Rejected Mate's Silent Vow

Jrue’s phone lay abandoned on the couch, buzzing incessantly. He hadn’t taken it with him to the bedroom, and the noise was grating on my nerves. After what felt like an eternity, I finally picked it up. I tried several passwords—our anniversary, the date of our marking ceremony, even his Alpha coronation day—but none worked. Then I remembered Lilian’s birthday, scribbled in his diary years ago. I hesitated for a moment before entering it. The screen unlocked instantly. I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. Of course. Even after all this time, Lilian still held that kind of power over him. Her birthday was his password, a constant reminder of the woman he truly wanted.

The messages in their group chat kept pinging, tagging Jrue repeatedly. My fingers trembled as I scrolled through their past conversations. My mind went blank, my chest tightening as my heart pounded violently.

"I originally thought that by marking Melanie, Lilian would get jealous and come back to me. But when she didn’t, I went ahead and marked her anyway."

"Lilian can't have pups, but she really wants one. I need to make that dream come true for her because a pup would be the only thing connecting us."

The words hit me like a physical blow, and I felt my wolf whimper faintly in the back of my mind, a low, pained sound. My heart turned to ice.

"But this is unfair to Melanie. After all, the pup would be hers, born through her own effort and pain."

"Melanie is healthy; we'll have more pups. But Lilian will never have any in her lifetime. She can be expected to stay quiet about it."

I glanced toward the bedroom, where Jrue’s soft snores drifted down. My fists clenched so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. Tears streamed down my face, and my chest heaved with the effort of holding back a scream. My lips trembled uncontrollably.

No wonder Jrue had suddenly started talking about wanting a pup. I’d been naive enough to believe that my years of loyalty and devotion had finally softened him, that he’d seen me as more than just his Luna, his mate. But now it was clear—this was all about Lilian. She couldn’t have pups, so he’d decided to use me to give her one. The bitterness of it all twisted my stomach, and the hatred in my eyes felt like it could burn through the walls.

Their plan was meticulous, but how could they possibly think I’d let my pup call another woman ‘Mother’? The thought alone made my wolf snarl, a low, guttural sound that echoed in my mind. I wasn’t just a pawn in their twisted game, and I wouldn’t let them turn my child into one either.