After My Mate Rejected Me, Another Alpha Saved Me

The storm hit without warning. Dark clouds gathered over the Silver Moon territory, transforming the afternoon into twilight. Rain lashed against the windows of the pack house as thunder cracked overhead.

"Perfect timing," Ace muttered, his eyes fixed on me with cold determination.

I stood in the foyer, still wearing my thin dress from earlier. No coat, no shoes—part of my punishment.

"Come," he commanded, not bothering to explain.

He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh as he dragged me outside. The rain immediately soaked through my clothes, but the cold was nothing compared to the ice in his eyes.

"Where are we going?" I asked, stumbling after him.

He didn't answer. Instead, he pulled me toward the edge of the territory where the land gave way to jagged cliffs overlooking the river below.

Luna whimpered inside me. *Danger*, she warned. *He means to hurt us.*

"No," I whispered, pulling back as understanding dawned. "Ace, please—"

"Silence!" he roared, his Alpha Tone hitting me like a physical blow.

We reached the cliff edge where the wind howled around us, carrying sheets of rain that stung like needles against my skin.

"You will stay here," he said, his voice barely audible above the storm. "You will not shift. You will not seek shelter."

Lightning flashed, illuminating his face—hard and unyielding as the rocks beneath us.

"Until you submit to Cassidy in your heart," he continued, "you will remain here."

"Ace," I pleaded, "I'll die out here."

Something flickered in his eyes—doubt, perhaps, or regret—but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Perhaps that would be best," he said coldly. "One less problem for me to deal with."

He turned and walked away, leaving me alone on the cliff edge as the storm intensified.

---

Hours passed. The rain turned to hail, then back to rain again. My body shook uncontrollably, my teeth chattering so hard I thought they might break.

Luna's presence grew weaker within me. *Florence*, she whispered, her voice fainter than I'd ever heard it. *We're dying.*

"I know," I murmured, hugging myself against the cold.

The mate bond stretched thin between Ace and me, fraying with each shiver that wracked my body. I could feel it—like a thread pulled to its breaking point.

"He's not coming back," I realized aloud.

The truth settled over me like a shroud. Ace had left me here to die. One less Omega to complicate his plans. One less reminder of what he'd rejected.

My legs gave way beneath me as hypothermia set in. The ground was slick with mud and rain, soaking through my dress as I collapsed.

*Fight*, Luna urged weakly. *We must fight.*

But there was nothing to fight for anymore. No mate waiting for me. No family that loved me. Just the howling wind and the endless rain.

I closed my eyes, letting the cold take me.

---

Miles away, in a glittering ballroom, Milo Lewis suddenly clutched his chest.

"Alpha?" His Beta, Elena, stepped closer. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Milo said, his face pale. "Something... someone is calling to me."

He moved to the window, staring out at the storm. "It's coming from Silver Moon territory."

"The Omega," Elena said quietly. "The one we met."

Milo nodded, already moving toward the door. "Gather the extraction team. Now."

---

"Her pulse is fading," Elena whispered as they found me on the cliff edge.

Milo knelt beside me, his warm hands cradling my face. "Florence," he called gently. "Stay with me."

I felt myself being lifted, wrapped in something warm and dry. A coat. Milo's coat.

"Get the cloaking spell ready," he ordered Elena. "We need to mask her scent completely."

Elena worked quickly, her fingers tracing symbols over my body as she chanted in an ancient language.

"The SUV is waiting at the border," another voice said—Marcus, Milo's Beta.

They carried me down the muddy path, away from the cliff edge where Ace had abandoned me.

---

I woke briefly as we crossed the territory border. Through half-lidded eyes, I saw Milo's face above me, concern etched in his features.

"Take me away," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

His eyes met mine, warm and determined. "I am," he promised. "You're safe now."

As the SUV sped toward Paris, toward Milo's territory, I felt something shift inside me—Luna stirring weakly, but with new purpose.

We were leaving Silver Moon behind. We were leaving Ace behind.

But as consciousness slipped away again, one thought remained clear: this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.