Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

Amazon’s office was near the pack’s private healing center, where I had been undergoing treatment. When I arrived, it was late afternoon, but the building was eerily quiet, with no one at the reception desk. The elevator took me to the top floor, directly to the Beta’s office.

The usual stark, utilitarian decor of the pack’s headquarters had been transformed with pastel balloons and flower petals. Strings of multicolored fairy lights hung everywhere. Pack members gathered, cheering, with Amazon and Vienna at the center, both smiling. Vienna wore a pink, Victorian-style dress topped with a hat shaped like a birthday cake, beaming with joy. They looked so perfect together, like a fairy-tale prince and princess from the Lycan Kingdom.

Vienna glanced up and noticed me, then looked at Amazon, her expression one of surprise. I stepped inside, breaking the celebratory atmosphere like an uninvited guest.

“Happy birthday, Vienna,” I said, my voice steady despite the tightness in my chest. Then I turned to Amazon. “Why didn’t you tell me it was Vienna’s birthday? I didn’t bring a gift.”

Before Amazon could respond, Vienna spoke up, her voice sweet and light, as she pulled out a pink scarf adorned with little teddy bears from behind her back.

“No need, Luna,” she said, her smile widening. “The Beta already gave me the best birthday present.”

I looked at the scarf, which was identical to the one around my neck, except for the color.

A chill swept over me, and I gazed at Amazon, a sense of melancholy settling in my chest. But Amazon merely gave Vienna a resigned smile.

“Don’t be upset, Mikayla,” he said, his tone dismissive. “Vienna saw your scarf last time and found out that I had knitted it, so she begged me for a long time.”

“I figured her birthday was coming up, so I made it for her.”

Vienna looked at me with wide, innocent eyes, the scarf clutched in her hands.

“Luna, you won’t be angry, right? I just thought this scarf suited me so well.” She wrapped the scarf around her neck, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Amazon.

Suppressing the nausea swirling in my stomach, I forced a smile. “Why would I be angry?”

I yanked the scarf from my neck, the fabric leaving a faint red mark, and casually walked over to Amazon. Carefully, I draped the scarf around his neck.

I then smiled at him, my voice soft but laced with bitterness. “See? You both wearing it together looks just right.”

Amazon frowned, his expression disapproving, and removed the scarf, handing it back to me.

“Mikayla, don’t make a scene. It’s Vienna’s birthday.”

I didn’t reach out to take it. It wasn’t special anymore, just like me.

With a steady gaze, I looked at Amazon, my voice calm but final. “I’m not making a scene, Beta. Congratulations to you both for a lifetime of happiness together.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned and left.

Funny, even though the first snowfall had stopped, I felt colder than ever. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a quiet echo of the pain I refused to let surface. The scarf around my neck had once been a symbol of our mate bond, a promise of forever. Now, it felt like nothing more than a frayed piece of fabric, as fragile and fleeting as the happiness we had once shared.