Rejected by My Alpha Mate; Nyra's Awakening

"They worked on me for hours because I refused to talk," Dorian says. "My father is the one who told them. I don’t know how he found out, but he did."

Adrian’s grip loosens when he sees all the marks on his body.

Dorian meets his eyes. "Listen. I came here because I heard something that might help. One of them mentioned a city in human territory--Reshford. That’s where they were taking her."

His gaze grows even more serious. "We can track her from there. But we need to leave now!!"

---

That night, Alpha Darius calls for an urgent meeting to discuss Caius’ betrayal, Dorian’s revelation about the human hunters, and to ask for their support in rescuing the future Luna.

But unfortunately, the council chamber is colder than usual.

Adrian stands at the center of the long table, still pale from the lingering effects of the poison, while Dorian remains by the end of the hall, refusing to fully join the meeting.

Darius occupies the head seat, his expression unreadable as always. But his eyes are sad and tired.

In front of them sit the remaining council members--most of them older Alphas who have grown comfortable with power. Most of them were people Darius helped when he became Alpha, assisting them with funding for their businesses all those years ago.

But this time, no one supports him.

The men are reluctant when he finishes telling them everything that’s happened, but the cherry on the cake is Mr. Aster. He is a well-known friend of Caius and is suspected to have been working with him behind the scenes on numerous occasions.

The only reason he hasn’t been removed yet is because many of the other council members tend to listen to him.

"We will not authorize further resources," Aster says in a cold, completely guiltless voice. "No extra guards. No vehicles. No funding. This pack has already suffered enough because of your mate, Alpha Heir. From the Moonbond up until today, trouble has followed her. Hunters. Poison. Betrayal. Now you want us to empty our stores for a girl who may already be dead?"

Murmurs of agreement ripple around the table.

Adrian’s hands curl into fists at his sides. "Don’t you dare talk about my mate like that!" he growls in anger. Aiden is slowly waking up, and though he’s not as strong as usual, he still almost takes control and rips the man apart.

Darius stops Adrian with a raised hand, rising slowly. No one can dare speak when the Alpha is in such a foul mood.

"You dare betray your Alpha like this?" he hisses. "You sit in seats I allowed you to keep. You speak with tongues I have not yet cut out. Don’t forget I am the reason most of you are where you are today!"

The men murmur quietly, but still, none of them offer their support.

Darius scoffs, but he’s not completely shocked. "Fine then," he says in a dark voice Adrian hasn’t heard from him before. "But rest assured that once the dust settles--and it will settle--I will see to it that this council is thoroughly cleaned. Every last one of you who valued comfort over loyalty will answer for it."

No one dares speak after that.

Darius and Adrian leave the hall, shaking in anger. Dorian follows quietly behind them.

"Don’t worry." Darius says. "Your mother and I will find the rescue journey ourselves. Go and bring your mate back."

---

They leave the next morning, just as Adrian feels the first energy burst of Aiden beneath his skin.

He shifts a few times just to be sure, and after the Oracle completely clears them, they start packing up to leave for Rashford.

They pack clothes for a week, sleeping bags, cash, then load everything into Adrian’s car.

"Go well, my son." Darius says. "And don’t stop trying for the mate bond. It might open when you don’t realize it."

"Yes, sir."

Luna Selene sobs quietly by the entrance. She’s been like this since Nyra disappeared.

And now, her only child is going into enemy territory too. But she doesn’t dare try to stop him. She knows nothing can change his mind.

After that, they speed off away from the Blackwood mansion and toward Rashford.

Adrian drives. Dorian rides in the passenger seat, still sitting stiffly because of the wounds across his back. The road toward Rashford stretches long and empty, human territory growing closer with every mile.

The silence between them is filled with tension, but the anger they once felt toward each other has completely reduced to a manageable hum.

For a few hours, everything runs smoothly. But then, halfway through the day, Adrian’s engine begins to make a strange sound.

"That hasn’t happened before..." Adrian frowns, glancing at the dashboard. The steering goes stiff under his hands too, and something in his gut tells him something is very wrong with the car.

"Dorian," he says in an authoritative voice, stopping the car by the side of the road. "We need to get out. Now."

"But our supplies." Dorian argues as he steps out. "Just give me a second, let me just at least take the water--"

Before his hand can fully open the back door, Adrian lunges and grabs Dorian by the collar, hauling him entirely out of the car.

They hit the gravel hard before rolling down a small hill, earning them a few scratches. "Dude!" Dorian scowls. "What the fuck--"

BOOM.

The vehicle detonates behind them, completely turning into a ball of metal and fire.

If they’d stayed in that car even a few minutes longer...

"Fuck!" Dorian runs a hand through his messy hair, heart beating hard, staring at the burning wreckage with wide eyes. For several seconds, he doesn’t move. Then a shaky, almost disbelieving smile touches his split lips.

"You... you saved me," he says. "I would’ve been inside that. Thank you. Seriously. I--"

"Don’t make this weird." Adrian rolls his eyes, pushing himself up. Gravel and dirt stick to his clothes. He looks at the destroyed car, at the supplies now reduced to nothing but ash and ruin. "Unfortunately, that’s all the food and reserves we had."

Dorian sits up, wincing. The wounds on his back have refused to heal properly for some reason. The Oracle suspected the weapons used on him were laced with dark magic.

"At least, we’re werewolves. We can still survive a few days without any of those things."

Adrian shoots him a dark look, absolutely not helping.

"Unfortunately," Adrian adds again, ignoring his comment. "This also means they know we’re coming. Either someone from the council is feeding them information, or they’re actively watching the roads. Either way, we need to start moving. Now."

There is no time to argue.

They strip out of the clothes the gravel tore, shifting in sync. Instantly, two large wolves--one completely black, one brown and grey--stand in their place.

And without another word, they break into a run, eating up the miles on their powerful wolf legs.

They do not realize how close they already are to human settlements until they start to see human-like trees, pavements, and the scent of people.

"I think we should stop here--" Adrian starts, but before he can finish, screams of terrified women interrupt them.

A group of five female petty traders had seen them and begun to scream.

Immediately, the village turns into utter chaos. One of the women starts throwing stones at them, and within minutes, a group of armed men--probably local vigilantes--appear with guns and silver knives.

They start shooting at the two huge, confused wolves, hitting Adrian square in the shoulder. But Aiden is too determined. They keep pushing forward, weaving between houses, trying to lose their pursuers without harming anyone.

Then suddenly, the side door of a small, two-bedroom house flies open.

"In here! Now!"

A young woman stands in the doorway, eyes wide, but she doesn’t look scared of them at all.

Adrian and Dorian, though skeptical, don’t have a choice. They quickly jump into the house while the girl slams the door shut, bolting it and yanking heavy curtains across the windows.

Outside, shouting continues. Men yelling for them to come back, calling them evil wolves.

Inside, the three of them stand in tense silence.

The girl turns on them. She looks irritated. "Are you both dumb? How could you speed into a human village in your wolf forms?"

Adrian and Dorian, breathing hard, exchange confused looks. Who the heck is this girl, and why is she scolding two huge wolves without fear?

"Aren’t you scared of us?" Dorian asks.

She stares at them like the question is absurd. "No... why would I be?" Then, as if suddenly realizing, "Oh, about that..."

She closes her eyes, and when they open again, they’re unmistakably wolf-blue. An Omega.

She folds her arms and looks between their shocked faces, still completely unimpressed.

"But that’s not the point," she glares at them, "The point is...what on earth are the both of you doing here?"