All Chapters of ONE REJECTION,TWO CLAIMS : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

CHAPTER 2: COLD SHEETS Kayla's POV The silence that followed Lucian’s mistake down in the banquet hall lasted only a few seconds, but to me, it felt like an eternity.He lowered his glass, his knuckles turning white around the crystal stem. He didn't offer an apology to the crowd. He didn't turn to look at me or try to laugh it off. He simply set the glass down on the wooden table with a quiet clink and looked over at Cole."Wrap up the reception," Lucian said. His voice was flat, devoid of any warmth. "I have work to finish in my office."Without another word to the guests, and without holding out his hand for me, he turned on his heel and walked off the platform. He moved quickly, his dark cape brushing against the chairs as he vanished down the side hallway.I was left standing alone on the raised platform in front of nine hundred silent pack members. I could feel their eyes on me—some filled with pity, others with quiet amusement. The name Hazel still seemed to float in the co

CHAPTER 4:THE PHOTOKayla's POV The words left by those two women down in the common hall stayed with me for the rest of the day, heavy and sharp like small knives buried in my spine.A cold machine.Is that really what they saw when they looked at me? They didn't see a girl who was missing her father. They didn't see an Alpha’s daughter trying her absolute best to keep a stranger's pack from falling apart while her own heart broke in silence every single hour. To them, I was just an uninvited guest occupying space that belonged to a ghost.I spent the rest of the afternoon working in silence, but by nightfall, the air inside the estate felt too thick to breathe. I couldn't stay in that office any longer, and I certainly didn't want to go back up to that massive, freezing bedroom where Lucian would likely avoid me again.I needed to walk.I pulled a thick wool cloak over my shoulders, stepping out into the cool evening air. The moon was high in the sky, casting long shadows across th

Kayla’s POV The ride back from the regional summit was drowned in a heavy, suffocating silence.Lucian sat on the far side of the dark leather back seat of the car, staring out the tinted window into the blackness of the passing trees. His jaw was set so tight I could see the muscles flexing near his cheek. The dark, terrifying anger that had flared up when Alpha Marcus asked about an heir hadn't completely faded; it hung in the air between us like thick smoke.I kept my hands folded in my lap, staring at my silver ring. My skin still felt cold where his hand had touched mine for the photographers' cameras. The moment the lenses stopped flashing, he dropped my hand as though I burned him.When we finally returned to the Ravenwood estate, it was nearly midnight. The house was quiet, lit only by small wall lamps in the hallways. Instead of heading straight up to his office or walking out into the woods as he usually did, Lucian walked into the private dining room on the ground floor.A

Kayla's POV "Ten months," Beta Cole said, laying a thick leather folder on my desk with a soft thud. "Ten months, and our gold reserves have doubled."I didn't look up from the trade ledger I was signing. "Did the western border guards get their winter boots, Cole?""Delivered yesterday," he replied and pulled out the heavy wooden chair across from me and sat down, studying my face for a long moment. "You look tired, Kayla.""I’m fine," I said, capping my fountain pen. "How are the new recruits performing?""Jax led the morning patrol without a single mistake," Cole said, a rare, genuine smile touching his lips. "He credits you for breaking his bad habits.""He broke them himself," I said softly. "I just gave him a reason to pay attention."Bata Cole sighed, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "The elders were talking this morning. They know what you've done for this pack. Ten months ago, people were whispering behind your back. Now? There isn't a warrior on that fi

Lucian's POV "Clear the bed! Get the oxygen ready!" Doctor Evans screamed as the heavy double doors of the medical wing slammed open.I didn't let the nurses touch her. I carried Hazel straight into the trauma room myself, my boots leaving wet, bloody tracks across the white linoleum floor. My arms were locked tight around her small body, shaking so hard I could barely stand straight."Alpha, please step back," Doctor Evans urged, his hands hovering over Hazel's pale, bloody form as I gently laid her down on the high hospital bed. "We need room to cut away her clothes and inspect the deep wounds.""I am not leaving her," I growled, my wolf roaring under my skin. The thought of stepping even three feet away from her made my chest tighten until I couldn't breathe. Two years. Two whole years of living in hell, believing her bones were rotting in some dark ditch. I was never letting go again."Lucian, let them work," a soft, trembling voice came from behind me.I spun around.Kayla was s