All Chapters of The Rejected Mate Returns: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

**Krimson**Lyra was sitting at the far end of the garden, enveloped in a silence that felt louder than any scream.The evening light bathed her pale skin, but it couldn’t bring back her color.She looked sallow and gray, almost like a shadow of the woman I knew… and that turned my stomach.I didn’t like seeing her like that.I approached with slow steps, almost afraid of shattering that delicate moment of truce that seemed to have formed between her and the world.“Are you okay?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.Lyra didn’t look at me. She just turned her head slightly, as if even that were a struggle.Her voice came out low, almost like a sigh.“I’m tired, Krimson… Tired of pretending it doesn’t hurt, of smiling when I feel like I’m breaking inside.”I felt a twinge in my chest. That confession hit me like a ton of bricks.I sat down beside her, taking my time, letting the silence do its work. I didn’t want to fill it with empty words. Some wounds don’t heal with promises.

**Rowan**Mikail’s territory reeked of tension. His pack was armed to the teeth when I crossed the border, but I didn’t stop.I hadn’t come to negotiate.Mikail greeted me with his usual arrogance, his brow furrowed, his arms crossed.“I want Lyra back,” I said, clear, concise, and precise.“You can’t take her,” he snapped, frowning. “Lyra is here of her own free will.”“Of her own free will or out of fear?” I said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you dare play games with that, Mikail. She’s my Mate; she belongs to me.”“Not anymore. You lost her.”I wanted to tear him apart with my own hands. But I took a deep breath.*****Mikail**From the very first second I saw Rowan cross the line, I knew something wasn’t right. He was alone, without his entourage of conceited idiots, and his brow was furrowed by a storm I couldn’t immediately read.He wasn’t the same haughty, confident Rowan as always.He wants her back; he says she’s his Mate and belongs to him.I had to tell him: she wasn’t his

**Rowan**I watched her as we walked behind Mikail. Every step Lyra took made my chest ache.Her back straight, her chin held high, that way of hers of showing that nothing affected her. But what broke me the most was her indifference.She looked at me as if I didn’t exist. As if my presence meant nothing to her.And maybe it didn’t mean anything anymore.I swallowed, tasting the bitterness of guilt on my tongue.What kind of idiot had I been… how could I have let them drag her away, lock her up, silence her? For not defending her when she needed it most.All because of my lack of courage, my ignorance, manipulated by those damn harpies.Damn it. Every evasive glance from her hurt me more than a thousand blows. But I couldn’t blame her. I had earned that punishment myself.We entered Mikail’s office. The place was as cold as its owner. He closed the door behind us and crossed his arms, waiting.I couldn’t take my eyes off Lyra. She stood stiffly, lips pressed together, clearly uncomfo

**Lyra**“Don’t talk to me like that, you little brat!” she snapped. Her face was contorted with rage. “Not after everything Mikail has done for you!”Her scream echoed off the walls, sharp and venomous. My chest rose and fell rapidly.I felt my hands trembling, my fingers clenching into tight fists.I was angry. No, furious to the core. On the verge of ripping out those semi-gray hairs with the rage of a cornered wolf.I swallowed hard. If I responded, I knew everything would get worse. But staying silent… wasn’t an option either.Not this time.“Mikail hasn’t done anything for me except make me feel unwelcome in the pack,” I blurted out in a trembling but firm voice. “He promised me he’d fix our situation, because he and I… we have a relationship.” So she’s practically my mother-in-law, ma’am. Her son made me promises of a life together, even if you, your family, or the pack don’t accept it.Eloise looked at me as if I’d just spat in her face.Her eyes widened with such raw fury tha

**Lyra**Krimson’s question was so unexpected that I ended up bursting out laughing. I laughed heartily, without giving much thought to what he’d just said.But when I saw his serious expression, as if he wasn’t joking at all, the sound died in my throat.I cleared my throat and sat up a little straighter, regaining my composure.“There’s no doubt that King Lycan is very attractive…” I admitted, with a half-smile. He has a commanding presence and a voice that could make mountains tremble, but... my heart, unfortunately, is already taken.Krimson sighed heavily, crossing his arms as he watched me.“You deserve to be loved, Lyra. You really do,” his expression darkened. “Not by a stubborn, hard-headed wolf who only knows how to make you suffer.”My smile tightened. I grimaced, trying to ease the discomfort his words caused me.“You shouldn’t talk about your Alpha like that,” I replied, half-amused, though deep down… it hurt. It hurt because I couldn’t defend him without lying to myself.