All Chapters of The Rejected Mate Returns: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

**Mikail**The sound of Lyra's laughter filled the cabin like an unwanted melody.Krimson leaned toward her with an expression of obvious ease, as if they had known each other all their lives.Their words flowed effortlessly, jokes came easily, and every gesture between them stirred an absurd irritation within me.It shouldn’t matter to me; he said he wasn’t interested in her. But… the way Lyra’s eyes lit up when he spoke to her got on my nerves.“Since when have they gotten along so well?” I growled without realizing it.“Since she arrived, I suppose,” Viktor replied, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. “It seems to bother you quite a bit.”I clicked my tongue, looking away. It wasn’t annoyance. It couldn’t be.“It’s not that.”“Sure, sure…” Viktor let out a dry laugh. “It’s just that every time you see Krimson with her, you clench your teeth as if you want to tear him to pieces. You know what this looks like? Jealousy.”I shook my head immediately, but his words lingered in my

**Mikail**I closed my eyes for a second, holding back my frustration.I decided not to lose my temper. I knew that, with them, I couldn’t talk about impulses, or restless wolves, much less attractions that bordered on the irrational.My parents would never understand something like that.“Please, at least sit down,” I asked, gesturing toward the chairs in the conference room. “There are things I want to explain.”My mother crossed her legs elegantly, while my father stood with his arms crossed, waiting expectantly.“Lyra isn’t what you think,” I began, keeping my voice steady. “She was wrongly accused, expelled from her pack without any proof. I… I couldn’t just turn a blind eye to that.”“And what does that have to do with you, Mikail?” my mother asked, with that sharp tone she used when something bothered her.I swallowed hard, feeling the truth churn in my throat.“She… was also my mate. I rejected her.”There was a brief silence. My parents exchanged a look that said more than an

**Mikail**Ever since Lyra told me about her stubborn determination to find a job, I knew she wouldn’t give up until she drove me crazy.Today, as I walked alongside Krimson toward the edge of the forest, I decided to tell him what she was planning.“She accepted the job Old Man Joshua offered her,” I told him bluntly, hands in my pockets and eyes fixed on the dirt path.Krimson stopped. He looked at me with that raised eyebrow he always gives when something impresses him.“Lyra?” he asked, as if he needed to make sure. Wow... she never ceases to amaze me. That woman has guts, Mikail. Not many would have agreed to work in a dusty shop when they could have it all handed to them on a silver platter.I swallowed hard. I nodded, but the slight twinge in my chest bothered me more than I was willing to admit.“Yes... she’s determined.”He smiled sidelong, as he always does when he admires someone.“She’s got grit. She’s going to go far”—his tone of utter admiration stung my chest—“If she ha

**Mikail**“Krimson!” I roared as I crossed the edge of the forest with Lyra in my arms. “Send someone for the doctor—now!”His face tensed when he saw her, and he took a step closer, looking horrified.“Is she alive?” he asked in a hoarse, worried voice.“Barely,” I spat out the word, rage and fear pounding in my chest. “Hurry up!”Without another word, I rushed toward the house.I couldn’t think of anything but her ragged breathing, her cold skin, the smell of blood soaking into my clothes.I carried her straight to my room and laid her down with the utmost care. My hands were shaking.Her breathing was weak, her body trembling as if she were still in that damned forest.“I’m here,” I murmured, crouching down beside her and clutching her hand tightly. “You’re going to be okay. I won’t leave you.”I was wiping her forehead with a damp cloth when I heard hurried footsteps and annoyed voices at the entrance.“What’s she doing here?” Agatha snorted.“You… took her to your room?” Sienna

**Mikail**Lyra looked so fragile that I wanted to sit down next to her and never move again. But I knew that one wrong word would shatter what little was left between us.I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.“You’re very sensitive, Lyra. You’d better get some rest. We’ll talk later… about that matter,” I said, trying to stay calm.She looked at me with that mix of sadness and anger she was so good at.“I don’t want any more empty promises, Mikail.”I felt those words sting my chest. My fists clenched tightly.“So what do you want then? Castles? A ring?” I blurted out, more harshly than I intended.The blush on her cheeks took my breath away for a second. She swallowed and looked away, but her silence spoke louder than a thousand demands.Shit. She wanted that. All of it. She wanted to belong. To be chosen.And I… I couldn’t give it to her. Not now.The room suddenly felt too cramped. The weight of the pack was on my shoulders like a damn boulder I couldn’t move.My mother questio