Rejected By The Alpha Who Vowed Forever

After I finished speaking, Zaiden stood frozen for a long time.

His eyes were red, and without hesitation, he punched himself in the face.

Blood streamed down, but he seemed numb to the pain, his teeth clenched in fury. "Jolene, why? How could he hurt you like this? Did he forget how long he dreamed of you, how much he wanted you?"

"He got you—how could he not cherish you?"

Seeing Zaiden cry so desperately, a part of my heart caved in.

I let out a bitter laugh, but before I could respond, the door swung open.

A pack member hurried in, breathless. "Luna, Alpha Zaiden requests that you send the dress from your marking ceremony to the Waterfall Pavilion!"

My eyes flickered, but I calmly wiped my tears and walked toward the chest at the foot of the bed.

Zaiden rushed to stop me. "Jolene, that dress was made just for you. How can you let someone else wear it?"

I ran my fingers over the intricate gold embroidery of the dress, tears welling up again.

But they weren’t for the Zaiden standing before me—they were for the young man who once adored me with all his heart.

This dress, one of the Lycan Queen’s own, was priceless.

I had casually mentioned liking it once, and Zaiden had gone to the battlefield, risking his life to earn the rank of Alpha and secure it for me.

He returned covered in wounds, barely alive.

"Jolene," he had said softly, wiping my tears back then, "I want you to be the most radiant Luna this pack has ever seen. From now on, no one will ever make you feel less than you are."

The memory faded as I held the dress and walked toward the Waterfall Pavilion.

Along the way, Zaiden tried to block my path. "Jolene, I don’t understand what’s happening. How could I ever hurt you? I’ve loved you with everything I have."

"Jolene, please, don’t leave like this… He’ll regret it—he has to!"

At that moment, the door to the pavilion swung open.

A bowl of scalding medicine was hurled out, and I couldn’t dodge it in time. The back of my hand turned red and burned instantly.

Scarlett stood behind Zaiden, tears streaming down her face. "Luna, I never meant to compete with you, but even if you hate me, you shouldn’t harm my pup!"

"If I lose my pup, what’s the point of living?"

She turned and ran toward the wall, but Zaiden caught her, pulling her into his arms. His voice was frantic, a tone I’d never heard from him before.

"Scarlett!"

He soothed her for a long time before finally turning to me.

His eyes were icy, devoid of any warmth.

"Jolene, have you had enough? Just because you can’t carry a pup, does that mean you want to destroy every expectant mother in the pack?"