บททั้งหมดของ The Alpha King's Rejected Mate : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

KAEL The radio on his belt crackled again, loud in the quiet. Thane reached down and lifted it, listening with a practiced ease. It was the same kind of radio. Same size. Same static burst. Just like the ones worn by the wolves who had attacked us when we first entered the High Wilds. The thought made my chest tighten. My instincts didn’t like the link. I forced myself to breathe through it. We were far from that place now. At least a week of hard travel. Technology spread fast. If one group had radios, others would too. There was no reason to spiral. “Your people are only a few minutes behind us,” Thane said. He slowed slightly so I could keep pace. His tone stayed even. “One is unconscious, but the others look stable. We have empty quarters where you can rest for now. Still, she should go straight to a healer.” The question slipped out before I could stop it. “Where do you get electricity to charge the radios?” “Solar panels and generators,” he replied without hesitation. “Sa

ARIA My fingers had just brushed the button of his jeans when the door slammed open.The sound was sharp. Too loud. Kael reacted before I could even gasp. He rolled over me in one smooth motion, his body covering mine, solid and fast, like instinct had taken over. For half a second, my heart raced with fear.Then I saw who it was.Corvin stood in the doorway, breathing hard, his eyes wild as they swept over the room.“Hell,” he growled. “I thought one of you was dead.”His gaze dropped to the bed, to the way Kael hovered over me. His mouth twisted. “You really thought now was a good time for that?”He didn’t wait for an answer. He turned his back and stormed out, boots thudding hard against the floor.Kael pushed himself up and stepped away from the bed. His expression had closed off completely.“Get dressed,” he said.His voice was flat. Cold. Like nothing had almost happened at all.The heat between us vanished so fast it left me dizzy. Embarrassment rushed in to take its place. My

KAEL He wasn’t made to be a father. That truth settled heavy and sour in my chest.A scowl pulled tight across my face as I watched them walk away together. I didn’t like the way Thane looked at her. It wasn’t sharp. It wasn’t calculating.It was soft.It was admiration, plain and open, and that bothered me more than hunger ever could.Aria was beautiful. Not just in a polished way. Out here, among dirt and pine and smoke, she was something rare. New. The kind of presence people noticed without trying. The fact that she was pregnant didn’t seem to slow Thane down at all. If anything, it seemed to interest him more.Children ran through the camp, laughing, tripping over their own feet. Pups mattered here. They were protected. Cherished. Aria was young. Strong. Already proven fertile. That alone made her valuable.“You’re growling,” Corvin muttered. He sounded tired. “Fen’s annoyed he got pulled away from Lucan just to shadow her.”“No one should be alone.”“And yet you let her walk wi

ARIA “Mine. God, Aria. You’re so tight. Keep holding me. Don’t let go.”The shaking took over completely. Legs gave out. Balance was gone. Kael didn’t hesitate. He caught me, held me close, kept me pressed against his body as if letting go was not an option. He walked us to the bed without breaking the rhythm.Knees hit the mattress first. I barely had time to breathe before the weight and heat of him drove deep. The sound that left me was sharp and raw.Kael hissed and stopped immediately.“Did that hurt?” His voice was low, strained, controlled by force.“Don’t stop.” I didn’t answer him on purpose. “I’m close. Just finish.”His fingers tightened in my hair. He pulled back slowly, just enough to guide me, one solid hand spread across my chest to keep me steady. His mouth brushed my neck. Warm breath. Slow movement. His hips began again, not rushing now. Measured. Intentional.A hand slid between my legs. Fingers traced over him first, then moved where I needed them most. Pressure b

KAEL We left a few hours later, just after the light shifted and the air began to cool.Paisley had stayed in his wolf form all night. We’d hoped that forcing the change would burn the serum out of him faster, the way exhaustion sometimes burned out poison. It didn’t work. Whatever had been put into his body didn’t stop at the skin. It reached his wolf too, sank into it, clung there. That bothered me more than I liked.For a moment, doubt crept in. Maybe I’d misread him. Maybe his wolf wasn’t as strong as I’d thought when I first sensed it. Maybe I’d built him up in my head because I wanted there to be something worth saving.The thought came too late to matter.Thane had been clear. We’d cornered him, stripped him of options, and he didn’t forgive that. He wanted us gone, and he wanted it done cleanly. No room left for negotiation.Lucan managed to walk on his own, but it was obvious he was forcing it. His balance wasn’t right. His strength hadn’t fully returned. Aria kept her wolf