REJECTED BY MY ALPHA MATE

Chapter Two: Public Humiliation

The world was a blur of shadows and laughter when I opened my eyes. My chest still burned where the mate bond had torn apart, and every breath felt like knives cutting through my ribs.

I was lying on the cold stone floor of the pack hall, surrounded by sneering faces. My once fellow wolves stood above me, their expressions twisted with scorn. Not one hand reached to help me up.

Look at her, someone jeered. Rejected in front of the whole pack. She should have known the Alpha would never want her,” another sneered. She’s nothing.

Every word was a dagger, each one pushing deeper into wounds that hadn’t even begun to heal.

Selena’s heels clicked against the stone as she stepped forward, her golden hair shimmering like a cruel crown under the moonlight. She looked down at me, the smirk never leaving her painted lips.

“Oh, poor little Aria,” she purred, crouching just close enough for only me to hear. Did you really think you were worthy of Damian? Did you honestly believe the Goddess would give you an Alpha? Her laughter cut through me sharper than Damian’s rejection.

I tried to sit up, but my body was weak, trembling. My wolf whimpered in my mind. We can’t stay here, Aria. They’ll destroy us,but before I could move, Damian’s deep voice silenced the crowd. “Enough.”For a fleeting, desperate moment, I thought maybe—just maybe—he had reconsidered. My heart stuttered as I lifted my gaze to him, but his eyes were colder than the night sky.

“Aria is no longer my mate. She is no longer part of this pack. From this moment forward, she is nothing.”

The crowd erupted in cheers, their voices rising like a chant. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Humiliation scorched me, hotter than any flame. My wolf clawed at me, begging me to run, but my legs refused to obey.

Selena rose gracefully, slipping her hand into Damian’s. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t look at me again. Instead, he raised Selena’s hand high into the air. “This is the woman I choose as Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. She is strong, she is beautiful, and she is worthy.”

The pack roared in approval, their howls filling the night sky.

I felt like I was watching a nightmare unfold, one I couldn’t wake from. My mate had cast me aside, my pack had turned on me, and the Moon Goddess herself felt like a cruel joke. Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them see me cry. I forced myself to my feet, though my knees shook so badly I nearly fell again.

“You think strength is measured by cruelty,” I whispered, my voice trembling but loud enough for the closest wolves to hear. “But one day, Damian, you will realize what a mistake you’ve made.”

The words cost me everything I had left. The crowd erupted in laughter, mocking me as if I had told the funniest joke in the world.

Damian’s gaze finally flicked back to me icy, bored, dismissive and said “Take her away before she embarrasses herself further.” Two warriors stepped forward, grabbing me by the arms. Their grips were harsh, bruising, as they dragged me out of the circle of light. Selena’s voice followed me like poison. “Goodbye, little orphan. Try not to crawl back when no one else wants you.” The laughter echoed long after the fire and lanterns faded behind me. The warriors shoved me against the rough bark of a tree at the edge of the courtyard, their faces cruel with amusement.

You heard the Alpha,one of them sneered. You’re nothing now. Maybe we should throw you out to the rogues tonight, see how long you last. The other grinned, baring sharp teeth. Or maybe we should keep you for fun before the rogues get you.

Fear clenched my stomach, but rage burned hotter. I spat at his feet, glaring even as my knees trembled. “Touch me, and the Goddess herself will curse you.” For a moment, they hesitated. Even cruel wolves feared the Moon Goddess. Then, with disgust, they shoved me into the dirt.

Pathetic,one muttered. Don’t bother coming back. You won’t survive the night. They left me there, broken and shaking, their laughter fading into the distance.

I curled into myself, hugging my arms around my chest as sobs finally broke free. I had held them back in front of the pack, but here, alone, I couldn’t stop.

My wolf’s voice was a whisper in my mind. We cannot stay, Aria. If we stay, we die.

“I have nowhere to go”,I whispered aloud. “No family. No pack. No mate.” We have ourselves, my wolf replied, fiercer than I felt. And that is enough for now. But we must leave. Soon.

I closed my eyes, the sound of distant celebration mocking me. Somewhere in the center of the pack, Damian was probably kissing Selena, declaring his love for her. and here I was rejected, humiliated, abandoned.

The night pressed heavy around me. The forest whispered with the cries of distant rogues, the c***k of branches, the howl of wolves who had no pack to call home.

Was that to be my fate now? To wander alone, prey for anyone stronger than me? Or… was this the beginning of something more? I didn’t know. But as I stared at the moon above the same moon that had cursed me tonight I made a silent vow.

One day, I would rise.

One day, they would regret the way they had laughed.

And one day, Damian would look at me not with disdain, but with the knowledge that he had thrown away the only thing he could never have again.

The tears dried on my cheeks as exhaustion dragged me into a restless sleep against the tree. But even in sleep, the pain of rejection burned like a scar that would never heal.