All Chapters of Rejected by the Prince, Claimed by the Alpha: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

“They’re asking to see her.”The words settled heavily into the study.Elara felt every pair of eyes shift toward her. Not because she had done anything. Because something had happened through her.Darius’s expression hardened instantly.“No.”The guard hesitated. “Alpha—”“No delegation sees her without my approval.”Steel edged every syllable.The guard lowered his head immediately. “Understood.”But he still lingered.Darius noticed.“What else?”“The Riverfang delegation brought a priest.”Silence.Sella muttered something sharp under her breath.Darius’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Which one?”“Priest Malek.”That name clearly meant something to both Darius and Sella.Neither looked pleased.Elara crossed her arms uneasily. “Who is that?”“A historian,” Sella said flatly.Darius gave a quieter answer.“A scavenger.”Interesting.The guard continued carefully. “He claims Riverfang only seeks clarification regarding the Moon Recoil.”“Of course they do,” Darius said coldly.Because ev

Elara could feel the tension in Nightfall territory long before anyone said a word about it. Wolves moved differently. More guards along the outer paths. Hushed conversations that stopped the second she entered a room.More eyes are following her. Not cruel, or mocking. Worse. Careful.By midday, the entire territory knew Blackwater’s Alpha had come personally to the border.And that Darius had refused him.Elara sat near one of the tall study windows, pretending to read while sunlight spilled across the pages untouched in her lap. Her mind kept replaying the same thought.He came for me.Not because he cared. That was the dangerous part. Kael had looked furious during the ceremony. Possessive. Unstable. Like something had been stolen from him, but he had rejected her. He chose Lyria. So why did it suddenly feel like Kael was trying to claw back ownership over something he willingly discarded?A knock sounded softly against the open study door. Elara looked up. Cassian stood there.

Priest Malek arrived without fear.That alone made Elara uneasy. Most wolves had started reacting to her in one of two ways since the ceremony: fear or fascination.Malek carried neither. He stood in the receiving hall of Nightfall House with his hands folded neatly behind his back, dark ceremonial robes trimmed in silver thread. Older than Darius by at least twenty years, the Riverfang priest had sharp eyes that missed nothing.Especially not Elara.The moment she entered beside Darius, his attention settled fully onto her.Not rudely.Carefully. Like a scholar finally seeing a text he had spent years searching for.Elara immediately hated it.Darius seemed to notice. His body shifted subtly closer to hers. Not possessive.Protective.“Priest Malek,” Darius said coolly, “you requested an audience. You have one hour.”Interesting.Not welcome.Timed.Malek inclined his head slightly. “Generous.”“No,” Darius replied. “Controlled.”The priest’s mouth twitched faintly at that.Sella st

By nightfall, the entire territory felt restless. Elara noticed it in small ways first. More wolves are patrolling the outer grounds. The low murmur of conversations stopped when she passed. The tension sits beneath the walls of Nightfall House like a coming storm. No one blamed her. That almost made it worse.She stood alone on one of the upper balconies overlooking the dark forest below, arms wrapped tightly around herself against the cold air. Moonlight silvered the trees in the distance, soft and deceptive.Somewhere beyond them sat Blackwater territory.Kael.The thought came too easily now, and she hated that. Not because she missed Kael, but because she could still feel him. Not emotionally. Something stranger. Like a pull that refused to die completely, no matter how violently he had severed it. The broken bond lingered beneath her skin like an old wound that refused to close.“You’re hiding.” Darius’s voice came from behind her.Elara startled slightly before turning.He stoo

By evening, the rumors had evolved again. Elara learned that from Nessy.“They said you made the fire bow.”Elara nearly choked on her tea. Across the dining table, Nessy sat swinging her legs cheerfully while Tovan tried, and failed, not to look fascinated.“I did not make the fire bow.”Nessy frowned. “That’s not what the guards said.”Wonderful.Darius sat at the head of the table reviewing documents while Sella hid suspicious amusement behind her teacup.“The guards,” Darius said dryly, “need less imagination.”Nessy ignored him completely.“Can you do it again?”“No.”“Can you explode things?”“No.”Tovan leaned forward cautiously. “Can you curse people?”Elara blinked. “Why would I curse people?”The boy looked genuinely thoughtful. “I don’t know. Sacred wolves probably do dramatic things.”Sella coughed suddenly into her tea.Darius’s mouth twitched faintly.Elara stared at all of them in disbelief.“This is absurd.”“Yes,” Darius agreed calmly. “Which is why you should avoid l