Rejected for New Alpha

I barely slept that night. The emptiness of our bed—Marcus's side cold and untouched—felt like a physical wound. Dawn found me staring at the ceiling, my eyes burning from unshed tears.

"He chose her," I whispered into the silence. "Thirteen years, and he just... walked away."

*He never deserved you,* Seraphina's voice rumbled within me, startlingly clear after years of near-silence. *We are worth more than scraps of affection.*

I pressed my palm against my chest, feeling the unfamiliar surge of my inner wolf's energy. "What am I supposed to do now?"

*Live. Finally live.*

I dragged myself from bed, mechanically washing and dressing. My reflection in the mirror looked strange—same chestnut hair, same green eyes, but something fundamental had shifted. The she-wolf who had spent thirteen years dimming her light to make a Delta shine brighter was gone.

The corridors of Silvermoon Pack House seemed impossibly long as I wandered them in a daze. Pack members passed me with curious glances, whispers following in my wake. News traveled fast in a wolf pack. By now, everyone would know Marcus had moved in with Victoria.

"Rachel!" Chloe, my closest friend, hurried toward me, her face tight with concern. "I just heard. That miserable excuse for a wolf—"

"Don't," I said, raising a hand. "I can't talk about it yet."

She nodded, squeezing my arm. "Whatever you need. I'm here."

I continued my aimless wandering, Seraphina growing more restless with each step.

*We need action, not pity,* she growled. *Show him what he's lost.*

"How?" I murmured, earning a strange look from a passing Omega.

*Claim the future we deserve.*

My feet carried me to the pack's communication center, where rows of mind-link terminals allowed wolves to send messages across packs. I sat at an unoccupied station, fingers hovering over the keyboard.

"What am I doing?" I whispered.

*Breaking free,* Seraphina answered, her presence warming through my veins like liquid courage.

Before I could second-guess myself, my fingers began typing a message to the inter-pack network—a system usually reserved for official announcements and trade negotiations. My heart pounded as I composed the most impulsive, outrageous declaration of my life:

"Healer seeking new mate. Thirteen years experience. Inquire directly."

I stared at the words, a hysterical laugh bubbling in my throat. This wasn't me. The Rachel who had existed yesterday would never do something so bold, so public.

*It is us now,* Seraphina insisted. *Send it.*

With a deep breath, I pressed the transmit button. The message flashed briefly on my screen before disappearing into the network, bound for every pack terminal in the region—including Nightfall Pack.

"Moon Goddess, what have I done?" I whispered, suddenly light-headed.

I hadn't even made it back to the main corridor before the whispers started. A group of Deltas huddled near the water fountain fell silent as I approached, their eyes widening.

"Did you see Rachel's announcement?" one hissed, not quietly enough.

"Marcus is going to lose his mind," another replied.

I kept walking, my spine straightening with each step. Let them talk. Let Marcus hear. For the first time in thirteen years, I wasn't considering his feelings first.

By midday, the entire pack was buzzing. Omegas openly pointed and whispered as I passed. Two Beta females exchanged worried glances, quickly averting their eyes when I noticed them. Even the warriors training in the courtyard paused their exercises to watch me pass.

"I heard she's already received three responses," someone said loudly.

"Marcus was a fool," another voice added.

I kept my head high, though my heart raced with a mixture of terror and exhilaration. There was no going back now. Whatever happened next, I had declared to the world—and to myself—that I would no longer wait in the shadows for someone who couldn't see my worth.

My mind-link terminal pinged with an incoming message. With trembling fingers, I opened it, expecting perhaps a message of support from Chloe.

Instead, the sender's name made my breath catch: Alexander Sterling, Alpha of the Nightfall Pack.

*I've been waiting thirteen years for this message,* it read. *May I call on you tonight?*