Alpha's Rejected Gem

The first touch of sunlight was a stark contrast to the dark, unfamiliar room Alyssa found herself in. She stretched, a luxurious languor she rarely felt on her own meager bed, before her eyes snapped open.

This wasn't her room. Dread, cold and sharp, pierced through her. Beside her, a figure stirred, and she stifled a gasp, a hand clamping over her mouth. Axel. The Alpha.

Memories, hazy and disorienting, began to surface: the eighteenth birthday party, the accidental collision, his intoxicated declaration of 'mate.' Lust, a dangerous, fleeting impulse, had taken hold, leading her here, to this bed, with him.

"Oh no," she whispered, the realization dawning, a mix of fear and a fragile, forbidden hope. Was this normal for mates? Before she could reconcile the chaotic thoughts, Axel groaned, rubbing his head, oblivious to her presence.

She took a moment, her gaze tracing the strong lines of his body, the sculpted features of his face. He was perfection. But her admiration was abruptly shattered as his head snapped towards her, his eyes blazing.

"Alyssa? What the fuck are you doing in my bed and my room?!" His voice, laced with fury, ripped through the fragile silence, and she flinched, pulling the covers tighter around her bare chest. The dream was over. The nightmare had just begun.