Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By Alpha King

FIONA'S POV

“What?” I asked, not sure if I had heard it right. “W-what did you say, Amber? What do you mean?”

I had always dreamed about this —the day I’d meet my mate, the day everything would fall in place for me. But I had never thought about this, never envisioned that my sister would take him from me. No. Nothing could have prepared me for this.

Tonight was meant to be for me. Mine.

“I said, let me introduce you to my boyfriend," Amber repeated, her eyes boring into mine.

I turned, my heart sinking, as Amber linked her arm through Garrick's with the sort of ease that spoke of familiarity. Intimacy. Garrick didn’t pull away. His strong, broad frame leaned into hers, their bodies perfectly aligned as if they belonged together.

Boyfriend?

The word echoed in my mind, twisting like a thorn in my chest. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move.

Amber’s lips curved into a smug smile as she noticed my shock. "Oh, Fiona, didn’t you know?" she said, her voice dripping with false pity. "I guess no one bothered to tell you. Garrick and I have been together for months now."

My stomach twisted painfully. I couldn’t breathe. "That’s not true…" I whispered, my voice barely audible, as if saying it out loud would make it real. "Garrick is… Garrick is my mate."

The room fell silent, the music a dull sound in the background as all eyes turned to us. Amber’s expression hardened instantly, her sweet demeanor vanishing. She glared at me, a sharp, venomous look in her eyes.

"Your mate?" she scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "Please. Who would want you, Fiona?"

Before I could even process her words, my father stepped forward, his expression cold and unreadable. He didn’t defend me. He didn’t even look at me with the faintest hint of compassion. Instead, he sneered,"Do you really think anyone would choose you over Amber?" His voice was low but biting, carrying across the room. "You’ve always been a disappointment, Fiona. Weak. Pathetic. Amber is the future of our family. You… you’re nothing."

I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. I looked at Garrick, my last hope. His face was unreadable, but he didn’t deny anything. He didn’t step forward to defend me, didn’t pull away from Amber. His silence was louder than any words.

"Amber," Garrick’s deep voice finally broke through the tension. He turned to her, his hand moving to cup her cheek. "You have nothing to worry about. Fiona means nothing to me."

His words were like a physical blow. My knees almost buckled under the weight of them.

My heart shattered, splintering into pieces so small I could never gather them again. "You can’t mean that, Alpha Garrick…" My voice broke as I stared at him, searching his face for any sign that this was some cruel joke. "We’re mates."

He looked at me then, his gaze cold and indifferent. "I reject you, Fiona," he said, his voice firm and unyielding. "As my mate, I reject you. You’re nothing to me. Amber is the only one I’ve ever wanted."

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. The rejection slammed into me like a wave, suffocating me in pain and humiliation. It seemed my heart shattered completely at that moment.

I managed to shove the pain aside and said, ”I accept your rejection. I accept the sever of bonds between us. We no longer belong to each other.”

Saying that, I turned and fled. I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t stand here and let them watch me fall apart. Without another word, I turned and ran, bolting through the door and out into the woods. The cold night air bit at my skin, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

I didn’t stop running until the hall was nothing but a distant memory behind me. I found myself at the old cottage that I had discovered a long time ago — it was a sanctuary I’d retreated to so many times before, my safe haven. Here, among the trees and the quiet, I could breathe again.

Inside, the familiar wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I collapsed onto the worn couch, my chest heaving from both pain and exertion.

Suddenly, a tear rolled down my eye and I could no longer stop them. They came in waves, drowning me in sorrow and betrayal.

How could they do this to me? How could he?

Amber’s mocking voice, my father’s cruel words, and Garrick’s rejection played on repeat in my head, each one cutting deeper than the last.

Eventually, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell into a restless sleep, haunted by the faces of those who had betrayed me.

I didn’t know how long I slept, but I woke up to a strange smell in the air. Smoke.

The crackling sound of flames reached my ears, and panic surged through me as I realized the cottage was on fire. Thick smoke filled the room, making it hard to see, hard to breathe. I tried to move, but my body felt sluggish, weak.

The champagne… Amber’s smile as she handed me the glass. Of course. She had planned this. She hadn’t just taken Garrick from me—she wanted me dead. She had drugged the drink.

I stumbled toward the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Locked. From the outside.

Panic clawed at me as the flames grew closer, licking at the walls, devouring the only place I had ever felt safe. I screamed, but the smoke choked my voice, my body too weak to fight.

Was this how it was going to end? Alone, betrayed, and burning?

Just as the darkness threatened to consume me, I heard the door burst open with a loud crash. A figure stood silhouetted against the flames.

“Alpha… Garrick?” I murmured, my vision blurring as unconsciousness dragged me under.

It was him. He had come back for me.