Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Beast のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 61 - チャプター 70

The clearing around the ancient shrine had transformed into something far beyond a simple battlefield. The forest pressed close from every side, its towering trees casting long shadows across the broken stones while the pale glow from the altar illuminated the center of the space like a quiet beacon. The air carried the scent of damp earth and tension. Every creature standing there understood that the moment balanced on the edge of history. Rowan stood at the front of his pack with his shoulders squared and his gaze fixed firmly on Lyra. The arrival of the second guardian had shaken the wolves behind him more than any of them wished to admit, yet Rowan forced himself to ignore the unease rippling through his ranks. Authority demanded certainty, and he would not allow doubt to fracture the command he held over his pack. Behind Lyra the enormous wolf that had answered her awakening remained still but watchful, its golden eyes tracking every subtle movement among the wolves gathered acro

The hesitation that passed through Rowan lasted only a few seconds, yet within that brief pause the entire clearing seemed to hold its breath. The wolves surrounding the shrine shifted uneasily, their earlier aggression dampened by the realization that the battle they had charged into so confidently was no longer unfolding the way they expected. The guardians stood like ancient pillars across the clearing, their enormous forms unmoved by the tension building in the air. The golden eyed guardian remained near the center of the battlefield, its chest rising slowly as it observed the pack with calm authority. The silver and black guardian had positioned itself between Rowan and the shrine, its glowing blue eyes watching every subtle movement from the Alpha who now stood several paces away. Rowan remained in his wolf form for a long moment, his powerful chest rising and falling as he considered Lyra’s warning. Dirt clung to his fur from the impact that had thrown him across the ground mom

The silence that followed the envoy’s arrival stretched across the clearing like a held breath. Even the forest seemed to pause, its restless sounds fading into a distant murmur as every pair of eyes fixed upon the lone figure standing beneath the shadow of the ancient trees. Rowan remained where he stood, though the tension in his posture revealed the storm gathering beneath his controlled expression. His wolves shifted behind him, uncertain whether to regard the envoy as reinforcement or another complication in a battle that had already escaped their expectations. The robed man moved further into the clearing with deliberate calm, his boots pressing softly into the dirt as though he walked through a quiet hall instead of a battlefield scattered with wounded wolves and ancient guardians. His gaze drifted briefly across the towering forms of the beasts standing beside Lyra before settling upon the glowing mark on her wrist. The faint smile that had touched his lips earlier did not ret

The forest slowly changed as the sun drifted lower toward the horizon. Light that once filtered easily through the tall branches began fading into deeper shades of gold and shadow, and with the dimming day came a quiet shift in the wilderness itself. The air grew cooler. The leaves whispered softly against one another as the wind moved between them. Beneath those simple sounds something else stirred, something patient and ancient that had begun watching the clearing with careful attention. Lyra felt it more clearly than anyone else. The bond beneath her skin pulsed with steady life, the glowing mark on her wrist brightening slightly as the forest stretched outward through her senses. Every movement among the distant trees brushed against her awareness. Creatures moved through the shadows. Guardians waited at the edge of sight. Even the roots beneath the earth seemed alive with a quiet hum that responded to the power flowing through her veins. She stood beside the ancient altar without

The forest seemed to pause around Lyra as she stepped forward into the fading light of the clearing. The glow from the mark on her wrist had grown brighter now, casting a quiet silver radiance that brushed against the ancient stones of the shrine and stretched across the ground between her and the council commanders. The guardians surrounding the clearing stood unmoving, their immense forms rising like silent monuments among the trees, but the power coiling beneath the earth hummed with restless awareness. The forest listened. So did every wolf standing in the clearing. Lyra allowed her gaze to move slowly across the council warriors before settling on Commander Halric again. His expression remained carefully neutral, though the sharp focus in his eyes suggested that he was already weighing every movement, every breath, every word she might speak. The other commanders stood close behind him. The lean one with the predator’s grace watched Lyra as though expecting deception with every s