All Chapters of The Alpha Rejected His Bride For Me: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

 Julian sat back in his chair, his expression skeptical, like he was watching me perform some elaborate theatrical production that he'd already seen the ending to."What do you want me to say, Kai? That everything will magically work out?" He sounded tired, exasperated. "You keep going in circles. She loves you, she doesn't love you, you trust her, you don't trust her. At some point you need to make a decision and stick with it.""But wait." I leaned forward, something clicking in my mind. "If she's really just pretending to love me because of the situation, because her mother's life and Theo's safety depend on it, why would she be hurt seeing me with Sienna?"Julian opened his mouth, then closed it, considering."Think about it," I pressed. "If her feelings are fake, if this is all just strategic survival, then me hugging another woman shouldn't matter. She should be relieved, maybe even glad that I'm distracted. But instead she shut down co

 My father stood and moved toward the door, but instead of opening it to dismiss me, he paused with his hand on the handle."Walk with me," he said, and it wasn't quite a command but close enough.I followed him out of the study, past Harrison who was pacing in the hallway with barely contained fury. My father didn't acknowledge him, just kept walking toward the rear entrance that led to the private gardens reserved for the Alpha's family.The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth. We walked in silence for several minutes, following the stone path that wound through meticulously maintained flower beds and sculpted hedges. This was where my mother used to spend her mornings, before Harrison Lockhart had her killed and my father covered it up."Do you know how I became Alpha?" my father asked suddenly."You challenged your father and won." It was pack history, taught to every wolf child as an example of strengt

 We rushed through the compound, Julian leading the way while Kai stayed close beside me. My heart hammered against my ribs, each beat screaming that I was too late, that I'd been kept from her too long and now I'd never...No. I pushed the thought away violently. She was alive. She had to be alive.The medical wing doors were propped open when we arrived, and nurses moved with purposeful urgency in the hallway. Dr. Riley emerged from one of the rooms, her expression grave but not devastated. Not the face of someone who'd just lost a patient."Room seven," she said quietly. "She's asking for you, Miss Graves. She doesn't have much time."The words should have prepared me, but nothing could prepare me for seeing her like this.I pushed through the door and froze. My mother lay in the hospital bed looking skeletal, her skin grey and papery, her breathing labored. The machines around her beeped steadily but the IV stand beside her bed was

 The walk back to the quarters felt interminable, my legs barely supporting my weight as grief pulled at me like an undertow. Kai stayed close, his hand at the small of my back, steadying me whenever I stumbled. Julian walked ahead, clearing a path through pack members who stopped and stared as we passed.When we finally reached the door, Julian turned to face me, his expression genuinely sympathetic."I'm sorry about your mother, Lena." His voice was quiet, sincere. "If there's anything you need, anything at all, just ask."I nodded, not trusting my voice, and he retreated down the hallway to give us privacy.Inside the quarters, I sank onto the couch, my body feeling hollowed out and heavy simultaneously. Kai disappeared into the bedroom and returned with a blanket, draping it over my shoulders with careful gentleness."You should rest," he said."I can't." My voice was hoarse from crying. "If I close my eyes, all I see is..."

 The walk back to the quarters felt endless, my body moving on autopilot while my mind remained buried with my mother. Julian peeled off at some point, murmuring something about giving us privacy, and then it was just Kai and me walking through corridors that felt too bright for a world where my mother no longer existed.When we reached his rooms, he opened the door and I walked through like a ghost, my feet carrying me forward without conscious direction. Everything felt distant, muffled, like I was experiencing life from underwater."Lena." Kai's voice came from somewhere behind me. "Do you need anything? Water? Food?"I shook my head, moving toward the bedroom without answering. What I needed couldn't be provided by simple sustenance. What I needed was impossible.He followed me into the room, hovering uncertainly near the door while I stood in the middle of the space, unable to remember why I'd come here or what I was supposed to do next.