REJECTED BY MY MATE, FATED TO HIS RIVAL.

CHAPTER 1: Accused. Blossom. “w***e!” Vanessa’s voice rang out across the room, sharp and venomous, the word cutting through the air just as her hand struck my face. The impact came fast and hard, snapping my head to the side before I could even process what was happening. A gasp tore from my lips, more out of shock than pain. My cheek burned instantly, heat spreading beneath my skin as the sting settled in. For a moment, everything felt unreal, like I had been thrown into a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. She had gotten it all wrong. Yes, Millien was my mate… but that truth no longer belonged to me. Not when I was painfully aware he was now her fiancé. Not when I had already buried that part of myself, forcing my heart to accept a reality it never wanted. “Vanessa, I—” I barely got my words out before her hand came crashing against my face again. The second slap was harsher, louder, echoing in the stunned silence that followed. My vision blurred slightly, my body swaying from the force, but I didn’t raise a hand to defend myself. I couldn’t. I knew better than to. Because no matter what I said, no matter how much I tried to explain, it would never be enough, not for her and definitely not for anyone in this room. I had only come to serve him coffee. That was all. A simple task. A harmless moment. But somewhere between stepping closer and setting the tray down, my hair had gotten tangled in his shirt. I had leaned forward, trying to free it, my fingers fumbling in panic, and before I could untangle myself, the door had burst open. And there we were. Too close. Too tangled. Too wrong in the eyes of anyone who walked in. My stepsister—Vanessa hadn’t waited to understand. She hadn’t needed to. Her screams carried far beyond the room, loud and accusing, drawing attention like they always did. It didn’t take long before the murmurs began, footsteps gathering just outside the Alpha’s chamber. A crowd. Of course. There was always an audience when it came to my humiliation. And through it all, Millien said nothing. Not even a word. He didn’t step forward. Didn’t defend me. Didn’t even attempt to explain what had truly happened. He just stood there, silent and indifferent, as though my disgrace meant nothing to him. A bitter ache settled deep in my chest, heavier than the sting on my cheek. I hated myself at that moment…not for what Vanessa thought I had done, but for something far worse. For loving him. For ever believing that someone like him could care. “Let me explain, Vanessa… I really didn’t do anything,” I managed to say, my voice trembling despite my effort to steady it. The words felt weak even to my own ears, fragile against the storm of her anger and before I could even gather myself, before I could take another breath… Another hand struck my cheek, harder this time. The force sent a sharp jolt through my entire body, my head snapping to the side again as a dull ringing filled my ears. Slowly, painfully, I lifted my gaze. And my heart sank. My brother. “Blossom, have you no shame?” he asked, his voice heavy, his chest rising and falling as if he were the one wronged. Gosh… The pain that followed wasn’t physical, it was deeper and sharper. It felt like a thousand needles piercing through my chest all at once, each one embedding itself into my heart. Lurgard was my blood brother. We shared the same mother. The same blood. The same bond that was supposed to mean something. But even that… was never enough, because when it came down to Vanessa…He never believed me, he never chose me….It was always Vanessa. I desperately needed to clear my name, because deep down, I knew that if I didn’t, something far worse than humiliation awaited me. This wasn’t just about pride anymore, it was about survival, so I ignored Lurgard words. My knees hit the ground almost instantly, the impact sending a dull ache up my legs, but I barely felt it. The tears I had fought so hard to hold back broke free, streaming down my cheeks in hot, uncontrollable waves. My vision blurred, my chest tightening with each shaky breath as desperation clawed its way out of me. “Alpha Millien… please… tell them the truth.” My voice trembled, raw and broken, as I poured every ounce of hope and desperation into those words. I lifted my tear-filled eyes toward him, searching, begging, praying he would look at me, acknowledge me, defend me. But before anything could happen, a voice cut sharply through the air. “How dare you, Blossom?” My entire body stiffened. My father’s presence alone was enough to drain whatever fragile courage I had left. His footsteps were heavy, deliberate, each one echoing like a warning drum in my ears. And then…his hand. He grabbed me by the hair, his grip merciless, yanking my head upward so violently it felt like my scalp was tearing apart. A strangled cry escaped my lips as pain exploded through my skull, forcing my body to arch unnaturally. “Are you trying to accuse the Alpha?” he thundered, his voice thick with outrage and something far more dangerous…disgust. “So outrageous!” The next second, I was thrown aside like I weighed nothing. My body hit the ground harshly, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs as I struggled to breathe. “Alpha Millien…” my father continued, his tone shifting instantly into one of forced respect as he bowed his head slightly. “I apologize for my daughter’s error. I will discipline her.” And just like that, everything inside me went still. That was it. That was exactly what I had been trying to avoid. A cold, suffocating shiver spread through my entire body, settling deep into my bones. Discipline. I knew what that meant. I had lived it, endured it, survived it…barely. “Vanessa, please…” I tried again, my voice barely above a whisper, fragile and broken as I reached for the only sliver of mercy left. But I didn’t even get to finish. Pain exploded in my stomach as a forceful kick sent my body folding in on itself. A sharp, guttural cry tore from my throat as I collapsed, clutching my abdomen. The taste of iron flooded my mouth, thick and bitter, and before I could stop it, dark blood spilled past my lips onto the ground. “Shut up, Blossom!” Lurgard’s voice lashed out like a whip, cold and merciless. “Do you want to bring harm to this family? Why can’t you just be like Vanessa?” His words cut deeper than the kick. Why can’t you just be like Vanessa? Because no matter what I did… it would never be enough. “Beta Silas.” The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence. Millien’s voice. For the first time since everything began, he finally spoke, and my heart betrayed me, lifting just slightly at the sound of it. “I don’t think you will punish your daughter enough.” The fragile hope inside me shattered instantly. I froze completely as he rose from his seat, each step he took toward me slow, deliberate, terrifying. “Let me do it.” The words echoed in my head, over and over, refusing to make sense. My mate. The same man who once stood between me and the world… who had shielded me, protected me, cared for me. Now stood before me… offering to break me himself. My chest tightened painfully as confusion and heartbreak twisted together inside me. What changed? Where did I go wrong? Because the man I loved… the man I believed would always stand by me…was now the one I feared the most.