Rejected Mate Finds Hope

I balanced the stack of evening reports against my swollen belly as I approached Blake's office. Eight months pregnant, every step sent waves of discomfort through my body, but I'd learned to ignore the pain. Just like I'd learned to ignore so many other things in this pack.

My free hand instinctively touched the small bump on my leg—the permanent reminder of the injury that had ended my warrior training and relegated me to Omega status. Ten years ago, I'd been one of the Silver Moon Pack's most promising young she-wolves. Now I was just the Alpha's chosen mate who wasn't good enough.

I knocked softly on Blake's door, already knowing he wouldn't answer. He rarely did when he was busy with... whatever he was busy with.

"Alpha, I have the maintenance reports you requested," I called through the door, my voice carrying that formal tone I'd perfected over the years.

Silence.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open, balancing the papers carefully as I stepped inside.

The scent hit me first—vanilla and jasmine, Holly's signature perfume, so strong it could only mean one thing. My heart sank as I turned the corner into Blake's private office space.

There they were.

Blake's arms were wrapped around Holly Bell's waist, her legs draped across his lap as they sat on the leather couch that had been a gift from his first Luna's family. Papers were scattered across the coffee table—the very reports I'd spent hours compiling.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," I said quietly, though we all knew I wasn't sorry at all. This was the ninety-ninth time I'd caught them together.

Blake didn't even bother to move away from Holly. Instead, he looked up with cold eyes that held not a trace of remorse.

"Put the reports on the desk, Penelope," he said dismissively. "We're in the middle of something important."

Holly's lips curled into that familiar smirk—the one that said she knew exactly how little I meant to him.

"The children's combat training assessments are next week," Blake continued, his fingers tracing patterns on Holly's thigh. "Holly will be attending as their proper maternal figure."

I stiffened, one hand protectively covering my belly. "But I've always attended their assessments. I've been preparing Marcus for his leadership trials—"

"And you'll continue to do so," Blake cut me off, "but Holly will be there to represent the family properly."

"Holly isn't family," I said, immediately regretting the words as Blake's eyes flashed dangerously.

"ENOUGH!" His Alpha tone vibrated through the room, making my knees buckle slightly. "You will not question my decisions in this matter. Holly will be there, and you will defer to her authority as necessary."

Holly's smile widened as she leaned closer to Blake, her scent marking the room as her territory.

"Yes, Alpha," I whispered, backing away with the reports still clutched to my chest.

I returned to the pack house in a daze, my mind racing with thoughts of what I would tell the children. Surely they wouldn't accept this latest humiliation? They had to see how wrong it was?

I pushed open the door to find Marcus and Emma sitting in the living room with Holly. They were laughing at something she'd said, their faces bright with excitement.

"Penelope!" Emma called when she spotted me, but there was no warmth in her voice anymore.

Marcus stood up, his teenage frame already showing signs of the Alpha he might one day become. "You're just in time. We were telling Holly about the training assessment next week."

"I know," I said carefully, setting down my papers. "Your father told me she'll be attending."

"Good," Marcus said, his voice hard with an edge I'd never heard before. "It's about time we had someone respectable representing us."

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Marcus, I've been there for every assessment, every training session—"

"And we've had to explain why our stepmother is just a servant," he interrupted, his eyes cold. "Holly has pure warrior blood. She understands what it means to be a real Luna."

Emma nodded beside him, her small face serious. "She brought us special training gear from the Northern Packs. She says we need to learn proper combat techniques, not the basic stuff you taught us."

"Basic?" I echoed, feeling something crack inside me. "I was once ranked third in the entire Silver Moon warrior program."

"That was before," Marcus said dismissively. "Now you're just an Omega. You should be grateful we let you stay here at all."

Holly's hand rested on Marcus's shoulder, her smile triumphant as she looked at me over his head.

"Servant blood will never be Luna blood," she said softly.

And in that moment, standing in the home I'd maintained for ten years, I realized I was truly alone.