Rejected by My Fated Alpha

My hands were at my sides, unconsciously clenched into fists, as I quietly watched Camryn Hoffman walk toward me. Julien Morrison, the Alpha of our New York pack, had already dropped his playful demeanor from moments ago. Now, he cautiously positioned himself between Camryn and me, his broad shoulders and towering frame a clear barrier.

"Camryn, it's freezing out here. Why did you come outside?" he asked gently, his deep voice laced with concern. His piercing green eyes were fixed on her, completely ignoring the fact that I, his mate—or at least, the one he had chosen to stand beside him—was standing right there.

"I'm fine; it's not cold at all," Camryn replied softly, her voice like a delicate whisper. Julien immediately countered with a firm tone, his Alpha authority slipping through, "How can you say that? Look, your nose is all red."

Without hesitation, Julien removed the thick wool scarf from around his neck—the one I had gifted him last winter—and wrapped it around Camryn's slender frame. His large hands fussed over her, adjusting the scarf until only her big, bright eyes were visible. She gazed at me, her voice sweet yet tinged with something I couldn’t quite place. "Please excuse me, Layla. I'm just delicate, and Alpha Julien always worries too much."

I tightened my fists, my nails digging painfully into my palms. We had been standing on this icy street in January for nearly ten minutes, yet Julien hadn’t noticed my shivering or the hoarseness in my voice. Camryn merely had a slightly red nose from the cold, and he had given her his only scarf. It was blatantly clear who mattered more to him.

"Layla, don’t get the wrong idea. Camryn, she..." Julien finally noticed my silence and tried to explain, his tone softening slightly as if he realized he needed to address me.

But I didn’t want his excuses. I interrupted him directly, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "Alpha Julien, didn’t you tell me you'd be working late at the pack’s headquarters today? You're not in the same pack as Camryn, and this isn’t your territory. Do you have anything you'd like to explain?"

Camryn’s eyes instantly teared up at my words, her lower lip trembling. "Layla, please don’t think too much. It's my fault. I'll leave right now." She covered her face with her hands and turned, running down the nearby alley.

Julien’s brow furrowed deeply, his Alpha aura flaring with irritation. He was anxious to chase after Camryn, but before leaving, he didn’t forget to reprimand me, his voice sharp and commanding, "Layla Ramos, your dramatics are really unattractive!"

I couldn’t help but scoff under my breath. Sure, maybe I shouldn’t be dramatic. After all, with Camryn around, even my name "Layla" had turned into "Layla Ramos" in his vocabulary. The difference in closeness was painfully obvious. What more did I have to fight for?

It was the early hours of the morning by the time I got back to our house. Julien sent me a text message, his words brief and to the point: *Camryn developed a fever. I’ll be back later.* I scoffed as I deleted the text, my wolf stirring in the back of my mind, a low growl of disapproval echoing in my thoughts.

I grabbed a trash bag and began packing away all the things I’d bought for the house—every single item. Once I finished, it hit me. After a year together, everything in our home had been purchased by me. He never once gave me a gift. Meanwhile, Camryn’s social media was full of posts about the small trinkets and tokens Alpha Julien had gifted her.

I sat on the sofa, taking in the emptiness of the house around me. Suddenly, it seemed like it wouldn’t take me a week to move on. My wolf, usually so vocal in moments like this, was eerily silent, as if even she knew it was time to let go.

But, since we did share something meaningful once, I still wanted to properly say goodbye to Julien. Not as his mate, but as the person who had once believed in us. I owed myself that much.

My phone buzzed again, but I ignored it. Whoever it was—whether Julien or someone else—could wait. For now, I needed to figure out how to leave with my dignity intact. After all, I was Layla Ramos, daughter of the Alpha of the London pack. I wouldn’t let this break me.