The Alpha Rejected me for my Sister

Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life. The entire pack house glowed with golden lights. Music drifted through the halls while guests laughed and celebrated downstairs. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling, drinking, and preparing for the ceremony that would unite me with my fated mate. Lucas Ravencrest. The man I had loved for years. The man I believed I would spend the rest of my life with. I stood before the mirror in my room, smoothing my hands over my silver dress. My wolf stirred excitedly inside me. "Tonight is our night," she whispered. A smile touched my lips. Tonight was our night. Or at least, it was supposed to be. I glanced at the clock. Lucas was late. My smile faded. That was unusual. Lucas was many things, but he was never late to important events. Especially not something as important as our mating ceremony. I reached for my phone and called him. No answer. Frowning, I tried again. Still nothing. A strange feeling settled in my chest. Maybe he was busy. Maybe the Alpha had asked him to handle something before the ceremony. That had to be it. Yet the uncomfortable feeling refused to disappear. Minutes passed. Then more. Guests were already gathering in the ceremonial hall downstairs. I could hear their voices from my room. Everyone was waiting. Including me. Another call. No answer. I bit my lip. Something was wrong. My wolf was growing restless. She did not like this. Neither did I. Unable to sit still any longer, I left my room. The hallways were crowded with pack members and visiting guests. Everyone greeted me warmly as I passed. I forced smiles in return. Inside, anxiety was beginning to consume me. Where was Lucas? Why was he avoiding my calls? I moved through the pack house quickly. As I reached the private Alpha wing, a familiar scent drifted through the air. Lucas. Relief immediately flooded me. There you are. I followed the scent. Each step eased some of the tension in my chest. Maybe he really was preparing a surprise. Maybe I had worried over nothing. The scent led me to a closed bedroom door. I stopped. Another scent lingered there too. A scent I knew almost as well as my own. Selena. My sister. Confusion flickered through me. Why would Selena be here with Lucas? I frowned. Maybe they were discussing the ceremony. That seemed reasonable enough. Then I heard laughter. A woman's laughter. Followed by a man's low chuckle. My stomach dropped. Suddenly, I could not breathe. No. My hand trembled as I reached for the doorknob. There had to be an explanation. There had to be. I slowly pushed the door open. The world stopped. Everything stopped. My heartbeat. My thoughts. My breathing. Lucas was in bed. And wrapped around him was my sister. The room blurred before my eyes. I stared at them. Waiting for reality to fix itself. Waiting for someone to laugh and tell me this was a terrible joke. But nobody laughed. Nobody spoke. Because it was real. Pain exploded through my chest. A pain so intense that I thought my heart might literally stop beating. Lucas sat up first. His eyes widened slightly. "Aria." My name sounded strange coming from his mouth. As though he no longer had any right to say it. I looked at him. Then at Selena. Then back at him. "How long?" My voice barely worked. Neither answered. The silence told me everything. Tears burned my eyes. "How long?" I demanded. Selena rolled her eyes. Actually rolled her eyes. As though I was the problem. As though I had interrupted something important. I felt sick. Lucas sighed heavily. "Aria, calm down." A broken laugh escaped my lips. Calm down? He wanted me to calm down? I had just caught my mate in bed with my sister on the night of our mating ceremony. And he wanted me to calm down. The betrayal was suffocating. The humiliation was unbearable. Yet somehow the worst was still coming. Lucas swung his legs off the bed. His expression was cold. Detached. Nothing like the man I thought I knew. "I didn't want you to find out like this." My heart shattered further. "Find out what?" The question came out as a whisper. Lucas glanced at Selena. Then he looked back at me. And destroyed my entire world. "I love her." Silence. Pure silence. The words echoed inside my head. I love her. Not you. Her. My sister. The woman standing beside him. The woman who had shared my childhood. My secrets. My trust. I felt my knees weaken. Years. Years of loving him. Years of believing he loved me too. And none of it had mattered. Selena smirked. The sight of it made something dark stir inside me. She was enjoying this. Enjoying my pain. Enjoying my humiliation. Then Lucas delivered the final blow. "She's pregnant." The room spun violently. My ears rang. For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. Pregnant. Selena was pregnant. With Lucas's child. The child that should never have existed. A sharp pain tore through my chest. I pressed a hand against my heart. My wolf howled inside me. Not from jealousy. Not from sadness. From betrayal. The bond that connected me to Lucas felt poisoned. Corrupted. Dead. Tears streamed down my face. Neither of them looked sorry. Neither of them cared. And suddenly, something changed inside me. The pain was still there. But beneath it was anger. Cold. Sharp. Dangerous anger. I looked at Lucas. Really looked at him. For the first time, I saw the truth. He wasn't the man I loved. The man I loved would never have done this. The man standing before me was a stranger. A coward. A liar. A traitor. And I was done crying for him. Lucas frowned. Perhaps he expected me to beg. To fight for him. To ask him to choose me. Instead, I straightened my shoulders. The tears on my face dried. My wolf rose beside me. Strong. Proud. Unbroken. I lifted my chin. Confusion appeared in Lucas's eyes. Then I spoke. Clearly. Firmly. Without hesitation. "I reject you." The room froze. Lucas stared at me. Selena's smirk disappeared instantly. Neither of them had expected that. They thought I would fall apart. They thought I would chase after him. They thought I would always be the weak girl desperate for his love. They were wrong. For the first time all night, I felt powerful. Lucas opened his mouth. No words came out. Good. Let him be shocked. Let him feel even a fraction of what I had felt. I turned toward the door. "Aria, wait." His voice stopped me for only a second. I looked back over my shoulder. The bond between us felt colder than ice. Whatever future we were supposed to have was gone. Destroyed by his own choices. "You made your decision," I said quietly. "Now I am making mine." Then I walked away. Away from Lucas. Away from Selena. Away from the life I thought I wanted. As I stepped into the hallway, the sounds of celebration drifted toward me from downstairs. The guests were still waiting. They had no idea that everything had changed. They had no idea that the future Alpha had betrayed his mate. They had no idea that tonight's ceremony would never happen. But they would know soon. Everyone would. Because I was done being silent. Done being weak. Done allowing people to hurt me. If tonight was the night my world ended... Then tomorrow would be the day I began taking revenge. And neither Lucas nor Selena would be ready for what was coming next.