Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Don의 모든 챕터: 챕터 1 - 챕터 10

The moon was a liar.It hung above the sacred grounds in cold, perfect silver. The kind of light that made everything look pure… even when it was about to fall apart.Aria stood right in the middle of it all, wearing a dress the color of surrender. White silk clung to her body like it already knew this night wouldn’t end well. Ceremonial oils. Night-blooming jasmine. The elders’ soft voices still echoed in her head.The moon never chooses wrongly.Yeah. She’d believed that.
Believed the moon.
Believed him.Kael Nightshade stood three steps away.Three steps that might as well have been a whole different world.His face looked sharp under the torchlight. Calm. Untouchable. Like he’d already made up his mind a long time ago and was just waiting for the right moment to say it out loud.The pack surrounded them in a wide circle. No one spoke. The wind carried the cold mountain air and the smell of pine into the clearing.Aria kept her back straight and her chin up. That was the only thing

The car stopped in front of a gate that looked like it could stop a small army. Black iron. Sharp points. Two men with earpieces already waiting. Aria sat still in the back seat as the gates opened without a sound. The driveway stretched long and clean, lined with trees that had been forced to grow perfectly straight. At the end of it stood a mansion that didn’t feel like a home. It felt like a statement. White stone. Dark windows. Lights glowing softly even though the sun was already up. Everything about it said money and danger in the same breath. The driver opened her door. “Miss Vale.” The name hit her strangely. She stepped out. The air here smelled different — expensive, cold, and clean. No boiled vegetables. No old wood. No orphanage soap. One of the men in black suits gestured toward the wide front doors. “This way.” Aria walked. Her sneakers looked ridiculous against the polished stone steps. She kept her face calm, but her heart was beating too fast. Every step f

The black dress fit too well. Aria stood in front of the mirror and stared at the girl looking back at her. The fabric clung in clean, sharp lines. It made her look older. Colder. Like someone who already belonged in this house. She picked up the silver knife from the nightstand. Light. Well-balanced. Meant for close work. She slipped it into the side of her heel where the dress fabric hid it. Old habit. She didn’t know if she would need it tonight. But she felt better knowing it was there. At 7:55 she left her room. The hallway was quiet. Soft lights glowed along the walls. Somewhere deeper in the house she heard the low murmur of voices and the faint clink of glass. Everything smelled expensive — polished wood, faint cologne, and something darker underneath. A man in a dark suit stood at the bottom of the stairs.
He nodded once when he saw her.
Then he turned without speaking. She followed. The main dining room was larger than she expected.
Long table.
Dark wood.
Only two

The car was black, quiet, and cold. Aria sat in the back seat with her hands folded in her lap.
Silas drove.
He hadn’t said a single word since they left the mansion. The city slid past the tinted windows in shades of gray and steel.
Familiar streets.
Familiar buildings.
A life she had already lived once and lost. She kept her breathing steady. Something that used to belong to you. Dominic’s words kept circling in her head. The car eventually left the main roads and turned onto a narrower path lined with trees.
Aria’s fingers tightened slightly. She knew this route. Even after three years and one death, her body still remembered. When the car finally stopped, Silas cut the engine and stepped out.
He opened her door without looking at her. “Get out.” Aria stepped onto the dirt. The air here smelled like river water and damp earth.
Exactly the same. They were at the old riverbank. The place where she had died. Silas walked ahead a few steps, then stopped an

Morning came too fast. Aria was already in the underground training room by 4:55.
Silas arrived two minutes later and said nothing. He simply pointed at the mat. Today there was no warm-up. He came at her harder than the day before. Faster.
Heavier.
Less patient. Aria blocked the first strike, but the force still drove her back three steps.
Her boots scraped against the mat. “You’re still too light,” Silas said.
“Again.” She came forward. They moved across the mat in sharp, ugly exchanges.
Silas didn’t give her room to think.
Every time she tried to create distance, he closed it.
Every time she tried to attack, he punished the opening. Sweat ran into her eyes.
Her arms burned.
Her lungs felt tight. But the heat in her chest was stronger today. It rose slower than yesterday, yet deeper.
Like something old was finally stretching after a long sleep. When Silas aimed a controlled strike at her ribs, Aria twisted and caught his wrist. For a fraction of a second, her grip was