He Spurned Me, I Stand With the Alpha Leader

Chapter 3: The Gamma's Regret

I woke up the next morning wrapped in sheets that smelled intoxicatingly of dark pine and rain.

For a brief, disorienting moment, I thought I was back in my small, cramped room in the Omega quarters. But the sheer softness of the mattress beneath me and the lingering, heavy heat of an Alpha's scent immediately brought the memories of last night crashing back.

The blindfolded kiss. The terrifying, golden gaze. Alpha Kael.

I sat up, pulling the heavy fur blanket to my chest. I was alone in the massive bed. I was still wearing my simple cotton dress from the festival, though it was wrinkled and smelled entirely of Kael. Last night, he hadn't pushed me. After that searing kiss to my neck, he had simply held me until my frantic heartbeat slowed, tucked me into his bed, and told me to sleep. He had taken the leather armchair by the fire, keeping watch over me like a silent, lethal guardian.

Now, the armchair was empty. A note sat on the dark oak bedside table, written in sharp, bold handwriting.

I have pack business to attend to. Council meeting at noon. Eat something. My guards are outside your door if you need anything. - K.

My fingers traced the ink of his initial. A strange flutter of warmth blossomed in my chest. Just twenty-four hours ago, I was the pack's laughingstock, rejected by the Gamma. Now, the Supreme Alpha was leaving me notes and placing me under his personal protection.

My inner wolf stretched lazily in my mind, purring with satisfaction. She wasn't mourning Zane anymore. The moment Kael's scent had hit her, she had abandoned our old bond entirely, recognizing the absolute supremacy of our true mate.

I pushed the covers aside and stood up. My stomach gave a loud rumble, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since before the festival. I crept toward the heavy double doors, half-expecting them to be locked from the outside. But the handle turned easily.

I peeked out into the hallway. The two massive Delta guards from last night were still there, standing at attention.

"Good morning, Luna," the guard on the right said smoothly, bowing his head respectfully.

I flinched at the title, heat rushing to my cheeks. "Oh. Um, good morning. And please, just Aria is fine."

"As you wish, Luna," the guard replied, completely ignoring my request. "The Alpha requested we escort you to the kitchen whenever you wake."

"I know the way," I said softly. "It's okay, you don't have to follow me."

The guards exchanged a brief look but didn't argue as I slipped past them and headed down the grand staircase. The third floor was Kael's private domain, but the first two floors of the packhouse were communal. Usually, they were bustling with warriors, ranked members, and Omegas going about their chores.

Today, however, the corridors felt eerily quiet. It was late morning, and the aftermath of the Moon Festival meant most of the pack was still sleeping off the berry ale.

I made it to the main kitchen, grabbed a green apple from a wooden bowl on the counter, and decided to take the scenic route back through the east wing hallway. It was a quieter corridor, lined with large windows that overlooked the training grounds.

I took a bite of my apple, enjoying the brief moment of solitude. I needed to wrap my head around this. Kael was my mate. The Alpha. I had to face the pack today, and I had to face—

"Aria."

The voice hit me like a splash of freezing water.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Stepping out from the shadows of an intersecting hallway was Zane.

He looked terrible. His usually perfectly styled blonde hair was a mess, dark circles hung under his eyes, and the arrogant, triumphant smirk he had worn yesterday was entirely gone. Instead, he looked frantic, his chest heaving as he stalked toward me.

My inner wolf immediately bristled, the hairs on my arms standing up. Yesterday, seeing him would have sent me to my knees in tears. Today, staring at the male who had carelessly shattered my heart, all I felt was a cold, simmering annoyance.

"What do you want, Zane?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, closing the distance between us. He reached out as if to grab my arm, but then he stopped abruptly, his nostrils flaring. His face twisted in a mixture of horror and fury. "You smell like him. You reek of his scent."

"He is my mate," I said simply, lifting my chin.

"No!" Zane snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "I am your mate! You're mine, Aria! What kind of sick trick did you play last night? Did you plan this? Did you use the blindfold game to throw yourself at my brother just to get back at me?"

The sheer audacity of his words left me breathless for a second. I let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"Are you insane?" I snapped, tossing the half-eaten apple into a nearby bin. "You rejected me, Zane. In front of the entire pack. You stood there holding Sienna's hand and told me I was useless. How could I possibly plan for the Goddess to give me a second chance mate, let alone the Alpha?"

"It’s a mistake," Zane pleaded, his anger suddenly melting into a pathetic desperation. He ran a hand through his messy hair. "The bond... it was clouded. I was confused. Sienna, she—she manipulated me. She used her family’s rank to pressure me. But seeing you last night... seeing you in his arms... it woke me up, Aria. I made a mistake."

I stared at him in utter disbelief. He didn't want me because he loved me. He wanted me because his older brother—the Alpha he constantly competed with and always lost to—had claimed me. His fragile, narcissistic ego couldn't handle the fact that the female he threw away was deemed worthy by the strongest male in the territory.

"You didn't make a mistake, Zane," I said coldly, stepping backward. "You made a choice. And now you have to live with it."

"No, listen to me," Zane begged, his eyes wide and frantic. "You don't know Kael. He's a monster, Aria! He’s ruthless. He doesn't know how to love; he only knows how to possess. He’s only claiming you to humiliate me. You have to reject him."

"Reject the Alpha?" I scoffed. "You're delusional."

"I'll protect you!" Zane insisted, his voice rising in panic. He lunged forward, this time his fingers closing around my wrist in a bruising grip. "Reject him, Aria! Right now. Say the words. We can leave the pack. We can become rogues, just the two of us. We'll be together, just like we always promised!"

"Let go of me!" I shouted, yanking my arm, but his Gamma strength was far superior to mine.

"Say it!" Zane barked, his eyes flashing with the unstable energy of his wolf. "Reject him, or I swear to the Goddess I'll—"

Suddenly, the air in the hallway turned to ice.

The ambient light streaming through the windows seemed to dim, swallowed by a suffocating, terrifying pressure that slammed into the corridor. The sheer force of the Alpha aura was so heavy that my knees buckled, and Zane choked on his own breath, his grip on my wrist instantly falling away.

A bone-chilling growl erupts from down the hall.