Rejected By The Alpha Who Vowed Forever

My knees buckled, a metallic tang rising in my throat.

"Zaiden," I choked out, my voice trembling, "I’ve lost a pup too. How could you believe I’d harm hers?"

The day I miscarried, I had been brutalized by rogues for hours. When Zaiden finally arrived, I was barely conscious, lying in a pool of my own blood. I cradled the tiny, lifeless form in my arms, whispering through tears, "My sweet pup, why won’t you answer me?" I clung to the cold, silent bundle, shivering uncontrollably. Zaiden’s claws retracted, his face pale as he stared at the scene before him.

After three days of unconsciousness, the Healer delivered the devastating news: my injuries were too severe. I would never carry another pup.

Zaiden flinched under my gaze, his expression flickering with something akin to guilt. His hand, reaching out to steady Scarlett, froze mid-air.

"Scarlett is pregnant," he said after a long pause, his voice strained. "How could she harm her own pup?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "When you’re determined to accuse me, what does the truth matter?"

At that moment, Scarlett let out a sharp cry, clutching her stomach as a faint stain of blood appeared on her dress. She wailed, her voice piercing the air, "Luna, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have been so attached to the necklace Zaiden gave me! I won’t complain anymore, just please, don’t hurt my pup!"

Zaiden’s face darkened instantly. Two burly pack warriors stepped forward, pinning me down with ease. They quickly produced a pair of silver necklaces from my person, holding them up as damning evidence.

"Jolene," Zaiden roared, his Alpha tone cutting through the room like a whip, "with witnesses and evidence against you, what else do you have to say? Take her out and make her kneel. No one is to approach her without my command."

Zaiden swept Scarlett into his arms, his concern for her overriding all else, and rushed out of the room.

I was forced to the ground, my back exposed as Rosalie, Scarlett’s loyal Omega servant, raised a whip. The first strike landed with a sickening crack, leaving a searing trail of pain across my skin.

"You were once the daughter of a prominent pack, weren’t you?" Rosalie sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. "If it weren’t for those rogues ruining your reputation all those years ago, you might’ve found a decent mate somewhere else."

She yanked my hair, forcing me to look up at her. Her smile was cruel, her words deliberate.

"Tell me, Jolene," she whispered, her tone venomous, "why do you think Alpha Zaiden took two hours to come to your aid that day? He knew. He always knew."

The words hit me like a physical blow, and I clenched my teeth against the pain, both from the lashes and the betrayal that cut deeper than any whip could.