All Chapters of Contracted to the Alpha Who Rejected Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The Blackthorn gates were taller than I remembered.Iron and dark wood stretched high above the stone walls, the pack crest carved deep into the center. Two guards stepped forward as the car stopped. They checked the papers the messenger had given me, then opened the gates without a word.I kept my hands folded in my lap the entire ride up the long driveway. The territory looked the same—dense forest, clean roads, the main house rising like something built to last centuries. Everything about Blackthorn spoke of power that never had to explain itself.The car stopped at the front steps. I stepped out and smoothed the simple black dress I had chosen. Nothing elegant. Nothing that tried too hard. I would not give him the satisfaction of thinking I had dressed for him.A tall man in a dark suit waited at the top of the stairs. I recognized him from the old days—Rylan, Kael’s Beta. His expression gave nothing away.“Miss Ashford,” he said. “Alpha Voss is expecting you.”I followed him insi

Morning light cut across the floor of the east wing in thin, pale lines.I had slept only in short stretches. Every time I closed my eyes I heard those footsteps outside the door again. By the time the sun rose I was already dressed, hair pulled back, face clean of any expression I did not want seen.A knock came at half past seven. Rylan stood in the hallway with the same neutral look as the night before.“Alpha Voss requested that you join him for a brief walk of the main grounds. Pack members should see you together before the gathering tomorrow.”Of course. Appearances.I followed him downstairs and out through the back entrance. The morning air was cool and sharp. Blackthorn territory stretched wide in every direction—training fields, dense forest, the distant shape of smaller pack houses. Everything looked ordered. Controlled.Kael waited near the edge of the training grounds. He wore a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled once, the Blackthorn crest at his collar. When he saw me,

The green dress fit too well.I stood in front of the mirror in the east wing and smoothed the fabric once. It followed the lines of my body without effort, elegant and restrained. Exactly what Kael had wanted. Nothing that drew extra attention. Nothing that looked like I was trying.Rylan knocked at sundown.I followed him downstairs in silence. The main hall had been opened into a larger reception space. Warm light spilled across polished floors. The scent of the pack filled the air—dozens of wolves, layered and strong. Conversations quieted as I entered.Kael stood near the center of the room.He wore black. Simple. Precise. When his eyes found me, something unreadable moved behind them before it vanished. He held out his hand without speaking.I placed mine in his.His palm was warm. The contact sent a low, unwanted pull through the mate bond, sharp enough that I had to steady my breathing. He closed his fingers around mine and led me forward.“This is Selene,” he said, voice carr

Morning came gray and quiet.I woke before the sun had fully risen, the same thin restlessness from the night before still sitting under my skin. The conversation at my door replayed in pieces—Kael’s voice saying the rejection had not been done lightly, the way he had stood too close and then stepped back as if the distance could undo the words.I dressed in simple clothes and left the east wing early. The main house was already active. Staff moved through the halls with practiced silence. A few wolves passed me and inclined their heads with careful respect. The title from the gathering still followed me like a second shadow.I found the side entrance that led toward the outer grounds and stepped into the cool air. The training fields were empty at this hour. Mist hung low between the trees. I walked until the house was far enough behind me that the pressure in my chest loosened slightly.The bond did not loosen with it.It remained a low, constant pull, stronger since the gathering,

The afternoon stretched longer than it should have.I stayed in the east wing after returning from the wall, the conversation with Kael turning over in my mind in uneven pieces. He had not rejected me because I was unworthy. He had calculated the cost and decided I was the one to pay it. The distinction did not erase the public humiliation, but it rearranged the shape of the wound.Torren remained outside my door for the rest of the day. When I opened it near evening, he was still there, silent and watchful.“Alpha Voss requests your presence for dinner,” he said.I changed into a simple dark dress and followed him downstairs. The dining room was lit the same way as the first night—controlled, formal, only two places set. Kael was already seated. He looked up when I entered, then returned his attention to the papers beside his plate.I sat without waiting for an invitation.The meal was served quickly. We ate in silence for several minutes before I set my fork down.“You said the reje