Mated To My Bullies

The Rejected Queen

JULIANA POV...

The wedding was a nightmare dressed in silk and flowers.

I stood in the back of the massive ballroom, wearing a dress Mom had bought me. Light blue. Modest. Designed to make me invisible.

It worked.

Hundreds of pack members filled the space. Alphas from neighboring territories. Important wolves in expensive clothes.

All here to witness Alpha Mattias claim his new bride.

Mom looked beautiful. Happy, even.

She hadn't looked at me once.

The ceremony proceeded with traditional wolf vows. Promises of loyalty, strength, unity.

All lies.

When they kissed, cheers erupted.

I wanted to disappear.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Alpha Mattias's voice boomed across the room. "We have one more announcement before the celebration begins."

Dread pooled in my stomach.

"My sons have discovered their mate."

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

Harper, Soren, and Brian stepped forward. They looked like gods in their black suits.

My wolf whimpered.

"However," Alpha Mattias continued, "the mate bond has revealed itself with an... unsuitable match."

Every eye in the room turned to me.

I couldn't breathe.

"Juliana Evans." Alpha Mattias's lip curled. "Step forward."

My legs moved against my will. Carried me through the parting crowd.

I reached the center of the room.

The triplets formed a semicircle around me.

"The mate bond is sacred," Alpha Mattias said. "But it is not infallible. Sometimes it binds us to those unworthy of our bloodline."

Murmurs of agreement echoed around us.

"My sons will demonstrate the proper response to such an error."

Harper stepped forward first.

His gray eyes met mine. I saw conflict there. Hesitation.

Then it vanished.

"I, Harper Mattias, reject you, Juliana Evans, as my mate."

Pain exploded in my chest. The mate bond screamed in protest.

I gasped.

Soren came next.

"I, Soren Mattias, reject you, Juliana Evans, as my mate."

More pain. Sharper this time.

My knees buckled.

Brian was last. He hesitated longer than his brothers.

"Say it," Alpha Mattias commanded.

Brian's jaw clenched. "I..."

Hope flickered in my chest.

"I, Brian Mattias, reject you, Juliana Evans, as my mate."

The bond shattered.

I felt it break into a thousand pieces inside me. Each shard cutting deeper than the last.

I collapsed.

The marble floor was cold against my cheek.

Somewhere far away, my wolf howled.

"Pathetic," someone said.

"Knew she wasn't strong enough."

"Good riddance."

Their words blurred together.

Then my body began to change.

Not a shift. Something else.

My bones cracked. My skin burned.

The incomplete transformation from my eighteenth birthday happened again—but worse.

Fur sprouted in patches. My face elongated partially. Claws extended and retracted randomly.

Stuck between forms.

A true monster.

Gasps filled the ballroom.

"What is she?"

"Disgusting."

"Someone get her out of here!"

I tried to control it. Tried to force my body back to human.

Nothing worked.

Alpha Mattias's voice cut through the chaos. "This is what happens when bloodlines mix. This... abomination."

"Please." I didn't recognize my own voice. "Help me."

Nobody moved.

Not Mom. Not the triplets. Not anyone.

"I can't have this creature in my home," Alpha Mattias declared. "Juliana Evans, you are hereby banished from the Moonbloom Pack."

"No." I reached toward Mom. "Please."

She turned her back.

"You have one hour to leave pack territory," Alpha Mattias continued. "If you're found here after that, you'll be killed on sight."

Guards moved forward. Grabbed my arms.

They dragged me from the ballroom.

I caught one last glimpse of the triplets.

Harper's face was pale. Soren wouldn't meet my eyes. Brian looked like he might be sick.

Then the doors slammed shut.

They threw me out the front entrance.

Literally threw me.

I hit the gravel driveway hard. Stones bit into my palms.

The guards dropped a bag beside me. My belongings, I realized. The few things I'd brought from home.

"One hour," the head guard said. "Don't test us."

They went back inside.

I lay there for five minutes. Maybe ten.

My body slowly shifted back to human. The pain was excruciating.

When it finally stopped, I was naked except for torn scraps of my dress.

I pulled clothes from my bag with shaking hands. Jeans. A sweater. Shoes.

Got dressed mechanically.

Then I started walking.

Away from the mansion. Away from the pack. Away from everything I'd ever known.

The sun was setting. Soon it would be dark.

I had nowhere to go. No money. No plan.

Just the clothes on my back and a shattered mate bond cutting me open from the inside.

This was how rogues died. Alone. Forgotten. Discarded.

I kept walking anyway.

Because stopping meant giving up.

And I wasn't ready to do that yet.

BRIAN POV..

The celebration continued after Juliana left.

Music played. People danced. Champagne flowed.

I wanted to set it all on fire.

"You look troubled, son." Father appeared beside me.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You hesitated during the rejection." His voice hardened. "That was unacceptable."

"She's our mate."

"She's a hybrid abomination who nearly destroyed our family's reputation." Father gripped my shoulder. Hard. "You did the right thing. All of you did."

I pulled away. "If you say so."

"I do." He smiled at the crowd. "This is a new beginning for our pack. Stronger bloodlines. Purer heritage. No more mistakes."

Mistakes.

That's what he called Juliana.

A mistake.

I left the ballroom and headed outside. Needed air. Space to think.

Harper and Soren were already there, standing on the terrace.

"We're monsters," Harper said without preamble.

"Yes," I agreed.

Soren said nothing.

"She could die out there," Harper continued. "Rogues don't survive alone."

"She won't be alone." Soren pointed to the tree line. "Look."

Three figures emerged from the forest. Rogues, judging by their worn clothes and cautious movements.

They were heading in the direction Juliana had gone.

"Her father's people," Harper realized. "They'll help her."

Relief washed through me.

She wouldn't die.

At least not tonight.

"We should check on her," I said. "Make sure—"

"No." Harper's voice was firm. "We made our choice. Now we live with it."

"Harper..."

"I said no!" He spun to face us. "We rejected her. Publicly. In front of everyone. Going after her now would just cause more pain."

"More pain?" I laughed bitterly. "How much worse could it get?"

"Trust me," Harper said. "It can always get worse."

We stood in silence, watching the forest.

Somewhere out there, our mate was suffering.

And there was nothing we could do about it.