When My Mate Chose Her Over Me

As I stood to leave, Dean’s chair scraped against the floor as he jumped to his feet.

“Jessica!” His voice was loud, urgent, and laced with a tone that made my instincts as an Omega twinge. The other pack members in the restaurant turned their heads, their curiosity prickling the air like static. I paused for a moment, my heart pounding, but I forced myself to keep walking toward the door.

When I pushed it open, the rain was already pouring down in sheets, drenching the streets of our pack’s territory. Dean had the only umbrella. I hesitated, weighing whether to brave the storm or wait, but the thought of standing there like a helpless pup made me cringe.

Before I could decide, Dean was beside me, his hand gripping my arm with a firmness that was both familiar and irritating.

“Jessica, you puzzle me.” His brow furrowed in frustration and confusion, but there was no softness in his voice, no trace of the tenderness that once made me feel safe. Behind him stood Lucia, her posture elegant and her smile gentle, as if she were the Luna of this moment.

“Jessica, don’t be upset. Forget about the stew. I’ll have Dean take you home first, then you two can talk things over.” Her voice was calm, almost soothing, but her eyes—those sharp, calculating eyes—betrayed a smug pride that made my stomach churn.

Dean let go of my arm and turned to Lucia, his concern for her evident even in the way he leaned toward her. “What do you mean, take her home first? It’s pouring out here, and you don’t have an umbrella. How will you get back?”

His words were like a slap. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a quiet reminder of the bond that still lingered between us, frayed and fragile but not yet broken.

After a moment of hesitation, Dean turned back to me, his expression torn. “Jessica, please understand. Lucia isn’t well, and she can’t get soaked. I’ll drive her home first and come back for you.”

I stared at him, my chest tightening as I watched my mate—my former mate—gently guide another woman under the umbrella, shielding her from the rain. They walked away together, their silhouettes blurred by the downpour. Lucia’s head tilted slightly toward him, her movements graceful and deliberate.

I stood there, the rain soaking through my clothes, my mind reeling. Lucia couldn’t get wet because of her health, but was I supposed to stand there like a fool, waiting for Dean to remember me? This time, I refused to wait. I turned back into the restaurant and borrowed an old umbrella from the owner, a kind elder who gave me a sympathetic look but didn’t say a word.

As I stepped back into the rain, the scene felt eerily familiar. It had happened before—Dean asking me to wait, promising to come back, only to forget me entirely. Last time, I had stood in the storm, my loyalty to him outweighing my own discomfort. But now, the thought of repeating that mistake made my wolf growl softly in protest.

Making the same mistake once might be forgivable. Repeating it? That was just foolish. I tightened my grip on the umbrella and walked away, the rain masking the tears that threatened to fall. Dean might have been my mate once, but I wasn’t his to command anymore.