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Rejected by the Stormcrown Alpha Her New Mate’s Claim
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The year our bond burned brightest. The Alpha Heir of the Ironcrest Pack, famed across every territory. He knelt before me at the river's edge beneath a full moon, surrounded by nine thousand nine hun...
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第1章
The year our bond burned brightest.
The Alpha Heir of the Ironcrest Pack, famed across every territory.
He knelt before me at the river's edge beneath a full moon, surrounded by nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine blood-red roses, and asked me to be his mate.
But ten years passed, and I still never received a bonding ceremony.
I had grown used to tossing aside the gossip scrolls about Kael Ironcrest's latest indiscretions.
Yet this time, the headline caught my eye: "Alpha Heir Pays Fortune to Claim Omega Dancer's First Heat."
For once, I did not argue. I did not rage.
That night, I let his greatest rival take me to bed.
The next day, I went to Kael to end things between us.
He lounged with his new favorite draped across him, not even lifting his gaze. "What's this? Some wild rogue couldn't satisfy you, so you've come crawling back to throw a tantrum at me?"
He squeezed the woman's waist, a low laugh rumbling in his chest.
"But I'm rather occupied, intended mate."
"Perhaps you should wait your turn?"
I looked at him and could not understand how a person could change so completely.
"Kael Ironcrest."
My voice stayed level. "I honored the late Alpha Patriarch's final wish and watched over you for ten years."
"Today, that obligation ends."
——
Kael's hand stilled for just a heartbeat.
Then he smiled. "Be good. If you want to make a scene, do it back at the den."
"You know threats don't work on me."
His fingers moved to the silk ties of the woman's dress, his gaze sliding toward me.
"Or would you rather stay and watch?"
I stood motionless.
The woman pouted prettily. "Alpha, she's so unpleasant."
Her eyes swept down to the leather guards strapped around my calves, then traveled slowly upward.
"Dressed like neither proper female nor male, hands rougher than the servants who scrub the Moonlit Den's floors, no softness, no grace—and old enough to be my mother. How could the Alpha Heir ever want someone like her?"
I glanced down at my own hands without meaning to.
They were rough, it was true.
The calluses at the base of my thumb came from training Kael's warriors, from years of gripping silver-loaded pistols and honing blades.
Once, he had kissed those calluses with aching tenderness in his eyes.
He had whispered words that made my heart race.
Now the calluses had grown thicker, but his tenderness had worn thin.
"Jealous?" Kael pinched the woman's cheek with indulgent affection. "She is my intended mate, after all. I have to show her some respect."
Then he leaned close to her ear and murmured, "But how could an old she-wolf ever compare to you? Ignore her."
I stood where I was.
His words grew legs and crawled into my ears, stabbing at something deep inside.
Old she-wolf.
I was thirty-three.
Compared to Kael, barely past his second decade, I was no longer young.
The elite circles of the pack territories had long speculated. They said Kael had refused to complete our bond for ten years because my age disgusted him.
They even joked that I was his "mother-mate."
But no one dared speak such words in Kael's presence.
Once, a celebrated Omega singer at a gathering had merely hinted at it.
Kael ordered her stripped of pack protection and driven from Ironcrest territory entirely.
He had cradled my face in his palms, eyes full of devotion. "In my heart, you will always be a young she-wolf."
"It's my fault I was born too late to catch up with you."
"If anyone ever calls you old again, I'll tear out her tongue and have her lashed a hundred times before the pack to avenge you."
Back then, I never imagined "old she-wolf" would fall from his own lips.
I blinked, forcing down the bitter sting.
Selene Frostveil turned and settled onto his lap.
"I don't care—make her leave!"
"Having her here makes me miserable..."
Kael gripped her chin and kissed her hard.
The silk ties of her dress came undone, revealing soft curves beneath.
I turned my face away.
Warm amber light from the setting sun filtered through the latticed windows.
It made me lose myself for a moment.
Seventeen years ago, the sky had glowed just like this at dusk.
The old Alpha Patriarch had led me through the gates of the Alpha Court.
He had looked at me and said, "This pup—from now on, I'm trusting you to shape him."
第2章
"Use everything your father taught you at the Guard Den. Train him well, shape him into a worthy heir, and you will be honored above all in the Alpha Court."
That year, Kael Ironcrest was ten.
He tucked a cricket cage deeper into his sleeve, tilting his head to study me.
His eyes gleamed bright as twin moons.
Something in my heart—so tightly bound by the hatred of my slaughtered den—loosened just a little.
He reached out and took my hand first.
That grip lasted seventeen years.
I had grown used to making excuses for him.
He never spoke of the mating bond because pack duties kept him too busy.
His wandering with others was just immaturity, nothing more.
But day after day, year after year.
From a young wolf to a full-grown Alpha.
I refused to lie to myself any longer.
And I refused to keep swallowing my silence.
I stepped forward and dragged the woman off his body.
Two sharp slaps cracked across her face.
"What do you think you are?"
"You dare bring your scent-stealing into my presence?"
The woman shrieked and scrambled behind Kael.
"Alpha Heir, she struck me..."
I let out a cold laugh. "That was barely a tap."
I drew the leather whip from my belt.
Raised it high.
My gaze caught the character carved into the handle—Kael.
My grip tightened without meaning to.
This whip had been a gift from Kael five years ago, for my name-day.
He had hunted the beast himself, cured the hide, braided the core.
He had even wrapped the handle in soft fur.
So I wouldn't hurt myself when I disciplined him, he said.
The Kael of those days.
Even when my palm struck his face, he never flinched. He would just grin and ask if my hand hurt.
Not like now.
Before the whip could fall, his fingers closed around it.
"Lyra."
A smile still curved his lips, but his eyes had turned to frost.
"She's young. She doesn't know any better. Show her some mercy."
The whip pulled taut between us.
Like all the years we had shared.
Suddenly, I felt nothing but weariness.
I let go.
Kael tossed the whip aside and gathered the woman into his arms, murmuring soft comfort.
"Easy now. Don't be afraid."
"I'm here. No one will dare touch you."
I watched him pull a handkerchief from inside his coat and dab the tears from her cheeks.
Watched him drop it carelessly to the floor.
One corner of the cloth bore a crooked embroidered word—Lyra.
I recognized it. The same cloth he had pressed to his wound seventeen years into his age, after a raid against rogues left him bleeding.
Back then, weak and pale, he had clutched my wrist.
"The blood... it'll stain... your gift... I can't bear to ruin it..."
He had taken that handkerchief so carefully, tucked it beneath his pillow.
Guarded it like something precious.
But now, he had probably forgotten every word he ever spoke.
What he once treasured, he could cast aside without a second thought.
My chest felt hollow, as if wind blew straight through it.
"Kael Ironcrest."
I spoke quietly.
He ignored me.
I continued. "If you truly want her, bring her back to the den."
"I will step aside."
Kael finally lifted his gaze to meet mine.
"Lyra."
His voice dropped low and heavy.
"Stop this madness."
"It isn't madness. I mean every word." My tone stayed level. "Kael Ironcrest, I'm done waiting for a bond you'll never offer."
"I don't want feelings that have gone sour."
"Let's release each other."
His eyes turned cold as a winter hunt.
His voice carried a warning growl. "Lyra Nightveil. Know when to stop."
I held his stare. "From this day forward, I sever all ties with the Ironcrest Alpha Court."
"Without me in your way, you can play however you like. Claim whoever you want."
He stared at me, then suddenly laughed.
"You think this will frighten me?"
"Do you still believe I'm the pup you could bend to your will?"
第3章
I lowered my gaze.
Of course he wasn't the same anymore.
The young pup from before.
After making me angry, he would secretly tuck sweet dried meats into my storage chest.
Every year on his birth moon, he would wish aloud to grow strong enough to claim me as his mate.
And at his eighteenth coming-of-age ceremony, before a hall full of pack elders and allied wolves, he had kissed me—clumsy and reverent all at once.
…
I drew in a slow breath, forcing down the tight ache in my chest.
I didn't respond to Kael's words.
Instead, I turned to face Selene.
"Are you content to spend your life as a kept companion?"
"Once he tires of your scent, you'll have no choice but to crawl back to the Moonlit Den as a lounge dancer."
"The old patrons will fawn over fresher faces, and the new ones will sneer that you're past your prime. Do you really think the Den will still have a place for you then?"
Her face went pale.
Her nails dug into Kael's arm.
"Alpha Heir, I want… I want to stand beside you openly."
"Please?"
Her voice dripped soft as honey.
Kael swept her up into his arms.
"Ridiculous," he snapped.
As he strode toward the door, he tossed a glance over his shoulder. "If you want me to coax you, just say so."
"You're skilled enough with blades and silver-shot, but playing petty jealousy games like those omega companions of mine? You're nowhere close."
He still thought I was throwing a tantrum.
That I was competing for his attention like all those pretty omegas circling him.
I didn't know what to say.
I followed them.
All the way back to the Alpha Court.
Kael settled the woman in my chambers.
Her drooping expression lifted at once.
Kael pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. "Happy now?"
She threw herself into his embrace. "Alpha Heir, you won't let her leave—does that mean she's still in your heart?"
My footsteps halted.
I heard Kael's low laugh. "Lyra has been at my side for seventeen years. Of course she holds a place in my heart."
"But that doesn't conflict with wanting you."
Then came the wet sounds of their mouths meeting.
Selene pushed him away with a breathless pout. "Then why put me in her den? Aren't you afraid your precious one will run off in a rage?"
"Run? Where could she possibly go?"
Kael's smile deepened.
"Her entire bloodline was slaughtered. She still needs the Alpha Court's resources to track down whoever ordered the purge of her den."
A dull pain spread through my chest.
Even though I had long since stopped expecting anything from Kael.
Those words still cut.
Selene's voice turned coy. "Back when the Alpha Heir announced his courtship claim, it shook every territory. You swore it would be one bond, one life, one mate."
"Turns out you didn't love her that much after all."
She paused, then added:
"But she's still your intended mate in name. Are you really going to let her run around with your sworn rival?"
Kael let out a soft scoff.
"Sworn rival?"
"Fenris Viperbane?"
His tone was dismissive.
"That useless wolf—why should I care about him?"
"He can't perform during rut. Barely counts as a proper Alpha. You could strip the most sought-after omega from the Moonlit Den and throw them naked in his bed, and he still couldn't touch them."
Kael paused, then continued. "Besides, I know my woman."
"Deep down, she's old-fashioned to the bone. She believes in the ancient ways—one mate, one bond, sealed for life. She gave her body to me, and she'd sooner die than let another male claim her."
"Whatever she's doing with Fenris Viperbane, it's just a show to provoke me."
My fingers tightened slowly around the door frame.
So he knew.
He knew how traditional I was at my core.
That's why he dared to trample over me like this.
Because he was certain.
I would never escape his grasp in this lifetime.
Selene pressed further. "But what if she truly falls for him?"
"The Serpent Circle sent word this morning—they've purchased the thousand-acre moonflower fields along the Silver Ridge, and cleared out the finest woven silks from the Crimson Loom. All of it sent to her under Fenris Viperbane's name."
"No she-wolf could resist that, could she?"
"Fall for him?" Kael let out a contemptuous snort. "She's nothing like you. She doesn't care for the pretty things other females covet."
第4章
I looked down at my dark leather armor, covered in dust.
I couldn't help but ask myself, did I really not like it?
Did I dislike the moonstone jewelry, the velvet cloak, the magnificent gowns shimmering under the campfire?
I remembered the year Old Chieftain Alaric Ironspine died, all factions eyed the teenage Kyle Ironspine, wanting to seize the wolf pack's territory from him.
During an assassination attempt, I shielded him from a silver blade.
That day, I happened to be wearing a white formal gown.
Blood stained the white dress crimson.
Kyle Ironspine was terrified, suffering from a high fever for several nights, howling in nightmares.
From then on, my wardrobe was filled with dark armor and Executor's leather attire.
It's convenient for combat, and wounds don't show.
Later, the situation in the territory gradually stabilized.
I even considered dressing up.
I lingered in front of the Omega jewelry stalls at the market.
But the thought of the sweat and blood on the training field made me hesitate.
It wasn't that I disliked it.
It was that I couldn't like it.
Kyle Ironspine's voice drifted from inside.
Mixed with the rustling of fabric.
"Omega should act like Omega. Those who always try to be superior, to be a step above Alpha, are the most repulsive." Selena Frost chuckled softly.
At that moment, the three of us were strangely in sync.
No need to mention names.
We all knew that the one he was referring to as repulsive was me.
I took a step back.
A chill ran through me.
He probably forgot that when he had a wolfsbane fever attack in the middle of the night and couldn't find a healer.
It was I who carried him through a torrential downpour across ten miles of forest to seek medical help.
He was in danger in the den of a pack of wolves.
It was I who single-handedly stormed in and dug him out of the pile of corpses.
So many battles for territory, I'd been at the forefront, clearing the way for him.
In the end, all I got in return was a curt "Disgusting."
My hands trembled slightly.
Then I heard Kyle Ironspine say, "The Omega who knows how to attach themselves to Alpha is the smart one."
"She'll understand soon enough," Selena Frost asked him, asking why he was so sure.
Kyle Ironspine lowered his voice, a hint of smugness in his tone.
"There's a secret."
"I'll only tell you."
"Actually, I found the murderer who wiped out the Moonheart Clan five years ago."
"But if I don't tell her, she'll never know."
"She'll have to beg me—" I couldn't hear what he said after that.
My mind went blank, like something exploded.
My whole body trembled uncontrollably; I barely managed to steady myself by grabbing onto a stone pillar in the corridor.
Back then, when the Moonheart Clan was massacred.
If it weren't for Elder Alaric Ironspine saving me, I would have almost perished alongside those murderers.
Later, I arrived at the Ironspine Clan's main hall.
Kyle Ironspine consumed most of my energy, and also eased my pain.
But I never forgot the hatred for the annihilation of my clan.
He knew my inner turmoil.
When I woke from nightmares, he would hold me and comfort me: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"Your enemy is my enemy."
"I will find him and avenge you." I still remember it to this day.
His eyes were bloodshot when he said that.
His face was filled with both pity and resentment.
He spared no effort in tracking down the murderers.
Even to exchange for a clue,
he dealt with the Black Market Wolf Pack, the organization he hated most.
But every time he got a clue, it came to nothing.
I thought it was fate playing tricks on me.
But I never imagined that he was manipulating everything behind the scenes.
I staggered out of the main hall.
Only one thought occupied my mind.
I brought that man back myself and made him pay for the Moonheart Clan's life.
Using Phyllis Venomfang's power, I searched the entire territory.
But I never expected that Kyle Ironspine would imprison him in the dungeon of the Ironspine Clan's chieftain.
So close to me.
I rushed towards the dungeon.
A thousand ways of revenge I considered along the way.
But when I arrived...
第5章
The cell door stood open.
Selene Frostveil leaned against the frame, twirling the iron key between her fingers.
My heart plummeted.
Selene regarded me with a mocking smile. "The Nightveil girl finally arrives?"
"What a shame. Too late."
"The prisoner? I let him go."
"Looks like you'll never have your revenge now."
My voice turned cold as winter frost. "You dared release a captive held under Alpha Court authority. Do you understand what that means?"
The woman arched one delicate brow. "Consequences?"
"The Alpha Heir told me I could do whatever makes me happy."
She paused deliberately, pressing her hand to her lips in feigned surprise. "Oh! I nearly forgot. That captive left behind some information before he fled. What was it again?"
"Ah, yes. Something about the young master of Moonhart Guard and Escort."
My pupils contracted sharply.
I seized her wrist in an iron grip. "Speak clearly!"
She wore an expression of false pity. "The Nightveil boy everyone thought died? He's been alive all along. Chained in a flood-tunnel beneath the old disputed grounds for seventeen years." She clicked her tongue. "Seventeen whole years. Can you imagine what's left of him?"
A heavy blow struck my chest.
I stood frozen, unable to process her words.
Selene suddenly leaned closer, her scent cloying and sweet. "Want to know where he's being kept?"
"Then agree to one condition."
"Leave the Alpha Heir. Walk away and never return."
I nodded without hesitation. "Done."
Surprise flickered across her face.
She let out a scornful laugh. "The Alpha Heir thought he had you completely under his control. Turns out you're the coldest one of all."
I closed my hand around her throat. "Enough talk. Give me the location."
"Unless you'd rather not leave this den alive."
I tightened my grip.
Fear flashed through her eyes.
She told me everything.
I ran faster than I'd ever run before.
But I was still one step too late.
Inside the flood-tunnel.
The stench hit me like a wall.
A young man's body lay curled in the darkness.
He wore nothing but a tattered undershirt that barely covered him.
His spine had warped from years in that cramped space.
Every inch of his body, except his face, was so damaged I couldn't recognize what his skin once looked like.
Was this... Rowan?
My brother, Rowan Nightveil?
I covered my mouth, gagging.
An invisible hand crushed my heart. I couldn't breathe.
Rowan's mind had stayed at three years old because of the wolfsbane they'd fed him. But he'd always been such a good, gentle soul.
When Father left on escort missions, Rowan would sit quietly by the den entrance, playing with his little drum all day long.
He loved sweets more than anything, yet he'd always save the last honey cake for me, fighting his own cravings.
For seventeen years, I'd stayed by Kael Ironcrest's side. I'd raised him. Trained him. Devoted myself to him.
While my own brother rotted in chains beneath the earth, barely recognizable as anything living.
What had Rowan ever done wrong?
In his simple world, he didn't even understand what evil was.
Why did he have to suffer like this?
I broke completely. I screamed and wept.
If only I'd arrived a quarter-hour sooner.
If only Kael hadn't hidden the truth to keep me dependent on him.
Would Rowan still be alive?
Back at the Alpha Court.
Kael Ironcrest opened his eyes.
He caught Selene's guilty expression and felt a dark premonition settle in his gut.
"What happened?"
Selene forced a nervous smile. "I... I released the Nightveil girl's captive."
Kael's expression eased slightly. "Released? We'll track him down again. No need for dramatics."
Selene's voice trembled. "But... the Nightveil girl found out."
"She also learned... that someone from the Moonhart bloodline survived. She's gone to find him..."
Kael's face darkened instantly.
His jaw tightened.
Before he could speak, his Beta Guard-Captain's voice came from beyond the door.
"Alpha Heir. A body was discovered in the tunnels beneath Sweetbriar Lane..."
Kael waved his hand in irritation. "Report it to the territory patrol! Why bring this to me?"
The Beta Guard-Captain's words came out broken and unsteady. "The body..."
"The body... it's Lady Lyra's younger brother..."