Alpha’s Regret: My Rejected Mate Is A Healer novel Chapter 48

“Ella,” he began, his voice strained, but she silenced him with a finger to his lips.

“It’s okay, Valen,” she whispered, her eyes locking with his.

His resolve wavered. She was so close, her scent intoxicating, her lips so inviting. Every instinct in him screamed to close the distance, to claim her.

But Valen clenched his fists, forcing himself to step back. Not here. “We should go,” he said, his voice thick with restraint.

Ella nodded, her cheeks flushed. She didn’t trust herself to speak, not with the way her heart was racing and her body was reacting.

As they left the club, Ella couldn’t help but glance back. The experience had been thrilling, intoxicating, and a little overwhelming. But more than anything, it had brought her closer to Valen, and she couldn’t deny the bond growing between

them.

***

As they reached the towering gates of Valen’s manor, the sight waiting for them made Ella’s steps falter. A striking woman stood in the courtyard, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders, and her sharp features twisted in anger. Her piercing gaze was locked on Valen, but it shifted briefly to Ella, brimming with disdain.

“Morgana,” Valen muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening.

“Who’s that?” Ella whispered, her voice barely audible.

Valen didn’t respond, his hand gripping hers a little tighter as they approached. Morgana strode toward them, her movements fluid yet aggressive, her eyes flicking to their joined hands.

“So, it’s true,” Morgana said coldly, stopping a few steps away. Her voice was laced with venom. “The great Valen, feared leader of the vampires, is parading around town with a werewolf—a healer. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

Ella stiffened at the words, her eyes darting to Valen. What was she talking about?

“Morgana,” Valen said, his tone icy. “This isn’t the time or place.”

“Oh, it’s the perfect time,” Morgana snapped, folding her arms. “I leave the clan on a mission, and when I return, I find you breaking every rule we stand for. Bringing a werewolf here is bad enough, but protecting her? And gallivanting around town with her? Have you forgotten who you are? Who we are?”

Ella opened her mouth to speak, but Valen’s hand squeezed hers lightly, a silent command to stay quiet. “You think you can just parade her around, Valen? You think she’ll be safe here, with everything she is?” “You think you can just ignore the rules and keep her here?

“I owe you no explanation,” Valen said firmly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Morgana took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. “You owe me everything. The elders chose me to stand by your side, to be your queen. And yet, here you are, throwing it all away for someone who doesn’t even belong here.” She spat the last word, her gaze burning into Ella.

Ella’s heart sank as she processed Morgana’s words. “Queen?” she whispered, looking at Valen with wide eyes.

Ella shifted uncomfortably, the hostility rolling off Morgana like waves. She was expecting Valen to deny Morgana’s claims, but his silence only made her heart sink.

“Who is she to you, Valen?” Morgana demanded, her voice rising. “Why is she still alive when we all know how much you despise healers?

Ella’s confusion turned to shock. “Hates healers?”

“Enough, Morgana,” Valen said, his voice sharper now.

Morgana ignored him, her eyes burning with jealousy as she turned to Ella. “You don’t know anything, do you? He blames healers for Lydia’s death-his mate. Did he tell you that? Did he tell you he watched her die because your kind failed her?”

Ella’s mind spun. Valen had never mentioned any of this.

“Morgana, that’s enough,” Valen said sharply, stepping between her and Ella. “This conversation is over.”

“Oh, it’s far from over,” Morgana hissed, her fury unrelenting. She turned her attention to Ella, her expression twisted with jealousy. “Do you even know who he is, little girl? What he’s capable of? Or are you so blinded by his attention that you’ve forgotten your place? You’re nothing but a toy. A distraction.”

“Morgana.” Valen’s tone dropped dangerously low.

“Don’t ‘Morgana’ me!” she shot back. “She doesn’t belong here. You know it, I know it, and everyone else in the clan knows it. She’s just a werewolf. A healer to make it worse. And if you think for one second that someone like her could ever-“

“That’s enough!” Valen’s voice thundered, silencing her.

“Oh, have I?” she taunted, folding her arms. “You should be thanking me, Valen. I’m doing what no one else dares to do- telling you the truth.” Morgana smirked, folding her arms. “Someone had to. She doesn’t belong here, Valen. You know it as well as I do.”

“She belongs where I say she belongs,” Valen snapped. “And you will not speak to her like that again.”

Morgana raised an eyebrow, her smirk fading slightly. “What’s this, Valen? Defending her? Protecting her? Since when do you care about anyone other than yourself?”

“That’s none of your business,” he replied curtly.

“I’m only saying the truth, Valen,” Morgana said through gritted teeth.

“You don’t know the first thing about truth,” Valen growled.

“And you don’t know the first thing about loyalty,” Morgana shot back. “You think she’ll stand by you? That she’ll choose you over her kind? She’s a wolf, Valen. A healer. Come to your senses. She’ll betray you the moment it suits her.”

Valen’s jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists. “Leave. Now.”

Morgana tilted her head, her smirk fading. “You can’t just dismiss me, Valen. I was chosen for you. To rule beside you. To be your queen.”

“Your title means nothing to me,” Valen said coldly. “I didn’t choose you, Morgana. The elders did. And I have no obligation to honor their decisions.”

Her face twisted in fury, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You’ll regret this, Valen. Mark my words.”

Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed off into the night. Valen stood there, his hands clenched into fists, the weight of the confrontation pressing heavily on him, but his thoughts were elsewhere-on Ella.

His thoughts drifted to Ella, to the look of hurt and disappointment on her face as she walked away. For the first time in centuries, he felt something unfamiliar-guilt.

He turned toward the manor, his footsteps heavy. Ella deserved answers, but he wasn’t sure how to give them. All he knew was that he couldn’t afford to lose her-not now, not ever.