Rejected After He Killed Our Pup

I smoothed my trembling hands over the dark mahogany of River’s desk. As Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack, organizing my Alpha's chaotic workspace used to be a quiet act of devotion. Now, it was a minefield.

My fingers brushed against the heavy leather of his favorite jacket, draped carelessly over the back of his chair. The moment the fabric shifted, a sickeningly sweet scent hit my nose. It was an artificial, cloying mix of crushed jasmine and overly ripe peaches. Leilany.

My inner wolf, Maeve, let out a gut-wrenching howl that rattled my skull. *Mate,* she whimpered, pacing frantically against the walls of my mind. *He smells of the Omega. Again.*

I closed my eyes, a single tear escaping to track down my cheek. I had kept a tally in my head, a masochistic little counter of every time my fated mate had come home reeking of his new pack assistant. Today marked the ninety-ninth time. Ninety-nine times I had endured the blatant disrespect to our mate bond. Ninety-nine times I had swallowed my pride while that manipulative Omega paraded her scent all over my husband.

The heavy oak door swung open, shattering the heavy silence of the office. River stepped inside, his tall, muscular frame instantly dominating the space. His sharp jaw was set, his dark eyes scanning the room before landing on me. He didn't look guilty. He didn't look like the childhood sweetheart who had once vowed to the Moon Goddess that he would never make me cry. He just looked annoyed.

I dropped the leather jacket to the floor. The silver wedding band on my finger suddenly felt like a shackle of lead.

"What is wrong with you now, Serena?" River sighed, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. "I have a border patrol in ten minutes."

"I can't do this anymore, River," I whispered, my voice trembling with a mixture of profound sorrow and bubbling rage. I stepped around the desk, the mating mark on my neck pulsing with a frantic, warning heat.

I drew in a sharp breath, the words tasting like ash and blood on my tongue. The pain of what I was about to do felt like tearing my own soul in half, but I refused to be a Luna in name only. "I, Serena, Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack, reject you, Alpha River, as my fated—"

*"Silence!"*

The air was violently sucked out of the room. River's eyes flashed a dangerous, glowing gold. His Alpha ego flared, unleashing a suffocating, heavy aura that slammed into me like a physical blow. My knees buckled instantly, hitting the hardwood floor with a painful thud. Inside my mind, Maeve yelped in agony, forced onto her belly by the sheer, crushing weight of her Alpha's command.

River’s Alpha tone vibrated through the floorboards, commanding and absolute. It wrapped around my throat like an invisible hand, physically choking off the final word of the rejection ritual. I gasped for air, clutching my chest as the sacred bond fought against the unnatural suppression.

"Are you entirely out of your mind?" River snarled, crossing the room in two massive strides. He hauled me to my feet by my upper arms, his grip bruising and entirely devoid of warmth. "A rejection? Over a jacket?"

"It's the ninety-ninth time!" I choked out, fighting the heavy pressure of his aura. "You are my mate! But you constantly reek of her!"

"Leilany is a harmless Omega, Serena!" he roared back, his golden eyes blazing with self-righteous fury. "She is my assistant. She tripped in the archives today, and I caught her. That is it! You are throwing an irrational, jealous tantrum over a weak subordinate who needs our protection!"

Before I could argue, before I could scream that Leilany’s 'accidents' only ever happened when he was around, River’s grip shifted. He locked his large hand around my wrist and pulled.

"River, let go of me!" I pleaded, stumbling as he dragged me out of the office.

He didn't listen. He pulled me down the main hallway of the packhouse. Delta warriors and Omega servants rushed to press their backs against the walls, averting their eyes and bowing their heads as River's furious aura washed over them. The humiliation burned hotter than the brand on my neck. He was parading his broken, jealous Luna for the entire pack to see.

He shoved open the heavy door to our shared quarters and practically threw me inside. I stumbled, catching myself on the edge of our marital bed.

"You will stay in here and cool off," River commanded coldly, standing in the doorway like a warden rather than a husband. "Leilany's presence is a necessary pack duty. She needs guidance, not the cruelty of a jealous Luna. You will accept her, Serena. I will not have my pack thrown into chaos because of your baseless insecurities."

"River—"

The door slammed shut, cutting off my plea. The heavy lock clicked into place from the outside.

I collapsed onto the mattress, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. I buried my face in the pillows, desperate for the familiar, comforting scent of my mate's pine and rain. Instead, my stomach churned. The pillows, the sheets, the very air in the room... it was all tainted. The sickeningly sweet scent of the Omega permeated my home, suffocating my senses.

I reached up, my trembling fingers tracing the raised scar of the mating mark on my neck. River had used his power to silence my rejection today. He had forced my wolf into submission. But as I sat trapped in a bedroom that smelled of another woman, I realized the truth. The words hadn't been finished, but the bond was already dead.