Chapter 6 I'M NOT YOURS TO REJECT

I stumbled out of the bar, gripping the edge of the wall as the world spun. My veins were still on fire from whatever Lucian had triggered. That mark still pulsed like it had a heartbeat of its own.

I flagged down the first car I saw, stepping in front of it before it could drive past. The tires screeched. I didn't care.

The window rolled down. "Take me to the old quarry road," I muttered, barely looking inside. My head was pounding, my heart racing. I just wanted to get home before I tore something or someone apart.

When I heard no response, I turned toward the driver's seat.

And froze.

Ronan.

His icy stare hit me like a slap. My heart dropped into my stomach, then climbed its way back up as fury.

"What the hell are you-" I started, then flinched when he looked directly at me.

His jaw flexed. "What kind of mate can't even control herself?"

His voice was cold. Detached. Like I was nothing more than a broken tool left out in the rain.

Rage flooded me, swift and sharp. "You put this mark on me!" I snapped, jabbing a finger at the spot just beneath my collarbone, where the infernal glow still flickered like embers.

He didn't deny it. Of course he didn't.

"You don't get to claim me," I growled, the heat in my chest turning molten. "You rejected me, Ronan. Remember that? You left me to rot with your silence. You don't get to show up and throw stones now."

His lips curled, but there was no smile. Only disdain.

"Exactly. I rejected you," he said flatly. "Which makes it all the more pathetic that you still let others touch you. Intimately."

My breath caught.

"And don't bother denying it," he continued. "I can smell it on you. Every time. A rogue who can't even keep her legs closed doesn't deserve a mate like me."

The words hit harder than I expected. Sharp, merciless, and cruel. I stiffened, every muscle locking in place. For a heartbeat, I didn't speak. I didn't trust myself to.

But I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Instead, I slowly turned to face him, lifting my chin. "Thank you," I said, voice eerily calm. "If that's truly what you think of me, then I'm glad you rejected me."

His eyes narrowed, confused.

"I don't need an Alpha who sees me as nothing but a weakness," I continued, the pain in my chest coiled tight, caged. "I don't need your mark. I don't need your pity. And I sure as hell don't need you."

I reached for the car door handle, ready to fling it open and vanish into the night. The look on his face was almost worth it-the flicker of something beneath his mask. Shock. Maybe even regret.

If he thought his words would make me cry again, he was dead wrong.

I stepped out of the car without a word, the door clicking shut behind me. Ronan didn't stop me. He just drove off like I hadn't just bled in front of him. Like I was nothing.

The air was heavy as I made my way up the steps to my house. But the moment I reached the door, I froze.

Someone was already there-standing with his back to me, perfectly still.

But I'd recognize that presence anywhere. That domineering stillness. That aura of command I once cowered under as a child.

"Father," I said coldly.

He turned. The years hadn't changed him. Still tall. Still dressed like power came stitched into his skin.

"It's time for you to come home," he said.

I stared at him, stunned by the audacity. Then I let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"Home?" I echoed. "You mean the place you banished me from after Mom died? The one you filled with a new Luna before her body was even cold?"

His jaw tightened, but I wasn't done.

"Do you know what it's like to have loan sharks banging on your door at midnight?" I went on, my voice rising. "To work myself bloody just to stay one step ahead of ruin? You didn't call. You didn't send help. You left me in a mess and now you dare to stand here and give orders?"

"If you'd come when I first summoned you," he said calmly, "none of that would've happened."

My blood boiled.

"No. If you'd been a father, none of that would've happened."

We locked eyes.

"What if I say no?" I asked quietly. "What if I refuse to go back?"

He didn't flinch. "Then I'll destroy everything you've built. Piece by piece."

I sucked in a breath.

"You were born to be Luna," he added. "It's in your blood, Seliene. Whether you accept it or not."

"I'm not interested in being anyone's Luna," I said. "Not to you. Not to a pack."

I turned to walk past him.

Then his voice cut through

"Don't you want to make Ronan pay?"

I stopped.

"You think you've walked away," he said. "But the bond still haunts you. Doesn't it?"

I clenched my fists.

"He rejected you. Humiliated you. But power like yours... it could break him." He leaned in, whispering: "Imagine it. Him on his knees. Begging. Wouldn't that be sweeter than freedom?

"Become who you were meant to be," he said, softer now. "And you won't just survive him, you'll crush him."

I didn't turn around.

But I didn't walk away either.