The Breaking Point of Mate: Giving Up on My Alpha

Melanie's POV That day was my birthday. But the first message I got wasn't a "happy birthday." It was a job. Herbert, the beta, sent me a text telling me to get my a*s to London to set up the Full Moon Ceremony for the local branch. Just a few lines of text, treating me like some omega sent ahead to do the grunt work. I booked the earliest flight out of LA anyway. I flew across the Atlantic because I was Alpha Archer's mate. I was the Luna of the Razor Pack. When I walked into the "family" estate in London, the air was thick with the smell of expensive champagne and barbecue. The garden was already packed. Between the firelight, the laughter, and the clinking glasses, the place was in full party mode. A few of the younger warriors glanced at me and then immediately looked away, going back to flirting with the she-wolves next to them like I was invisible. "They've never treated you like a Luna," Frost, my wolf, growled in the back of my head. I didn't say anything. Archer had always been cold toward me, and he never actually stood up for me in public. That was all the pack needed to know they could treat me like garbage. I took a deep breath, shoved the hurt down, and got to work. I confirmed the layout for the moonlight altar, nagged the omegas to swap out the dying flowers for fresh ones, and ended up hauling wine crates and carrying trays myself. When I was that busy, time moved fast. It wasn't until the kitchen clock hit nine that I realized how late it was. I ran back to the guest room, yanked open my suitcase, and pulled out that long white dress—the one meant for the Full Moon Sacrifice. It was supposed to symbolize the Moon Goddess and my status as Luna. I stopped in front of the mirror for a second. At the very least, I looked the part. "Tonight's gonna be different," Frost said. "It's the Full Moon Ceremony. He needs you up there." I gripped my skirt, turned around, and headed for the garden. Just as I reached the gallery leading outside, a massive roar of cheers went up. Wolf howls, clapping, and laughing echoed through the night air. I froze, my heart climbing into my throat. Was it already starting? "It's probably just the intro," Frost tried to tell me. "Get moving." I hurried through the archway and reached the edge of the garden. Moonlight was pouring over everything, making the silver leaves look like cold metal. The omegas had cleared out to the sides, and the pack was gathered in a semi-circle around the altar. Two people were standing right in the middle of it. One was my mate, Alpha Archer. The other was Camille—my half-sister, the daughter of the she-wolf my father cheated with. My brain just went blank. Ever since my mom got kicked out, my dad, Alpha Marvin, couldn't wait to put that other woman on the Luna's throne. He'd wanted Camille to be Archer's mate, but the Moon Goddess chose me. For a second, I actually thought I'd won. Now, listening to the cheers and the "congrats" flying around them, I wasn't so sure. Someone raised a glass and shouted, "To the new alliance, and to the future Luna!" FUTURE LUNA. Those words felt like a slap in the face. I started walking toward the altar, one heavy step at a time. As I got closer, Archer pulled a small black box out of his pocket. Camille's eyes were literally sparkling in the moonlight. "This is for you," he said. His voice was low, but it carried far enough for everyone to hear. She took the box and opened it. Inside was a polished obsidian pendant. My knees almost gave out. That was my mother's pendant. She wore it every single day until the day she was exiled. I'd gone to my father, I'd begged Archer to let me buy it back. Every time, I got a "no"—sometimes polite, sometimes cold. And now, Archer reached out and fastened it around Camille's neck. "Think of it as a graduation gift," he said, totally calm. "Archer," I called out. My voice was raw, pushed out by pure instinct. All eyes turned to me at once. I sounded hoarse. "The Full Moon Ceremony is supposed to be something we do together." The air turned freezing. Someone in the crowd let out a quiet snicker. Archer slowly turned his head, and his aura hit me like a ton of bricks. My chest tightened, and Frost let out a pained whimper. I bit my lip until it bled, trying to stay standing under that suffocating pressure. "And that... that's my mother's. How could you just give it away?" "Enough," he snapped. His voice was dead cold. "You shouldn't even be here. Go back to the house." That hit me right where it hurt most. Someone in the crowd made sure to speak up, "Who cares if the Moon Goddess picked you? If Alpha Archer doesn't want you, you're nobody." Frost was quiet. I looked at Archer's indifferent face, my nails digging into my palms, and I turned around and ran. I practically stumbled my way out of the garden. I don't even know how I got back to the house. When I pushed the door open, I saw a small back curled up on the sofa—Trista, my daughter. She was my only soft spot, the only reason I was still hanging on. I thought as long as she needed me, I could find a way to make this work. All the misery from the night finally bubbled over. I rushed over and pulled her into a hug from behind. I needed to smell her, to feel some kind of warmth. The next second, she shoved me off. Hard. She looked at me with total resentment. "Why do you have to be so mean to Camille?" I stumbled back, completely stunned. "I'm... I'm being mean to her?" Trista looked at me like I was the villain. "That was the ceremony Daddy planned for her. It was her blessing, her graduation gift. And you had to go out there and try to ruin it. You made everything so awkward." The image of that obsidian pendant flashed in my head. My chest felt like it was in a vice. "Trista, the ceremony is for the Luna and the Alpha. That altar... it belongs to me and your father—" "But I think Camille would be a way better Luna than you," Trista cut me off. She sounded so serious it was actually cruel. "And everyone likes her better anyway." In that moment, my heart finally just... broke.