The Alpha King’s Rejected Mate

The first scout moved like a shadow given form—silent, fast, and unnervingly precise. Its claws sliced through the air where my head had been a heartbeat before.

I countered, pivoting low and slashing across its leg. The blow connected, dark blood spilling onto the glowing veins of the ruins. The stone hissed where it landed, like the ruins themselves were alive enough to feel it.

The second and third scouts circled, eyes burning faintly, their bodies moving in a rhythm that didn't feel entirely their own. They weren't just Shadowfangs. They were something… altered.

Behind me, Aria's glow flared again, her breath rough but steady. The mark pulsed on her arm, reacting to the scouts like it recognized them. Or maybe… they recognized it.

"They're drawn to me," she said, her voice low, almost detached.

"Then we use that," I muttered, shifting to put my back against hers. My claws flexed, heavier than usual thanks to the shard's pull on my chest. Every movement burned, but I didn't let it show.

The first scout lunged again, and I met it head-on, our claws colliding with a screech of steel and bone. My strength wasn't what it should've been, but instinct took over—strike, twist, tear. The creature hit the ground, twitching once before going still.

The other two didn't hesitate. One rushed Aria, the other circled wide, going for my exposed flank.

Aria didn't wait for me to intervene. Her claws flashed silver, her movements faster and sharper than they'd been before the ruins started feeding on her power. She caught the scout mid-lunge, slashing across its throat in one clean motion.

The last one barely got close before I drove my claws into its chest, twisting hard until it went limp.

The ruins fell quiet. Only the faint hum of the glowing veins and our rough breathing filled the space.

Then Aria turned to me—and froze.

The veins from the shard weren't just crawling across my chest anymore. They'd spread down my arm, faint black lines pulsing faintly beneath my skin.

"Kael," she said softly, her voice strained. "What did you do?"

I glanced down. The sight should've unnerved me, but I felt… steady. Heavy, yes, but calm in a way that didn't feel natural.

"It's just the shard," I said, forcing my voice to stay even. "It's keeping your curse in check. That's all that matters."

Her claws flexed, her jaw tightening. "No. It's tethered you to me. To it. You're bleeding yourself into this… thing, and you don't even feel it."

I met her gaze. Her silver-flecked eyes burned, not with the Veil's glow this time, but something far more grounded. Fear.

Before I could answer, a slow clap echoed from the shadows.

Lyra stepped out from behind a cracked column, her black armor glinting faintly in the pulsing light of the ruins. Her smile was sharp, too calm for the carnage around us.

"Well done," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "The tether is complete. The ruins recognize the both of you now—anchor and key, bound by blood and the Veil itself. Perfect."

Aria's claws extended fully, her glow flickering dangerously. "You set this up."

Lyra tilted her head slightly. "Of course. The shard, the ruins, the scouts—they were all necessary. The ritual won't work without a willing anchor… or an unwilling key."

Before we could move, two more Shadowfangs stepped from the mist, flanking Lyra. These weren't scouts—they were elites, their bodies reinforced with glowing runes carved into their flesh.

Lyra gestured lazily toward Aria. "Take her. The gate won't open without her blood."

The two elites moved as one, faster than I could track in my drained state. Aria lashed out, silver light exploding from her claws, but the moment she touched them, her power dimmed—the runes on their bodies absorbing it like a sponge.

I lunged forward, ignoring the burn in my chest, but Lyra's voice cut through the air like a blade.

"Step closer, Kael, and the tether snaps. Her curse spreads, and you both die where you stand."

I froze, my claws trembling as I weighed the risk.

Aria's gaze snapped to mine, fierce despite the chains one of the elites was already pulling from his belt. "Don't you dare stop. I'm not letting her win."

But before I could move, the second elite slammed me into the pillar, the force rattling my bones. My vision swam, the weight of the shard finally dragging me to my knees.

Aria's voice cut through the haze as they dragged her toward the far archway. "Kael! Find me before the next full moon. Or the Veil… will consume me."

The last thing I saw before blacking out was Lyra's cold, satisfied smile.