After My Mate Rejected Me, Another Alpha Saved Me

The smell of bleach stung my cracked hands as I scrubbed the pack house floors. Five years. One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days of waiting, and today was finally the day. My fingers were raw, bleeding slightly as I applied more pressure to a stubborn stain.

"Just like your father," Mother's voice sliced through the morning air. "A curse upon this family."

I didn't look up. "I'm almost finished, Mother."

"See that you are. Today is important. We must impress the Alpha when he arrives."

My heart fluttered at the thought. Ace Harris. The man who had saved me from being sold to rogues. The man I'd dreamed about every night for five years. The man who would finally see me.

"He'll want to see the entire pack," Mother continued, adjusting her hair in the hallway mirror. "Even you, unfortunately."

I bit my tongue and returned to scrubbing. My wolf, Luna, paced anxiously within me. *Soon*, I promised her. *Soon he'll be here.*

From upstairs came the sound of Cassidy's laughter, light and musical. My sister appeared at the top of the stairs, twirling in a new designer dress that hugged her curves.

"What do you think?" she asked, though her eyes weren't on me but on Mother.

"Beautiful, darling." Mother's voice transformed into something warm and loving. "You'll make a perfect Luna."

Cassidy descended the stairs, and as she passed me, I caught a whiff of something artificial—a sickly-sweet floral scent that seemed to coat my throat. She was using those elixirs again.

"Alpha Harris will be impressed," Mother said, straightening Cassidy's collar. "After all, he's been waiting for you too."

My stomach twisted. Waiting for Cassidy? No, that couldn't be right.

"He's my mate," I whispered, more to myself than to them.

Mother's laugh was sharp. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would an Alpha want someone like you?"

I turned away, focusing on the floor. Luna whimpered inside me. *He saved us*, she reminded me. *He'll want us.*

---

The pack gathered in the great hall as the sun reached its zenith. I stood at the back, my cleanest dress—still patched and faded—feeling like a servant's uniform among the others' finery.

"Remember your place," Mother hissed, pushing me behind her.

The massive doors swung open. The air seemed to thicken, heavy with power that made my knees weak. And then he entered.

Ace Harris.

Five years had only enhanced his features. Dark hair longer now, framing a face that could have been carved from stone. Eyes so black they seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. And his presence—it filled the room like a physical force.

My heart stopped. Luna leapt forward in my mind, desperate to reach him. *Mate*, she cried. *Our mate*.

For one breathtaking moment, his eyes met mine. Something flickered there—recognition? Pain? Before I could decipher it, his expression hardened into something cold and distant.

He walked past me as if I were invisible.

"Cassidy," he said, his voice deep and commanding.

My sister stepped forward, her smile radiant. Ace pulled her into his arms, one hand possessively cupping the back of her head.

"The time has come," he announced to the gathered pack. "I've chosen my Luna."

The room spun around me. Luna howled in anguish inside me.

"Cassidy Foster," he continued, "will be my mate and the future Luna of the Dark River Pack."

Applause erupted. Mother squeezed Cassidy's shoulders, tears of joy in her eyes. I stood frozen, unable to breathe.

---

I fled to my attic room, the smallest space in the pack house. Collapsing onto my thin mattress, I let the tears come. Luna paced frantically within me, confused and hurting.

*Something's wrong*, she insisted. *He felt us. I know he did.*

A sob tore from my throat. "He chose Cassidy."

I reached under my pillow for the small wolf figurine Ace had given me before his imprisonment—the only thing I had of his. My fingers found nothing but dust.

Frantic, I searched the floorboards. Had it fallen?

A loose board caught my attention. It didn't quite line up with the others. Curious, I pried it up.

Beneath it lay a stack of envelopes, yellowed with age. My name was scrawled across each one in a bold, masculine handwriting.

Ace's handwriting.

With trembling fingers, I tore open the top letter.

"I write this from my cell," it began. "By the time you read this, I will have served my sentence. But I cannot allow this farce to continue."

My heart pounded as I read further.

"The bond I felt that day was an illusion. Perhaps a moment of weakness, or simply the adrenaline of battle. Whatever the case, I must be clear."

The words blurred through my tears.

"I reject the bond. Do not wait for me."

The letter slipped from my fingers as the truth crashed down upon me. Mother and Cassidy had known. They had hidden these letters, letting me wait in vain while Cassidy stole what was never meant to be hers.

Luna howled in betrayal as darkness closed in around us both.