Alpha's Rejected becomes the Lycan's Obsession

Chapter 162: You don’t have to like me

Williams didn’t need to ask how Jorell had pulled off what he just claimed. No part of him questioned it, not even for a second. His mind was already racing, not with uncertainty, but with clarity, the kind that came only when the pieces finally aligned, even if what they revealed was ugly. Among all the alphas in the werewolf community, he alone—Williams—was the only one who didn’t have a witch backing him up. He had never needed one. Witch blood already pulsed through his veins, weaving its ancient power through every fiber of his being. That gave him an edge.

Jorell and Casper were a different story. So were the others. They weren’t like Williams. They leaned on witches. Strong, cunning ones. Some bound by blood, others by dark bargains. And now, hearing Jorell boast about what he had accomplished, Williams knew, without a shadow of doubt, that whatever Jorell had managed, he didn’t do it alone. He had the help of a witch.

Williams’ jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he leveled a hard stare at Jorell. His voice, when it came, was low but laced with a warning.

"You better leave before he returns," he said, voice calm but sharp as broken glass. "Because if you don’t... then I promise you, I will not interfere. And I will not try to save you again."

He didn’t need any more information. He had already pieced together the rest. Everything clicked. There was nothing more Jorell could say that would make a difference.

"Save me?" Jorell echoed, his voice dripping in disbelief. Then came a scoff, short and derisive. "Don’t flatter yourself, Williams," he said, lifting his chin. "The only reason you were able to beat me is because this was not a fair fight. I’ve been fighting your men long before you got here. So you only beat me because I feel a little exhausted, that’s all."

His pride had bubbled up to the surface, thick and raw and desperate not to look bruised. It oozed through his voice, staining his words with a bravado that didn’t quite cover the truth underneath.

Williams rolled his eyes in response, slow and uninterested, as though the theatrics bored him more than they irritated him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night," he replied flatly, not bothering to argue.

He turned away then, his body moving with that silent, coiled control that came from years of not needing to prove himself. He was already making his way toward the main Palace when Jorell’s voice rang out again behind him, louder this time.

"You needed proof, Williams, that I wasn’t lying," Jorell called out. "I believe this is proof enough. When you’re ready to talk, you know where to find me."

He didn’t wait for a reply. He didn’t even glance back. Without another word, he turned around and walked away from the palace, his movements stiff with bruised ego. He climbed into his car unceremoniously, the door slamming shut with a finality that echoed against the palace walls. A second later, the tires screeched against the stone as he sped off, driving away at full speed, as if distance could restore what pride he had left.

Williams stood there for a moment, watching the car disappear past the gates. His expression flattened. The anger didn’t show on his face, but it coiled deep beneath his skin like a smoldering flame. The wind stirred the hem of his coat as he finally turned around again, only to find Daniel standing a few feet behind him.

"You should have just killed him, Alpha," Daniel said, his voice low but edged with frustration. "You had every opportunity to."

Williams turned his full gaze on him. He didn’t respond immediately. He just stared at Daniel for a few seconds, long enough for discomfort to settle in the silence. Then, finally, he spoke.

Truly, he could have easily killed Jorell if he wanted to. But that was not the right decision at that time.

"Killing him would start an interpack war. And that is the last thing we need right now."

Without waiting for Daniel to respond, Williams stepped past him and walked into the palace, leaving the warrior behind to stew in silence. The heavy doors closed behind him with a soft thud that felt like the end of something unspoken.

*** noveldrama

Back at Luminera, the air was different. Vanessa walked ahead, her steps crisp but measured as she led Dera and Dexter down the long corridor toward the executive quarters. Her posture was poised as always, her chin slightly lifted, but internally her mind was spiraling.

One word kept ringing in her head, like a cursed chime, taunting and relentless.

Luna.

It echoed over and over, not just as a title, but as a dagger, cutting through the fabric of everything she had imagined for herself. That title... that place at Williams’s side... was supposed to be hers.

Not because she was obsessed with power.

Not because she longed to lead.

But because she had fallen, heartbreakingly and hopelessly, for Williams. She had poured everything into him. Every carefully guarded secret glance, every moment of calculated support, every whisper of hope she allowed herself to feel in silence, it had all been for him. To be the woman he’d one day call his.

And now... all of that... was crumbling before her eyes. Shattered without mercy.

"Here we are," she announced as they arrived at the executive quarters, her voice calm, not betraying the storm beneath it.

She opened the door slowly, holding it open and simply extending her hand, silently gesturing for them to go in.

Dera made Dexter go in first. Then she paused at the threshold. Her feet stayed rooted outside the door, but her eyes... her eyes locked onto Vanessa with an intensity that made the air between them thick and suffocating.

Vanessa felt it instantly. Something about the way Dera was staring at her... as if she was trying to bore a hole through her skin and see what lay underneath.

"Is something wrong, Luna?" Vanessa asked, forcing her tone to remain smooth even as something crawled uneasily down her spine.

There was no fear in Dera’s eyes. Only something sharper—awareness. That unsettling kind of knowing that made Vanessa feel exposed. The boldness with which Dera was looking at her was unexplainable, especially since Dera was human, a fragile, weaker creature, and yet she held Vanessa in that gaze as though she were the threat.

"Vanessa, right?" Dera asked.

Vanessa nodded immediately. "That’s correct," she replied, every muscle in her face tight with composure.

"Have we met before?" Dera asked again, the question casual but her tone laced with something that felt deliberate.

Vanessa shook her head. "I doubt that, Luna. I don’t think I have ever crossed paths with you," she said with calm precision.

"Are you sure?" Dera pushed, still holding that maddening gaze. "Because it feels like we have met somewhere in the past. And I offended you at that time."

Vanessa forced a smile, shaking her head lightly, even though the hairs on the back of her neck had started to rise. "I am very sure we have never met before. And neither have you offended me anytime in the past," she answered, her voice smooth like silk pulled tight over wire.

Dera let out a soft sigh, but her eyes never looked away.

"If that is the case," she said slowly, "then why does my arrival and presence rattle you so much?"

Vanessa’s heart skipped a beat.

Just one.

But it was enough.

Enough to remind her that she had been careless.

Still, she didn’t let it show on her face.

"I don’t know why you think that way," Vanessa said with a practiced voice. "But you are mistaken. Your presence doesn’t rattle me at all."

It was a lie.

A clean one. Delivered with elegance.

But Dera saw through it anyway.

A small smirk curved Dera’s lips. Subtle, and knowing. She didn’t mock her with it. She just... confirmed her own suspicions.

"You don’t have to lie to me, Vanessa," Dera said softly, and yet every word landed like a weight. "And neither do you have to like me. But next time, try to mask your distaste better, especially when you’re in the midst of people who are very good at reading energy."

With that, she walked through the door into the living area without another word. She took in the space with one quick glance, her expression unreadable. Then she turned back to Vanessa again, her tone polite.

"Thank you very much for bringing us here. I don’t want to keep you more than necessary. You can get back to what you were doing."

Vanessa gave a short bow, robotic in its grace, before turning and shutting the door behind her.

She walked away stiffly, her strides too sharp, too fast. Her teeth were grinding against each other now, her jaw clenched so tight it hurt. The rage simmering beneath her skin wasn’t just because of Dera’s words. It was because she had been seen, peeled open with no effort.