All Chapters of Reborn As The Alpha King’s Rejected Mate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Lila’s POVHe drank it.Even after seeing the way I looked at him, even after hearing the panic in my voice, Elias had lifted that glass to his lips and swallowed the champagne as though it were nothing more than an ordinary drink.As though his life meant so little that he could risk it without a second thought.Or perhaps he had understood something I hadn't said. Perhaps he had seen the fear in my eyes and realized that I wasn't afraid of the champagne itself, but of what it might do to him.He…saved me.This time, I hadn't been the one to throw myself between him and death. I hadn't even been given the chance to explain what was happening. He had simply taken the danger from my hands and made it his own.For me.The thought hurt more than I wanted to admit.Because I remembered the last time I had tried to save him. I remembered believing that if I could just keep him alive, everything else would somehow work out. That the man I loved would hold me close, keep his promises, and ne

Lila’s POVThe old chapel stood beyond the eastern gardens, where the royal grounds gradually gave way to a stretch of neglected woodland.I had passed it only once before, years ago, when my mother took me on a walk through the area. Even then, it had looked forgotten. Its stone walls were weathered by years of rain, and ivy had climbed around the narrow windows until they seemed almost part of the building itself. A faded crescent moon was carved above the wooden entrance, its edges worn smooth by time.The chapel had been built long before Silvermoon became the kingdom it was today. According to an old plaque near the entrance, it had once been a place where royal families came to pray to the Moon Goddess before important journeys, battles, and ceremonies. When a larger temple was constructed closer to the palace, the little chapel was abandoned.Only a few people visit it now. Perhaps that was why Adrian had chosen it.The sun was sinking behind the trees when I arrived. The air s

Lila’s POVAnother two weeks passed, and I made a promise to myself.I would stop asking about Elias.It sounded simple enough when I first decided on it.I would no longer search for news from the palace, question merchants who might have heard something, or linger whenever someone mentioned the royal household. I had already learned that he was recovering, that the physicians were satisfied with his progress, and that he was expected to return to his usual duties once he had regained his strength.That was all I needed to know.He was alive. He was getting better. And I had no reason to ask for anything more.At least, that was what I kept telling myself.I was genuinely relieved that he had survived. Whatever had happened between us, whatever hurt I still carried from my first life, I couldn't pretend that his death would have meant nothing to me. I had seen him collapse with my own eyes. I had watched the color drain from his face, and for two weeks afterward, I had lived with the

Lila’s POVFor several seconds, I could do nothing but stare at him.Elias.He was standing right in front of me, close enough that I could see the faint shadows beneath his dark blue eyes, the slight tension in his jaw, and the familiar crease between his brows that appeared whenever something displeased him. His face was no longer pale, his breathing seemed steady, and there was no sign of the weakness that had terrified me the night he collapsed.He looked well.More than well, actually. He looked like himself again, perhaps even better than I remembered, as though the two weeks he had spent recovering had done nothing to diminish the commanding presence that seemed to follow him wherever he went.I knew he was alive. My mother had told me he was recovering, and I had repeated those words to myself enough times that they had gradually become something I could accept without questioning.But knowing he was alive and seeing him standing before me were two entirely different things.T

Lila’s POVFor one terrible moment, I forgot how to breathe.Elias was kissing me.The realization came too late to be useful, arriving only after my mind had gone completely blank and every argument I had prepared against him had scattered like leaves in the wind.His lips were warm against mine, his hand still resting against my cheek, and the other arm had settled around my waist as though he had found something precious and was terrified it might disappear if he loosened his hold.He kissed me as if letting me go was something he simply could not afford.There was nothing casual about it. Nothing hesitant or halfhearted. He kissed me with a desperate kind of certainty that made my heart stumble, as though he had been holding himself back for so long that the moment he finally stopped, he no longer knew how to want me quietly.And that was the most unfair thing about Elias.Even when I had every reason to push him away, he could still make me feel as though I was the only person in