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Home / Werewolf / Rejected by My Mate, Claimed by the Brooding Alpha CEO / Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

All Chapters of Rejected by My Mate, Claimed by the Brooding Alpha CEO: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

34 Chapters

11

*Sage’s POV*I woke up at 6 AM to someone pounding on my door.For a moment, I forgot where I was-still in my studio apartment, boxes half-packed around me, my phone alarm blaring.The pounding continued,“Miss Draven? It’s Marcus Stone, Kael sent me with the movers.”I stumbled to the door in my pajamas-an oversized t-shirt and shorts-and opened it to find Marcus standing there with three burly men in uniforms.“It’s six in the morning,” I said.“Kael wants you moved in before you go to the office.” Marcus’s smile was apologetic. “He’s very… thorough.”“He’s very bossy.”“That too.” Marcus gestured to the movers.“They’ll back everything. You just need to tell them what goes and what stays.”An hour later, my entire life was loaded into a moving truck. It was depressing how little there was -a few boxes of clothes, some books, kitchen supplies I’d collected from thrift stores.Everything fit in one truck with room to spare.Marcus drove me to the penthouse in his car.“So. You’re rea

12

*Sage’s POV*Tuesday morning, I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and something sweet baking.I stumbled out of my bedroom at 6:30 AM to find Kael in the kitchen, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, pulling muffins out of the oven.“Did you stress-bake again?” I asked.He jumped slightly, turning to face me. His hair was messy, unstyled. He looked younger. More approachable.“Couldn’t sleep. The Meridian deal is still complicated.” He gestured to the cooling rack.“Blueberry. Help yourself.”I took one. It was still warm, perfectly moist.“These are really good.”“My mother’s recipe.” He poured himself coffee-probably exactly 180 degrees. “There’s ginger tea for you. And I stocked the fridge with those crackers you keep on your desk.”I stared at him. “You noticed what crackers I eat?”“I notice everything.” He returned to the counter, starting another batch. “It’s seven AM. Why are you awake?”“Morning sickness doesn’t care about sleep schedules.”“Is it bad today?”“Not terrible.

13

*Sage’s POV*I woke up Friday morning with my stomach in knots that had nothing to do with morning sickness.Today was the day. The pack announcement.Where Kael would introduce me as his mate to everyone who mattered in the werewolf community.No pressure.I found Kael in the kitchen again, but this time he wasn’t baking. He was on his phone, pacing, speaking rapid French. He was already dressed- dark suit, crisp white shirt, tie perfectly knotted.He looked like the ruthless CEO everyone knew. Not the man who stress-baked muffins at dawn.He ended his call when he saw me. “Morning.How are you feeling?”“Terrified.”“Good. That means you understand the situation.” He poured me ginger tea. “The announcement is at noon. My office. Key pack members and business associates will attend.”“How many people?”“Forty, maybe fifty.”My stomach dropped. “Fifty people?”“It’s actually a small gathering. Usually these announcements are done at formal pack meetings with a hundred or more.” He ha

14

*Sage’s POV*I didn’t sleep after Kael left my room. I just lay there staring at the ceiling, his words playing on repeat.‘I want to stop pretending this is just a contract.’What did that mean? That he wanted this to be real? That he had actual feelings for me? Or was he just being practical-we lived together, we were having a baby, why not make it genuine?My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number *Congratulations on the baby. Funny how you went from nobody to Alpha’s mate so quickly. Must be nice, trapping a billionaire. -M* Mara. Of course.I blocked the number without responding. Another text, different number: *Saw the announcement. You always were good at landing on your feet. Or should I say, on your back? -N*Nash.I blocked that one too.Then another: *The pack is talking. They don’t believe the timeline. They think you seduced him. That the baby’s a trap. Just thought you should know. -Unknown*I threw my phone across the room.There was a knock on my door. “ Sage?

15

*Sage’sPOV*I tried to distract myself after Kael left.Unpacked some of the shopping bags, organized my new maternity clothes in the massive closet, rearranged books on the shelf.But his words kept circling through my mind.“I want this to be real.”Did I want that too? The fake mating had felt safe-boundaries, expectations, an exit clause.Real meant feelings. Vulnerability. The possibility of getting hurt.I’d already been hurt once. Nash had shattered me in front of everyone.Could I risk that again?My new phone-the one Kael had given me that morning with a private number-buzzed. A text from Margaret: *How was shopping?**Overwhelming. Kael bought out half the city.**That’s Kael. When he commits, he commits fully. How are you feeling about everything?*I stared at that question. How was I feeling?*Confused. He said he wants this to be real.**And what do you want?*That was the question, wasn’t it?*I don’t know yet.**That’s okay. You have time to figure it out. But Sage?

16

I woke up in my own bed, alone, with sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of coffee drifting from the kitchen.For a moment, I panicked. Had last night been a dream? The kiss, the declaration that we wanted this to be real?Then I saw the note on my nightstand, written in Kael’s sharp handwriting: ‘Didn’t want to wake you. Breakfast in the kitchen. We have lunch with my grandmother at 1 PM. Don’t panic. -K’Don’t panic. Easy for him to say.I found him in the kitchen, dressed casually in jeans and a sweater, reading something on his tablet while scrambled eggs sat warming in a pan.“Morning,” he said, looking up. His expression was softer than usual. “How’d you sleep?”“Fine. You?”“Barely.” He set down the tablet. “I kept thinking about Jade and what she might try next.”“Did you come up with a plan?”“Several.” He plated eggs and toast. “But first, we eat. Then we deal with my grandmother. Then we tackle Jade Sterling.”I sat at the kitchen island, and he slid a pla

17

*Sage’S POV*That evening, after we’d reviewed and approved David’s press release, after we’d ordered takeout and eaten on the couch while watching some mindless TV show, Kael turned to me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.“I should let you get some rest,” he said, but he didn’t move.“I’m not tired.”“You’re pregnant. You need sleep.”“Stop using the baby as an excuse.” I shifted to face him fully. “What’s really going on?”He was quiet for a long moment, his thumb tracing patterns on my knee-a gesture that had become familiar over the past week. “I’m trying to be respectful. To give you space.”“I don’t want space.”His eyes flashed gold. “Sage-”“We said this was real now. That means no more pretending, no more walls.” I moved closer. “So tell me what you’re really thinking.”“I’m thinking that you’re sitting here in my living room, wearing my shirt-” I looked down. I’d changed into an oversized shirt I’d found in his closet, soft and worn. “-and all I can think about is th

18

Chapter 18*Sage’S POV*I woke up wrapped around Kael like a koala, my head on his chest, one leg thrown over his hip.Morning light filtered through the blinds, painting stripes across the dark sheets.He was already awake, one hand drawing lazy circles on my back, the other scrolling through his phone.“What time is it?” I mumbled against his chest.“Seven. The press release went out at six.” He set his phone down and kissed the top of“Good morning.”“How bad is it?” my head.“The response? Mixed. Some support, some skepticism, and a lot of gossip.” He shifted so we were face to face. “But nothing we can’t handle.”I groaned. “I don’t want to handle it. I want to stay in this bed forever.”“Tempting. But we both have responsibilities.”His hand moved to my stomach. “How are you feeling? Any morning sickness?”“Not yet. Give it an hour.”“Then we have an hour.” He pulled me closer, kissing me thoroughly. “What do you want to do with it?”“This is good.” I kissed him back. “This is v

19

*Sage’S POV*We returned to the office after lunch to find Marcus waiting with a grim expression.“We have a problem,” he said. “Actually, several problems.”Kael’s jaw tightened. “Conference room. Now.”Five minutes later, we were seated in Conference Room B-the medium-sized one- with Marcus, Margaret, and David Chen.“Problem one,” Marcus said, pulling up something on his tablet. “The articles aren’t random gossip.They’re coordinated. Same talking points across multiple platforms, all posted within a two-hour window this morning.”“Someone’s running a campaign against Sage,” David added. “Professional level. This isn’t just pack gossip-this is strategic character assassination.”“Jade Sterling,” I said.“Most likely. But we can’t prove it yet.” Marcus swiped to another screen. “Problem two: I called three contacts in the Crescent Bay pack. Two refused to talk to me. The third confirmed that yes, someone did pay Carol Morrison to take you in when you were sixteen.”My stomach clench

20

Sage’s POVI sat frozen on the edge of the bed, phone still pressed to my ear.“Miss Cole? Are you still there?”“I’m here.” My voice sounded distant, like it was coming from someone else. “If there’s no accident report, then where are my parents?”“That’s what we’re trying to determine. The trail goes cold after your placement in foster care at age two.” Detective Martinez’s voice was gentle but professional. “Your foster care file lists your parents as deceased, but there’s no supporting documentation. No death certificates, no obituaries, no insurance claims.”“So someone lied.”“It appears that way. The question is why.”Papers rustled again. “I’m forwarding everything I found to your attorney. But Miss Cole? If your parents are alive, someone went to great lengths to make you disappear from their lives. You should be careful.”After she hung up, I just sat there, staring at nothing.My parents might be alive.Twenty-two years. Twenty-two years of thinkingI was an orphan. Of be

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