All Chapters of Rejected by my Mate, Chosen by his Alpha Father: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Damon’s POVThe transport wagon hit another rut, throwing my shoulder into the iron wall hard enough to rattle my teeth.The guard across from me smirked.I drove my boot into his knee.He cursed and lunged, but the chain around my wrists snapped tight before I could reach his throat. The second guard caught me by the collar and slammed me against the bench.“Try that again,” he growled, “and I’ll break your leg before we reach the fort.”I laughed in his face.He smelled like sweat, leather, and fear hiding beneath borrowed authority. Men like him always became brave once a prisoner was chained.“You think you’re reaching Fort Tundra?” I asked.His grip tightened. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”I leaned forward until the cuffs cut into my wrists.“It means you should have kissed your mate goodbye.”The wagon slowed, and my pulse struck hard enough to throb behind my eyes. We were approaching the narrow stretch before the north road, exactly where it was supposed to happen.

Selene’s POV His forehead pressed to mine, the words ringing in the air between us. We're only just beginning. My breath caught, held, refused to move past the lump in my throat. The weight of everything—the night, the man above me, the truth of what was about to happen—settled over my skin like a second layer of warmth. He pulled back slowly, letting his eyes travel across my face as though he was memorizing it. The shadows from the single lamp beside the bed carved hollows beneath his cheekbones, made his eyes look impossibly dark. He traced the line of my jaw with the back of his fingers, the lightest touch, and I shivered. “You’re nervous,” he observed. Not a question. A statement, soft and without judgment. “I’m terrified,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “But not of you. Never of you.” “Then tell me what you’re afraid of.” I swallowed, my throat dry. “That I won't be enough. That I won't know how to… that you'll be disappointed.” His expression fracture

Selene’s POV The horn sounded a second time, rolling through the clearing like thunder trapped beneath the earth. Ronan’s hand closed around mine before the last note faded. Outside the tent, boots struck the ground in disciplined waves as BloodHowl warriors shifted into position. The casual murmur of the camp disappeared beneath clipped commands, armor sliding over leather, and swords being loosened inside their sheaths. The air itself seemed to change. Every breath carried the sharp bite of smoke from the cooking fires and the metallic promise of violence waiting beneath all the polished silver and diplomatic ceremony. Darius remained in the entrance, his expression stripped of its usual humor. “Xavier brought thirty warriors to the outer checkpoint.” Ronan’s jaw tightened. “He was permitted twenty.” “He claims the additional men are personal attendants.” “Do his attendants carry battle-axes?” “Only the ones responsible for folding his shirts.” Ronan’s fing

Alpha Xavier’s POVThe gates of BloodHowl pack lands disappeared behind us beneath the cover of darkness.No one spoke for the first mile.The only sounds came from pounding hooves, leather creaking with every stride, and the wind cutting across the open plains separating Ronan’s territory from my own.I welcomed the silence.There wasn’t a warrior alive stupid enough to interrupt me after a meeting like that.Especially not after watching Ronan BloodHowl look one heartbeat away from ripping my throat out.Good.Anger made men predictable.A horse moved up beside mine.“Knew you’d be pissed if I spoke before we crossed the border.”I glanced sideways.Beta Kieran rode with the same relaxed posture he always carried, one hand resting loosely on the reins while the other drummed against his thigh.“You were right.”“I usually am.”He snorted.“I’ll write that on your gravestone.”A faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.“You’ll have to outlive me first.”“Working on it.”Silence

Ronan’s POVThe corridor outside our chambers was quiet.Too quiet.The heavy doors closed behind me with little more than a whisper, and I paused for a moment, listening. Inside, Selene still slept. It wasn’t peaceful sleep—her breathing hitched every so often, and twice she’d clung to my hand as though afraid I’d disappear if she let go—but it was sleep all the same.It was the first real rest she’d managed since Xavier had spoken the truth aloud.I intended to protect it.A pair of guards straightened the moment I stepped into the hall.“My Alpha.”I acknowledged them with a nod.“No one enters unless my Luna asks for them.”“Yes, Alpha.”The scent of rain drifted through an open window farther down the corridor. Storm clouds had gathered over the mountains, swallowing the last light of evening.Fitting.Darius waited near the staircase with his arms folded across his chest. One look at my face told him everything he needed to know.“She’s asleep.”Relief flickered across his featu