Rejected by My Alpha Mate: Amanda's Revenge

The autumn breeze carried the scent of roasted venison across the forest clearing, making my stomach growl painfully. I shifted on the rough mossy log where I sat, trying to ignore the gnawing hunger as I picked at the cold scraps on my wooden plate—leftovers from yesterday's hunt that had been deemed unworthy of the main feast.

Around me, the Silverpine Pack celebrated in full swing. Warriors laughed boisterously, families shared platters of steaming food, and pups chased each other through the fallen leaves. No one spared a glance at the lone figure on the outskirts of their joy. After eight years, they'd grown accustomed to my place in the shadows.

'Look at this spread, Marcus! You've outdone yourself.'

Amanda's voice sliced through my mind like a blade, her words broadcasting through the pack mind-link. I flinched, nearly dropping my plate as vivid images flooded my consciousness—a private table laden with succulent meats, fresh fruits, and wine in crystal glasses. The Alpha's quarters transformed into a romantic haven with candles and flower petals.

'Only the best for you, my dear.' Marcus's deep voice resonated with affection that had once been directed at me.

I closed my eyes, trying to block the images, but the mind-link made it impossible. Every wolf in the pack could see Amanda lounging in what should have been my place, wearing a dress I recognized as one I'd mentioned wanting months ago.

'Taste this,' she purred, and through her eyes, I watched as she fed a morsel of meat to my mate—my Marcus—who accepted it with a tender kiss to her fingertips.

My wolf, Grace, whimpered inside me. 'Why does he hurt us like this?' she asked, her voice small and wounded.

I had no answer. Eight years of questions with no answers.

The images continued, a deliberate torture as Amanda made sure to showcase every detail of her private feast. I set my plate aside, appetite completely gone, and wrapped my arms around myself. The thin fabric of my worn omega uniform provided little protection against the autumn chill.

When the mind-link finally shifted to the post-feast announcements, I exhaled in relief. Marcus's voice filled our collective consciousness, strong and commanding as he addressed pack business.

'And finally,' he concluded, 'I'm pleased to announce that Amanda will be leading next week's alliance negotiations with the Northern Packs. Her diplomatic skills will serve Silverpine well.'

My head snapped up. The Northern Pack negotiations? That was supposed to be my assignment—the one Marcus had promised me after I'd given him my healing blood. The rare gift that had saved his life when the rogues had left him bleeding out at our borders.

'I believe there's been a mistake, Alpha,' I said through the mind-link, keeping my tone respectful despite the betrayal burning in my chest. 'The Northern Pack negotiations were assigned to me after the blood ritual.'

The silence that followed was deafening. I could feel hundreds of pack members holding their breath, waiting.

Marcus's Alpha tone crashed through the link like thunder. 'YOU DARE QUESTION MY DECISION?'

The force of his command slammed into me physically. My knees buckled, and I fell forward onto the dirt, my body trembling uncontrollably as his power crushed down on me.

'I—I apologize, Alpha,' I gasped, the words forced from my throat by his command.

'Not to me,' he growled. 'To Amanda. Apologize to your superior.'

Superior. The word cut deeper than any claw.

'I apologize, Amanda,' I whispered, shame burning my cheeks as I remained prostrate on the ground.

Amanda's smug satisfaction radiated through the link. 'Apology accepted, little omega. Know your place.'

The mind-link closed abruptly, leaving me alone with my humiliation as pack members averted their eyes, conversations resuming around me as if nothing had happened. As if the Alpha hadn't just publicly crushed his mate beneath his boot.

I remained there, dirt clinging to my palms, until most had dispersed. As I finally gathered the strength to stand, I caught fragments of conversation from two Gamma warriors passing nearby.

'—can't believe he's letting Amanda lead the Northern negotiations.'

'After what Rebecca sacrificed for him? Cold, man.'

'Yeah, but what can you expect? He's been grooming Amanda as his real Luna for years. Everyone knows it except—'

They noticed me then, falling silent with guilty expressions before hurrying away.

Later, in the cramped darkness of my omega quarters beneath the pack house, I stared at my reflection in the cracked mirror I'd salvaged from the trash. My once-vibrant hair hung limp around hollow cheeks. My eyes, which my mother had once called 'fierce as a Luna's should be,' now looked dull and defeated.

'Look at what we've become,' Grace whimpered inside me. 'Our Luna aura... it's almost gone.'

I touched the glass, tracing the outline of the woman I barely recognized. Eight years of loving Marcus, of believing his promises that someday he would mark me properly as his Luna. Eight years of accepting omega duties because he claimed it was 'temporary' and 'for the good of the pack.' Eight years of watching my true self slowly suffocate.

'He's never going to mark us, is he?' Grace asked, her voice breaking.

As I stared at my reflection, something shifted in my eyes—a flicker of the fire I'd once possessed.

'No,' I whispered. 'He's not.'