bl

Ciara's POV He stared at me for a long moment. The firelight flickered across his face, casting deep shadows that made him look older, more tired. I could see the weight of his decision pressing down on him—the burden of being Alpha, of having to choose between his instincts and his duty. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright," he said. "I'll do it. I'll help you." I felt the air leave my lungs. A huge sigh of relief escaped me, and I had to grip the edge of his desk to keep my knees from buckling. My hands were shaking. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. "Thank you," I said. "Thank you so much. You don't know what this means—" "Don't thank me yet." His voice was flat, cutting through my relief. "You still have to find out where Thorne is keeping her. And even if you do, there's no guarantee you'll succeed. Thorne is careful. He's been doing this for years. He's not going to make it easy for you." "I know." I straightened my spine, forcing myself to sta

Ciara’s POV I found Serafine in the quarters that had been reserved for her. The room was simple but functional—a narrow bed with a worn woolen blanket, a wooden desk cluttered with papers and open books, and a shelf lined with volumes on bloodlines, pack history, and ancient wolf lore. The air smelled of old parchment, candle wax, and the faint herbal scent she always carried with her. She was sitting at the desk, a quill in her hand, writing something in a leather-bound journal. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the walls. She looked up as I entered. Her eyes narrowed immediately, scanning my face with that sharp, assessing gaze she always had. She could read people like no one else I had ever known. "You look like you've been through a war," she said. "Your eyes are red. Your hands are shaking. You look like you haven't slept in days." "Close enough." I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, letting the cool wood press against my ba