Alle Kapitel von I Reject You, Alpha: Kapitel 31 – Kapitel 38

Clara's pupils contracted. "Are you—"I kissed her before she could finish.Her lips were cold. Cold as her hands. But her tongue was warm. I parted her lips with mine and tasted her—faint, faintly sweet. Three years, and the taste hadn't changed.Clara resisted for two seconds. Her hand pushed against my chest, trying to shove me off, but the mate bond detonated the instant I kissed her—I could feel her body's response, her heartbeat accelerating, her temperature rising, that fated-mate gravity crashing over her like a wave.Her pushing turned to gripping. Nails dug into my shirt, holding tight.I rolled over, pinning her beneath me. One hand caught both her wrists above her head; the other slid from her neck downward—collarbone, chest, the neckline of the blue dress.The fabric was thin. Through a single layer of cotton I could feel the softness of her breasts, her nipples already hard.I palmed one through the dress. Clara bit down on her lip—she refused to make a sound.I nipped at

(Damien's POV)"When Clara heard I was going to the capital for the signing—what was her reaction?"Marcus stood across from my desk, looking uncomfortable."Calm." He chose his words carefully. "No emotional response at all. When you told her you'd be gone a week, she… just nodded."Just nodded.Two years ago, when I'd left for three days to negotiate at the Northern Alliance, Clara had waited at the pack house entrance for a full hour before going inside.Every time I came back, the first thing she did was check me for injuries.Now I tell her I'm leaving for a week, and she nods."Alpha." Wendy came down the hallway in travel clothes, pulling a sleek suitcase. "The car's ready. Red Moon has called twice already—the sooner we reach the capital and sign, the sooner we can come back and finalize the wedding.""Postpone it."Wendy blinked. "What?""Departure pushed to tomorrow. I have something to take care of."Wendy's smile didn't falter, but her gaze dropped to my neck—just above the

(Wendy's POV)The handmaid looked at me once. Then turned and walked out."Where are you—"She didn't answer. The door closed.I stood in the wreckage of the room, still clutching the shattered base of the vase, a shard having sliced a line across my knuckle.Less than ten seconds later, the mind-link flared. My mother's voice crashed down like a hammer—"Are you insane? You stupid girl! Are you trying to destroy Red Moon?!""Mother—""Your maid just told me everything. You're looking for the wolfsbane vial? Have you lost your mind?!""You're scolding me instead of helping me?" My eyes burned, voice shaking. "She's walking all over me and you're just going to stand there?""That's exactly why I'm scolding you!" My mother's voice cut like a blade. "I truly regret spoiling you—look at how foolish you've turned out!""I—""Shut up and listen." Her tone dropped. Calm now—but the kind of calm that was worse than fury. "Forget that Clara just tried to kill herself with wolfsbane—this is when

(Clara's POV)I looked at him.He meant it. Not a drunken impulse, not infatuation with a pretty face—his eyes were clear to the bottom, without a single impurity."Ryan," I took a breath, "I appreciate this, but—""I know what you're going to say." He cut me off with a smile, though underneath it was the tension of not wanting to be turned down. "You think I'm being impulsive. We've known each other for days. It doesn't make sense.""That's not—""Or is it because you think I'm bad with women?" He scratched the back of his head, ears going red. "That exhibition was actually my first time attending a social event without my family. I was terrified, honestly—you were the only person I worked up the nerve to talk to that whole day."He looked down at his interlaced fingers on the bar, voice dropping. "You're so composed. Everything you do is measured, precise, never panicked. The first time I saw you—climbing through that window in a blue dress—I just thought, this person is extraordinar