MY ALPHA REJECT ME FOR MY SISTER

Ava POV I used to believe that no woman in the world was luckier than me. I was married to Alpha Adrian Blackwood, the most powerful Alpha in the Eastern territories. Women admired him, feared him, desired him, yet he chose me. Out of everyone, he chose me to stand beside him as his Luna. At least that was what I believed. Now, standing in the middle of our anniversary celebration while servants moved around carrying expensive wine and pack members filled the grand hall with laughter, I realized how foolish I had been. The Blackwood mansion had never looked more beautiful. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above us like stars while golden lights reflected against the marble floors. Flowers covered every corner of the hall because Adrian knew I loved white roses. Or maybe he used to know. Tonight was our third wedding anniversary. Three years of marriage. Three years of loving him with everything inside me. Three years of defending him whenever people called him cold-hearted. Three years of believing our bond was unbreakable. Yet the man standing beside me barely looked at me anymore. I forced a smile as another guest congratulated us before walking away. The moment they left, silence immediately returned between Adrian and me. That silence had become normal lately. Painfully normal. I slowly turned toward him. His sharp jaw was tense while his dark eyes looked distracted. Even while standing beside me, his attention was elsewhere. Somewhere else. Or maybe... someone else. “Are you alright?” I asked softly. For a moment, I thought he did not hear me. Then his eyes finally moved toward mine.“I’m fine.” That was all. Just like every other night. “Is anything disturbing you?” I asked him quietly. “This is not the right time to discuss this, my dear.” His words again. I swallowed the disappointment rising inside my chest. “You’ve barely spoken to me today.” “I’m handling pack matters, Ava.” The answer came quickly, almost rehearsed. I stared at him quietly. “Even tonight?” A flicker of irritation crossed his face before disappearing just as quickly. “You heard me right.” His tone was cold enough to silence me immediately. For months, every conversation between us ended the same way. I kept telling myself things would improve. I told myself being Alpha came with pressure. I told myself he still loved me even if he no longer touched me the way he used to. But deep down, something inside me already knew the truth. I was losing my husband. The painful part was that I did not know when it started happening. A year ago, Adrian would not go a single day without kissing me. He would pull me into his arms whenever pack meetings became stressful and tell me I was the only peaceful thing in his life. Now he barely touched me at all. I looked down at the glass in my hand, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest. Maybe tonight would change things. Maybe after the party ended, I would finally tell him the secret I had been keeping for weeks. A small smile almost touched my lips as my hand unconsciously rested against my stomach. I was pregnant. A secret he did not know about. And tonight, I planned to tell him. I had imagined Adrian’s reaction countless times already. I imagined him smiling again for the first time in months. I imagined him pulling me into his arms, lifting me off the ground, and promising that everything between us would finally become alright again. That hope was the only thing keeping me together. Suddenly, the large entrance doors opened. The sound echoed loudly through the hall, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. At first, I barely looked up. Then my entire body froze. My younger sister walked inside like she belonged there. She stood near the entrance and looked around confidently. “Sophia...” I called softly, unable to believe my eyes. I was too shocked to run toward her. I just wanted to make sure this was truly my sister standing before me. The same Sophia who disappeared three years ago after stealing money from our family and abandoning everyone without explanation. Gasps and whispers immediately spread throughout the hall. “She came back?” “I thought she ran away forever.” “What is she doing here tonight?” Sophia looked stunning as always. Her dark curls framed her face perfectly while her fitted silver dress hugged every curve of her body. She looked polished, elegant, and confident. But it was not her appearance that made my chest tighten painfully. It was the way Adrian suddenly went completely still beside me. My eyes slowly moved toward him. The color drained from his face instantly. And the look he fixed on Sophia... It was not the look of a man surprised to see someone after years. It was the look of a man who already knew exactly where she had been all this time. My stomach dropped instantly. A terrible feeling crept into my chest. Sophia’s eyes finally landed on Adrian, and something silent passed between them. Something terrifying. Then she smiled softly before slowly walking toward us. I forced myself to move despite the strange weakness spreading through my body. “Sophia?” My voice sounded smaller than I intended. She finally looked toward me. For one second, guilt flashed across her face before fake tears immediately filled her eyes. “Ava...” The trembling in her voice sounded forced. I frowned immediately. “What are you doing here?” She lowered her head dramatically as if ashamed to even look at me. “I know you probably hate me.” “You disappeared for three years,” I replied quietly. “Without a single word.” More guests slowly gathered around us, sensing drama. The entire hall became painfully silent. Sophia suddenly looked toward Adrian again before placing one hand over her stomach. My breath caught instantly. The movement was small. But it shattered something inside me. “It shouldn’t be what I’m thinking,” I said within myself desperately. I slowly turned toward Adrian, waiting for confusion on his face. Waiting for denial. Waiting for him to laugh and tell me I was imagining things. Instead, guilt filled his eyes. Pure guilt. The room suddenly felt too hot. “What is going on?” I whispered. Neither of them answered. Fear crawled into my chest so violently that it became difficult to breathe. “Sophia,” I said again, this time louder. “Why are you touching your stomach?” Tears rolled down her cheeks immediately. “I didn’t want anyone finding out like this.” The entire room became silent enough to hear breathing. My heart pounded harder. “What are you talking about?” Then she finally said the words that destroyed my life. “I’m pregnant.” The guests gasped loudly. Forcing a smile onto my face, I nodded slowly despite the fear consuming me. “Really? Congratulations, Sophia. You finally found yourself a mate.” I swallowed hard before asking the question that terrified me the most. “Who is the lucky man?” Sophia slowly lifted her tearful eyes toward Adrian. Then she answered softly. “Alpha Adrian.” The room exploded into shocked whispers. I looked toward Adrian desperately. “Say something.” He remained silent. That silence terrified me more than anything else. Sophia lowered her head before whispering softly, “The baby belongs to Adrian.” The wine glass slipped from my fingers instantly. It shattered loudly against the marble floor while red wine spread everywhere like blood. Everybody stood watching. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. I could not feel my hands anymore. I could barely breathe. The world around me became blurry as I stared at my husband. My mate. The man I trusted more than anyone. “Tell me she’s lying.” My voice broke halfway through the sentence. Adrian closed his eyes briefly before finally speaking. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.” A sharp pain tore through my chest so violently that I physically staggered backward. He admitted it. Moon Goddess... He actually admitted it. A humiliating wave of whispers spread across the hall immediately. “She slept with her sister’s husband?” “The Luna didn’t know?” “How embarrassing.” I heard every single word from the pack members. Every whisper cut deeper into my skin. Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to cry in front of them. Not yet. “You cheated on me?” I whispered painfully. Adrian stepped forward immediately. “Ava, listen to me—” “No.” I shook my head slowly while staring at him in disbelief. “No... this can’t be real.” Sophia suddenly began sobbing dramatically behind him. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this—” “Shut up!” My scream echoed through the hall so loudly that several guests flinched. Sophia instantly hid behind Adrian like she was afraid of me. And Adrian— Adrian wrapped an arm around her protectively in front of the entire pack. Humiliation crashed over me so hard that I nearly stopped breathing. Did he just choose her? I stared at the hand resting around my sister’s waist and felt my heart completely shatter. “How long?” I asked weakly. Neither of them answered. I laughed bitterly despite the tears burning my eyes. “How long have you both been sleeping together behind my back?” Sophia kept crying while Adrian avoided my eyes completely. That alone answered my question. The most painful part was realizing Adrian had known where Sophia was all these years. Whenever I mentioned her name either in the bedroom or sitting room, he insulted her and acted like he hated her. But now? Now he stood there protecting her like she was the most precious woman in the world. “So you’ve been pretending all this while, Alpha Adrian?” I asked bitterly. For the first time that night, Adrian finally looked directly at me. His eyes were cold. Completely cold. “You are wolfless, weak, and incapable of becoming the Luna this pack truly needs,” he said without emotion. The entire hall became silent again. “I found everything I wanted in a Luna inside your sister.” Those words destroyed me completely. “But you...” He looked at me with disappointment. “I sometimes wonder what contribution you’ve truly made to this pack.” The guests surrounding us watched openly now, enjoying every second of my humiliation. Some looked shocked. Others looked entertained. “Don’t you think you’re making a fool of yourself before your pack members, Alpha Adrian?” I asked weakly. “No,” Adrian replied calmly. “I’m finally freeing myself from what you described as love.” His words hit harder than a slap. “Even the pack members can see how useless you are as Luna,” he continued mercilessly. “You are not worthy of standing beside me.” I stared at him in disbelief. “A thief and a manipulator is the woman you want beside you?” I asked painfully while pointing toward Sophia. “Don’t call her a thief,” Adrian replied sharply. “I already refunded your parents everything she stole.” My body froze instantly. Slowly, I turned toward my parents standing quietly among the guests. Neither of them looked shocked. Neither of them looked angry. Instead... They looked calm. Almost pleased. “Yes, Ava,” my mother, Margaret, replied with a small smile. My heart dropped painfully. I stared at both of them in disbelief. “You knew about this?” My father stepped forward calmly. “Who are we to oppose Alpha Adrian’s decision?” he said coldly. “He desires your sister more than you, and we cannot risk losing him to another family.” I felt physically sick. “Since you are weak and unable to even give him an heir, we agreed replacing you would be best for everyone,” my father continued heartlessly. “Sophia is your replacement now.” Tears rolled down my cheeks instantly. “No... this can’t be happening to me.” “You all betrayed me.” I pointed at my parents before turning toward Adrian. “I regret ever meeting all of you.” Suddenly, voices began rising everywhere around me. “We don’t want her as Luna anymore!” “She’s wolfless!” “She’s too weak!” “A wolfless she-wolf can never lead us!” The shouting became louder and louder until it completely filled the hall. My entire body trembled violently. Was this planned? Had Adrian arranged all this just to humiliate me publicly? The night that was supposed to be the happiest night of my life had suddenly become the worst day of my existence. “Take her out,” Adrian suddenly commanded coldly. Then he looked toward Sophia with softness in his eyes. “And let’s properly welcome our new Luna.” My heart shattered completely. Before I could react, the guards grabbed me roughly. I was dragged out of the celebration hall while everyone watched my humiliation in silence.