Rejected by My Alpha Mate

I chuckled in disbelief. Visiting Alphas from ten packs, including the Black Fang, Moonlight Howl, and Desert Shadow, would be far too much for Reina Jimenez with her subpar negotiation skills. Yet, she was eager to seize this chance to impress the high-ranking Alphas and their Betas, and she pleaded with Alpha Kobe to let her take the lead.

I had already warned Alpha Kobe that Reina couldn’t handle this task, but he, ever indulgent, assigned it to her without hesitation. Now, with the visit fast approaching and Reina utterly unprepared, she expected me to fix her mess! No wonder she suddenly took a leave of absence; she must have realized she was in over her head.

"Luna Alice, did you hear me? Get to the packhouse right away," demanded Delta River Gutierrez, a young warrior who had become bold enough to order me around because Alpha Kobe treated me like his personal assistant in the pack. I replied with a cold laugh and a firm tone, "You’re aware I’m on a pack run too, right? I can’t make it back, and I won’t be taking on this negotiation task. Alpha Kobe can figure it out himself."

I hung up before River could say another word. Seriously, Alpha Kobe runs off with his troublesome Beta to relax in the forest, leaving me to cover for them—it’s downright insulting!

With gritted teeth, I continued my run through the dense woods. To my surprise, five minutes later, I heard a mind link from the pack’s Gamma: "Luna Alice, Alpha Kobe urgently needs to reach you. Please return to the packhouse immediately."

I rolled my eyes; Alpha Kobe was relentless. The mind link repeated until I had no choice but to head back to the packhouse. Picking up the pack’s communication crystal, Alpha Kobe’s furious voice blasted through, threatening to shatter my eardrums: "Luna Alice, have I been too lenient with you?"

"You’ve certainly given me too much grief, letting your Beta walk all over me!" I retorted, finally fed up.

There was a pause, his voice filled with restrained anger. "Luna Alice, what nonsense are you spouting? Such crude language—have you forgotten the respect owed to your Alpha? After all this time as my Luna, is this what you’ve become? I promised to spend time with you next time, and you’re still causing a scene!"

"As for Beta Reina’s Alpha delegation, you’d better start preparing now; if it falls apart, we’re done!"

Clenching my fists, I shot back, "Then let’s be done! I’ve wanted this for a long time!"

But before I could finish, I heard Reina’s voice in the background calling him to dinner, "Alpha Kobe, your parents are asking you to eat."

Alpha Kobe’s voice turned gentle, "I’m just wrapping up a few things, I’ll be right there." Then he shifted back to a cold tone with me, "What did you just say? I didn’t catch that."

I laughed bitterly, "Alpha Kobe, listen carefully. I said you’ve found yourself a new Luna, haven’t you? Better go quickly before she gives you a hard time."

He snapped back, "It’s just me who would notice something like that. Warriors like Beta Reina get bullied in smaller packs, and as her Alpha, I’m obliged to support her. You can’t expect everyone to be as cold-hearted as you, can you?"

"Luna Alice, get back to the packhouse and join the team handling the Alphas’ delegation right now, or don’t blame me if your standing in the pack gets ruined!"

With a few more curses, he ended the link. Sitting in the cramped packhouse, listening to the silence, a heavy loneliness settled in my chest. I had been so wrong; I should have rejected the mate bond long ago when Alpha Kobe first became indifferent and began to ignore my feelings.

I had lost the mood for running and was about to retreat to my quarters. Just then, my mind buzzed relentlessly, messages from everyone demanding I return to the packhouse. They needed my help urgently, yet not a single request was polite.

Two days later, I held the scroll of mate bond dissolution in my hand, and I couldn’t care less about Alpha Kobe’s pack’s mess. I severed the mind links with those opportunistic pack members and opened the pack’s records to submit my resignation. But before I could, I saw a notice of demotion from the pack, accompanied by a document accusing me of inadequate leadership skills and a lack of loyalty.