Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

I spent the entire Thanksgiving alone in the healing den of the Silver Fang Pack. Most of my time was spent gazing out the window, admiring the snowy landscape, the starry sky, and the fireworks lighting up the night. During this time, Alpha Legacy never called. Instead, Arabella Elliott, the rogue werewolf, flooded Instagram with countless photos of them traveling together. Their mutual friends left teasing comments beneath the pictures.

"You two spent the whole holiday together—might as well make it official. You're a match made in heaven!"

"Arabella, keep those pictures coming! You're such a stunning pair!"

I stared at the screen, feeling a strange calm, like a still pool of water. I refreshed the page and saw Alpha Legacy replying to a few comments.

"Stop with the nonsense. I'm just keeping Arabella company while she's alone in New York for the holidays."

"Just to clarify, Arabella and I are just really good friends. Everyone, relax."

His replies only added fuel to their excitement. They continued to promote the idea of them being together. I knew those people never accepted me, nor did they believe in my mate bond with Alpha Legacy. But we hadn’t dissolved the bond yet—did they have to be so ruthless? I swallowed my tears of humiliation and replied:

"Looks like good news is on the horizon, congrats."

As soon as I posted my comment, Arabella deleted all her recent posts. I silently chuckled, finding her actions pointless—they were meant for me to see, after all. I expected Alpha Legacy to call and berate me for upsetting Arabella. Sure enough, the phone rang shortly after. I picked up to find Arabella on the line.

"Luna Estrella, did you misunderstand me and Alpha Legacy? I truly see him like a brother. If you're upset that he spent the holidays with me, I'll leave New York right away."

Her tearful voice pierced through the phone. I frowned, my patience wearing thin. Before I could respond, Alpha Legacy's voice, heavy with anger, took over the line.

"Arabella, I'm your brother's friend; it's only right to look out for you! People with bad intentions should be ashamed!"

Arabella continued to sniffle. I listened silently. No one spoke after that, and I thought that was the end. But Alpha Legacy, clearly not done expressing his anger, grabbed her phone and shouted at me furiously:

"Are you happy now, Estrella? Are you satisfied after making Arabella cry?"

"How could you be so heartless? No wonder, among the three of us skiing, only you ended up seriously injured—you deserved it!"

The sound of fireworks exploding outside drowned out Alpha Legacy's angry rant. Tears welled up in my eyes once again. For the first time, I hung up on him.

My wolf stirred within me, a low growl of frustration echoing in my mind. *He doesn’t deserve you,* she whispered, her voice tinged with pain and anger. But I pushed her back, unwilling to let her emotions cloud my judgment. I was the Luna of the Silver Fang Pack, and I had to maintain my composure, even if it felt like the bond between us was crumbling faster than I could hold onto it.