Rejected by My Alpha Mate

Marcus summoned me to his office at nine the next morning.

I walked there slowly, my body still aching from the fall. Shadow pressed against my leg with every step, whining softly. I stopped at the office door and knelt, burying my face in his fur one more time.

"Stay here," I whispered. "I'll be back soon."

He licked my hand. I stood and pushed the door open.

Marcus sat behind his desk like a king on a throne. Eleanor stood to his right, hands folded, her expression carved from ice. Aspen leaned against the wall, examining her nails. And beside the desk—a thin man in a gray suit holding a leather briefcase. The pack's lawyer.

No one offered me a chair.

"Luna." Marcus didn't look up from the papers in front of him. "Good. You're here. Let's make this quick."

The lawyer opened his briefcase and pulled out a thick document. He slid it across the desk toward me.

"The rejection settlement," the lawyer said. His voice was flat. Professional. "Everything is outlined clearly. I suggest you read it carefully before signing."

I picked up the document. The pages were heavy. Expensive paper.

I read.

No claim to pack territory. No claim to the Alpha suite or any property within the packhouse. No financial settlement from pack assets accumulated during the mating period. No acknowledgment of contributions made to pack welfare or growth. No standing within the Ironcliff Pack hierarchy upon departure.

Forty-eight hours to vacate pack lands.

It was designed to strip me bare. Send me out with nothing. Less than nothing.

Marcus leaned back in his chair, watching me. A smirk played at the corner of his mouth. He expected tears. Begging. Maybe desperate negotiation.

I read every clause. Every word. Twice.

Then I picked up the pen.

Eleanor made a small sound—satisfaction, maybe. Aspen's lips curved into a smile.

I signed my name at the bottom. Clean. Precise.

The smirk on Marcus's face faltered. Just for a second. He'd expected resistance. Drama. Something.

Not this calm acceptance.

"That's it?" he said.

I set the pen down. "That's it."

"You're not going to fight?" Aspen sounded almost disappointed.

"No." I met her eyes. "I'm not."

Marcus recovered quickly. He pulled the document toward him, scanning my signature. "Good. You have forty-eight hours. I want you gone by Friday morning."

"Understood." I turned toward the door.

"Luna." Eleanor's voice stopped me. "I'm glad you're finally showing some sense. This is best for everyone."

I didn't answer. Just walked out and closed the door behind me.

Shadow was waiting in the hallway. He jumped up, tail wagging. I knelt and let him lick my face.

For the first time in three years, I smiled.

A real smile.

---

Juliette found Shadow the next afternoon.

I was in the omega quarters packing my few belongings when I heard her voice echoing through the packhouse. High. Delighted.

"Oh, what a gorgeous dog!"

My hands stilled over the box.

"Is this yours?" Juliette's voice again. Closer now. "Well, not anymore, I suppose. Everything that was Luna's belongs to me now. Isn't that right, sweetie?"

I moved to the doorway.

Shadow stood in the corridor, hackles raised, growling low in his throat. Juliette had a leash in her hand—one of those expensive leather ones from the pet boutique in town.

"Come here, boy," she cooed, reaching for his collar.

Shadow snapped at her hand. She jerked back with a yelp.

"You little—" She grabbed his collar anyway, forcing the leash through the loop. Shadow fought, twisting and snarling, but she held tight.

"There." Juliette straightened, triumph written across her face. "Much better. You're going to be my dog now. A nice trophy to remember the pathetic Luna by."

She started walking, dragging Shadow behind her. He dug his claws into the floor, resisting every step.

I watched from the doorway. Watched Juliette parade him down the hall like a prize. Watched her announce to every wolf she passed: "Look what I claimed! Everything Luna had is mine now!"

Something inside me—the last thread of mercy, the final reserve of tolerance I'd maintained for three years—snapped.

It didn't break loudly. There was no dramatic moment. Just a quiet, cold certainty settling into my bones.

I turned back into the omega quarters. Closed the door. Sat on the narrow bed.

Then I reached for the mind-link.

It opened easier this time. The connection to Archer was stronger now. Awake.

I didn't whisper. Didn't plead.

My voice was steady. A command.

*Send enforcers to the Ironcliff border before dawn. Retrieve Shadow.*

Across the distance, I felt Archer's immediate response. No questions. No hesitation.

*Consider it done,* he said. Then, softer: *Are you safe?*

*For now.*

*Not for long,* he promised. *I'm coming, Luna. Hold on just a little longer.*

The link hummed with his presence. Solid. Unshakable.

I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Forty-eight hours, Marcus had said.

He had no idea how much could change in forty-eight hours.