All Chapters of Reject Me, Alpha Tate: Chapter 201 - Chapter 210

Nicole's POVI sat cross-legged on the faded, woven living room rug, still dressed in my oversized, fleece-lined pajamas. The scent of lavender and oat milk baby wash lingered heavily in the air, a sweet, powdery testament to the chaotic bedtime routine that had just concluded in the bathroom down the hall. The twins, fresh from their bath, were clad in matching star-patterned sleepwear. Their damp, freshly brushed hair lay flat against their small heads, making their eyes look enormous in the soft, amber glow of the corner floor lamp.Rosy and Maple sat facing me, their small knees nearly touching mine. Between them rested the giant, leather-bound encyclopedia of mythical creatures, its heavy spine cracked perfectly open to the chapter on dragons. It was Maple’s current, all-consuming obsession, a phase that had lasted for six solid months and showed absolutely no signs of waning anytime soon.I took a deep, steadying breath, running my palms nervously over the soft fleece of my paja

Mark's POV Sleep never came, not really. I lay flat on my back in the guest quarters, staring at the ceiling tiles as the room slowly shifted from pitch black to a dull grey. Shadows stretched across the plain white plaster. My mind kept turning over every conversation I had ever had with my mother about my father, every brief answer she had offered, and every sudden change of topic whenever I asked too many questions. "Why don't we have pictures of him, Mum?" I had asked her when I was ten years old, leaning over the kitchen counter while she chopped vegetables. She had not stopped the rhythm of her knife. "Because some memories are too heavy to put in a wooden frame, Mark. Hand me that bowl, please." I had assumed her evasiveness was just lingering grief. I had thought she was protecting a tender heart that never quite healed. Now, after the revelations at the gathering, I knew the quiet pauses were not made of grief at all. They were made of guilt. Around three in the morning,

Mark pov I heard a sharp, hitching breath on the other end of the line. "How... how were they?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Did they... did Nicole tell them anything?""They are extraordinary," I said, walking over to the glass window that looked out over the quiet institute grounds. "They are bright, happy, and completely fearless. Nicole told them the truth. She told them I was their uncle, and that you were their grandmother."Diana was silent for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice was tiny, stripped of all her usual diplomatic authority. "And what did they say?""Maple decided my official title is Uncle Dragon Guy," I said, a small smile touching my face. "And Rosy drew me a picture of a volcano with a front door so the dragons wouldn't get rained on."A choked, wet laugh came through the speaker, followed by the quiet sound of a tissue being pulled from a box. "They sound wonderful, Mark. Absolutely wonderful.""They are," I said, my tone shifting into

Nicole pov She swallowed hard, looking at me with raw shame. "And truthfully... Part of me was poisoned by the hatred around us. My father and the North Maple council despised the Locker family. They viewed your father as low-born, a traitor, who brought ruin. Even the investigator sneered when he mentioned Locker's name. They made it clear that Locker's bloodline was a stain.""They hated him that much," I murmured, feeling the cold weight of my father's demotion all over again."They did," Diana admitted. "And Caesar weaponized that hatred. By declaring you dead, he gave North Maple an answer they wanted to hear so they would stop digging. So to the world—and to protect my own heart from breaking every single day—I said the words. I said you were gone. But a mother's instinct doesn't obey a forged document, Nicole. I kept talking about you as if you were still breathing somewhere in the dark, because stopping that belief meant letting you die a second time."The cold realization se

Tate pov Later that evening, I walked up the hallway of the institute quarters, my hand heavy as I knocked on Nicole’s door. When it swung open, the warmth of the apartment spilled into the corridor. Nicole stood there, her eyes softening the moment she saw me. Before I could speak, she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me tight against her."I missed you," she whispered into my shoulder, the faint scent of her wrapping around my senses.A genuine smile broke through the heavy fog in my chest. I cupped her jaw, tilting her face up to meet mine, and kissed her deeply. My mouth slanted over hers, slow and sure. I felt her lips part beneath mine, and I took my time, tasting her like she was something precious because she indeed was. Her breath hitched against my mouth. I kissed her again, softer this time, letting my lips brush over hers before pressing in harder.She made a small sound, and I swallowed it, wanting more. My thumb stroked her jaw as I kissed her deeper, losing