Chapter 2 of After My Alpha Rejected Me, The Lycan Prince Protected Me

Greyson showed up at my temporary den at seven in the morning.

I knew it was him before he knocked. His aura pressed against the door like a hand—heavy, furious, barely contained. I was sitting at the kitchen table with coffee and the lunar trust documents spread in front of me, cataloguing what I'd won.

The knock came. Three sharp raps.

I didn't move.

Another knock. Harder this time. "Eleanor."

I took a sip of coffee. Set the cup down. Walked to the door and opened it.

Greyson stood on the threshold with Lylah half a step behind him. He looked like he hadn't slept. His jaw was tight, his eyes bloodshot, and he reeked of rage and something else—something raw that his wolf was leaking through his skin.

"We need to talk," he said.

"No," I said. "We don't."

I started to close the door. His hand shot out and caught it.

"My mother told me," he said through his teeth. "About the contract. About the payment."

I looked at him. "Congratulations. You're caught up."

"Did you ever—" He stopped. His claws pressed into the doorframe. "Did you feel anything? Even once?"

Behind him, Lylah shifted. Her scent—vanilla, cloying—wafted forward. She looked uncomfortable. Good.

"I felt a lot of things," I said evenly. "Relief, mostly."

Greyson's wolf snarled behind his eyes. His aura spiked—trying to press me back, force submission, make me flinch.

I didn't.

And then a voice came from inside the den, behind me. Warm. Lazy. Amused.

"She's resting. Her wolf had a long night."

I turned.

Jensen Kael stood in the hallway, shirtless, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His hair was slightly mussed. My scent—faint, barely there, but unmistakable—clung to his skin like he'd been wearing it.

I stared at him.

He smiled at me. Then looked past me at Greyson.

Greyson's claws extended fully. His entire body went rigid. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Visiting," Jensen said pleasantly. He pushed off the wall and walked toward the door with the unhurried confidence of someone who had never been threatened in his life. "You're early, Miller. Most Alphas wait until a decent hour before showing up uninvited."

He stopped beside me. Close enough that his shoulder brushed mine. His aura rolled outward—not aggressive, just present. Ancient. Absolute.

Greyson's wolf whimpered.

I felt it before I saw it—the way Greyson's body locked up, the way his claws retracted involuntarily, the way his knees wanted to bend. Jensen wasn't even using his Alpha tone. He was just standing there.

Lylah took a step back. Her eyes were wide. She was staring at Jensen like she'd just realized exactly who he was.

"You need to leave," Greyson said. His voice shook.

"No," Jensen said mildly. "I don't think I do."

Greyson's aura flared again—desperate, furious. It hit Jensen's and shattered like glass against stone.

Jensen didn't move. Didn't blink.

And Greyson, shaking with rage, could not take a single step forward.

I looked at Jensen. "What are you doing?"

"Answering the door," he said. "You looked busy."

"I wasn't busy."

"You were drinking coffee. That's busy."

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Turned back to Greyson.

He was staring at Jensen with something close to hatred. But underneath it—buried under the fury and the humiliation—I saw something else. Fear.

Lylah cleared her throat. "Greyson, maybe we should—"

"Shut up," Greyson snapped.

She flinched. Her hand dropped from his arm.

I felt a flicker of something that might have been pity. Might have been satisfaction. Hard to tell.

Jensen glanced at Lylah. "You're Lylah Sanchez."

She straightened. "Yes. We met—"

"At the café," Jensen said. "I remember. You ordered the salmon."

Her face went pale.

I looked between them. "What café?"

Jensen's smile didn't waver. "A scent-match appointment. Arranged by the Lycan Court. I terminated it before dessert."

Lylah's mouth opened. No sound came out.

Greyson turned to look at her. Slowly. "You had a scent-match with him?"

"It was years ago," Lylah said quickly. "It didn't mean anything. He rejected it."

"Dissolved it," Jensen corrected. "There's a difference."

Greyson's jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind. He looked at me. Then at Jensen. Then back at me.

"This is what you want?" he said. His voice was raw. "Him?"

I met his eyes. "I want you to leave."

"Eleanor—"

"You rejected me in front of two hundred witnesses," I said. "You got what you wanted. I got what I wanted. We're done."

"I didn't know—"

"You didn't ask."

The words landed clean. Final.

Greyson stared at me. His wolf was right there under his skin, clawing to get out, but Jensen's aura held him pinned to the doorframe like an invisible hand around his throat.

"Leave," Jensen said quietly. His Alpha tone hummed in the walls. "Now."

Greyson's body obeyed before his brain caught up. He stepped back. Once. Twice. Lylah grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the stairs.

He looked at me one more time. "This isn't over."

"Yes," I said. "It is."

Jensen closed the door.

Silence.

I turned to look at him. He was still shirtless. Still wearing my scent like a second skin.

"Where are your clothes?" I said.

"In the guest room."

"Why?"

"You have a guest room. I used it."

I stared at him. "When did you get here?"

"Around three. You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you."

"So you just... let yourself in?"

"Your door was unlocked."

"That's not an invitation."

"It's not a deterrent either."

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Walked back to the kitchen table and sat down.

Jensen followed. Pulled out the chair across from me and sat. He looked at the lunar trust documents spread across the table.

"Ironveil's eastern hunting rights," he said. "Impressive."

"It's mine."

"I know."

I picked up my coffee. It was cold. I drank it anyway.

Jensen leaned back in his chair. "You applied to three neutral packs."

I set the cup down. "How do you know that?"

"I intercepted them."

I stared at him. "You what?"

"Intercepted. Blocked. Prevented from processing." He said it like he was explaining the weather. "You're not joining a neutral pack."

"That's not your decision."

"It is, actually." He tilted his head. "You've been appointed my personal liaison to the Lycan Court. Effective immediately. Indefinite term."

I laughed. It came out sharp. "No."

"Yes."

"I handled Greyson for an entire year," I said. "I don't need your protection."

"You handled a Greyson who didn't know the truth," Jensen said. His voice was calm. Reasonable. Infuriating. "This Greyson is different. He knows you played him. He knows you walked away richer. And he knows his wolf is still pulling toward you even though the bond is gone."

I opened my mouth. Closed it.

Because he was right.

And I hated that he was right.

Jensen watched me. "You're the only wolf who stayed standing under my aura last night."

"So?"

"So that's not normal."

I looked at him. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Jensen said slowly, "that you suppressed more than your scent."

My wolf stirred. Faint. Uneasy.

I stood. "I need you to leave."

Jensen didn't move. "No."

"This is my den."