Rejected After He Killed Our Pup

The click of the heavy deadbolt unlocking at dawn felt like a gunshot. I hadn't slept. I had spent the entire night curled on the edge of the mattress, suffocating in the lingering, artificial scent of jasmine and peaches that clung to my husband’s pillows.

When I finally pushed myself off the bed, a violent wave of nausea hit me. The room spun. I gripped the edge of the nightstand, swallowing down the bitter bile rising in my throat. *It’s the bond,* I told myself, pressing a hand to my aching chest. *The bond is rotting, and it's poisoning me.*

I needed fresh air. I needed tea to settle my violently churning stomach.

I made my way down to the pack kitchen. It was bustling with Omegas preparing breakfast and Delta warriors grabbing coffee before morning patrols. The familiar scent of sizzling bacon usually brought me comfort, but today, it only made my stomach roll further.

Then, the chatter died.

I stopped in the doorway. Standing by the espresso machine, laughing softly with a few oblivious warriors, was Leilany. But it wasn't her cloying scent that made my blood run cold.

It was her dress.

She was wearing my pale blue chiffon dress. The exact one I had worn to my first Moon Festival as Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack. It was tailored to my body, pulling awkwardly tight across her chest, but the message was deafeningly clear.

Maeve, my inner wolf, let out a low, dangerous snarl. *Mine,* she snapped, pacing furiously.

I walked toward her. The kitchen fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

"Take it off," I said, my voice eerily calm but carrying the undeniable weight of a Luna.

Leilany turned, her doe eyes widening in manufactured innocence. "Oh, Luna! Good morning. I... Alpha River told me I could borrow something from the storage boxes since my clothes got ruined in the archives yesterday."

"I don't care what River said," I replied, stepping closer. "That is my Moon Festival dress. Take it off. Now."

Leilany’s bottom lip began to tremble. Her eyes darted toward the hallway, sensing approaching footsteps. She reached behind her, her fingers wrapping around a freshly poured mug of scalding black coffee.

For a fraction of a second, as she looked me dead in the eye, a wicked, triumphant smirk flashed across her face.

Then, she threw herself backward.

The mug flipped. Boiling coffee splashed directly over her own forearm. Leilany let out a blood-curdling, hysterical scream that shattered the quiet kitchen. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing wildly and clutching her reddened skin.

Before I could even blink, the heavy kitchen doors slammed open.

River rushed in, his golden Alpha eyes sweeping the room before locking onto the sobbing Omega. Panic and blind fury radiated from him.

"Serena pushed me!" Leilany wailed, burying her face in her knees. "I just wanted a cup of coffee! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

River didn't look at me. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't care.

The air in the room vanished.

The crushing, suffocating weight of his Alpha aura exploded outward. It slammed into my shoulders like a freight train. My knees buckled instantly, hitting the cold tile floor with a sickening crack. Gasps echoed around the kitchen as warriors and cooks watched their Luna get forced to the ground like a common, trespassing rogue.

"River," I choked out, fighting the agonizing pressure pressing my chest into the floor. "She did it to herself."

"Enough!" River roared, his Alpha tone vibrating through the floorboards and rattling my teeth. Maeve whimpered in my mind, forced onto her belly by her mate's command.

River dropped to one knee, gently scooping Leilany into his massive arms. She immediately buried her face in his neck, her sickeningly sweet scent mixing intimately with his rain and pine.

"You attack a defenseless Omega over a piece of fabric?" River snarled down at me, his eyes devoid of any love we once shared. "You burn her? You are out of control, Serena. You are stripped of your Luna duties effective immediately. You are restricted to the East Wing. You will not set foot on main pack grounds until you learn to control your petty jealousy."

From the crowd, Beta Marcus stepped forward, his jaw tight. "Alpha, with respect, I was standing right here. The Luna didn't touch her. The Omega tripped—"

"Stand down, Marcus!" River barked, his fangs flashing. "My word is final. Anyone who defies it will answer to me."

Without another glance in my direction, River carried Leilany out of the kitchen, rushing her toward the infirmary.

The heavy pressure of his aura lifted, but I couldn't move. I stayed on the floor, the cold tile pressing into my trembling palms. The pack members slowly scattered, casting me looks of pity and uncomfortable hesitation. They were divided, but no one dared challenge the Alpha.

Inside my mind, Maeve didn't howl. She simply curled into a tight, shivering ball, her spiritual presence withering, fading into a terrifying silence. The isolation was breaking her.

Another violent wave of nausea hit me, so intense the room tilted. I clamped a hand over my mouth, my body trembling violently. I thought it was just the agony of a betrayed mate bond poisoning my blood. I had no idea my failing body was desperately trying to protect the tiny, fragile life growing inside me.