All Chapters of The Alpha CEO's Rejected Mate Returned : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

~ Damien POV ~"Tell me he's still breathing," I demanded.Garrett lay flat on the pine needles, crimson pooling beneath his chest. Eleven more warriors from our dawn patrol lay scattered across the clearing, their shields knocked aside into the brush."He took three claws to the throat, Alpha," Vance said, stepping over a fallen pine branch. "He died before we reached the creek."I dropped to one knee beside Garrett. He had trained me since I was seven years old, teaching me how to track rogues and lead an army. Now his eyes stared blankly at the gray morning clouds.I reached down and closed his eyelids with two fingers. "Who did this?""Bloodcrest," Vance answered, his tone bitter with anger. "Their strike team knew our exact patrol schedule. They knew Garrett's squad crossed the ridge at dawn. They waited behind the eastern boulders and ambushed them in the fog."I stood up, clenching both hands into tight fists. "Our patrol routes change every week. Nobody outside the command cir

~ Celine POV ~"Traitors don't get to speak, Brooks," the guard behind me barked, shoving me forward onto the raised platform.The roar of the crowd hit me like a wall of sound. Hundreds of pack members filled the Grand Hall, packed shoulder to shoulder beneath the towering granite arches. Warriors slammed their fists against the iron railings, their voices blending into a single, deafening chant."Execution! Blood for Garrett! Death to the traitor!"I stumbled across the dark granite floor, the iron links around my wrists rattling with every step. Two enforcers forced me down to my knees at the center of the platform. The cold rock bit into my skin, but I refused to bow my head. I kept my gaze fixed on the dais ahead.Damien sat in the central Alpha chair. His dark coat was buttoned to his throat, his expression rigid and cold. He looked down at me, but his grey eyes showed no warmth, giving away nothing of what had passed between us in the dark only hours ago.Elder Vance stepped to

~ Celine POV ~The leather of my executive chair was smooth and cold beneath my fingers, a steady anchor while the air in the room turned thick. Across the glass desk, Damien froze. His focus locked onto my face, his chest rising and falling as he tried to process what he was seeing."How are you alive?" Damien asked again, his voice lower this time. "How is this possible?"He took a step toward me, his hands reaching out slightly as if he wanted to touch my shoulder to prove I wasn't a shadow.Rowan moved immediately. He didn't draw a weapon, but his posture widened, blocking the line between us. His aura flared, filling the penthouse with a quiet threat that made the ambient light seem to dim."I warned you, Alpha," Rowan said, his deep voice slicing through the quiet. "Stay behind the desk."Damien's jaw tightened, his eyes flashing golden for a fraction of a second as his wolf surged against his skin. "Rowan Cole. The mercenary from the southern border. What is a rogue like you do

~ Celine POV ~ The camera lights flashed across the red carpet as Julian offered me his arm. "Hold onto me," Julian whispered, keeping his face turned toward the reporters. "Every executive from here to the coast is watching us." "Let them watch," I said, stepping through the doorway. "We gave them plenty to talk about when we bought the debt." "Damien is standing near the security post," Julian murmured, his fingers resting against my side as we walked toward the ballroom floor. "He looks like he wants to break my neck." I looked toward the marble pillars near the entrance. Damien stood among the security detail and junior managers. His uniform jacket sat square on his shoulders, his hands tucked into his pockets. Our eyes met for a second across the floor. A sudden heat rushed through my chest, but I turned my head away before my expression changed. "Don't give him the satisfaction," I said. "I have no intention of giving him anything," Julian replied with a light laugh. He g

~ Celine POV ~Damien stayed frozen, his face inches from mine, his hands gripping the railing on either side of me. "Go ahead," I told him, keeping my eyes locked on his. "You came out here to prove something. Either kiss me or step back."His breathing was rough, his focus dropping to my lips before rising back to my eyes. He didn't move. The uncertainty in his gaze told me everything. He wanted to claim what he believed belonged to him, but the fear of losing his pack kept him still. "You think this is a game," Damien whispered."I don't play games with debt," I said. "And I don't give second chances to people who threw me away."A quiet step clicked against the floor behind him."Your time is up, Alpha."Rowan moved into the pale light of the terrace. His jacket hung unbuttoned, his hand resting calmly near the handle of the weapon concealed under his belt. He didn't shout. He simply stood between Damien and the ballroom curtains, his dark eyes fixed on the man trapping me.Dami