Secretly Rejected My Alpha Mate

ELENA
 I manage to hold the smile on my face as my son runs into the living room, jumping excitedly at the sight of his birthday cake. Seeing him so excited means everything to me. 
 “Mom!” he yells, “I can’t believe it, you actually got the perfect birthday cake!” 
I smile and glance across the room as Alpha Drake, my husband and Alpha of the Black Talon pack walks in. I could feel his aura miles away, causing goosebumps to litter my skin like confetti. He carries a brooding look on his face that breaks partly into a brief, emotionless smile as he picks up our son. He doesn’t even bother to look at me as he carries him to the table where the huge cake is placed. 
 “You got what he wanted right this year,” Drake says, his thick black eyebrows furrowing as he glances at me. Halo giggles as he grips the knife on the cake and Drake stabs a glare at me, a silent signal for me to join him behind Halo. My heart lurches and I rush to his side, but he doesn’t hold me, just a huge hand that he rests on Halo’s tiny shoulder. I gulp down the emptiness I feel and smile down at Halo. 
“On three, Halo,” his deep voice rumbles. “Three, two-” 
Suddenly, Drake’s phone rings and the cheerful air ceases as if life itself has been sucked out of the room. “Dad! We were almost at one!” Halo whines. “I'll be back,” Drake says flatly, walking toward the door. I lean over Halo’s shoulders and whisper to him, “Come on, Halo. Cut your cake.” 
 “No!” Halo exclaims stubbornly and his voice sends a ripple through my heavy heart, “not without dad!” 
I glance at Drake who is standing at the door. Clearly, he hears Halo’s cries but he doesn’t look back. I try to comfort Halo until Drake returns, but the latter only comes back with terrible news. “I have to leave,” he says coldly and my heart tumbles to my stomach, “something came up that I must attend to. Happy birthday, Halo.” “Dad!” Halo cries, “are you really going to leave on my birthday? I wanted to spend tonight with you and mom.” Drake impatiently glances at the door, “Not tonight. Maybe some other time.” I quickly catch up to him as he walks out of the door, “Drake, you can't leave our son now. He begged for this all week. Just the three of us tonight, that was his birthday wish.” Halo also wants a special edition watch that Drake had promised him two weeks ago, but I won't dwell on that. Drake’s presence makes Halo more excited than anything else. “I know, but it is urgent, Elena. I have to leave,” he glances at his watch again. “I'm sure you can handle things here.” He says and walks out of the room briskly. 
Halo sighs loudly and I turn around to see that he has already cut his cake. My heart aches badly as I rush to his side. “Here, Halo, let me cut a slice of it for you. It's just the two of us tonight, daddy's busy, okay?” I coo, holding a storm of tears back. 
 “I don’t want it, mum. I have school tomorrow, so I have to go to bed early.” 
I stare at him in shock. I always have to force him to go to bed and I feel so terrible as I watch him stroll out of the living room. This is his dream night and because of Drake, everything is completely ruined. I drop sluggishly on the couch, a defeated sigh escaping me. How long can I continue living with Drake like this? 
 How stupid I was to have been excited when I found out that I would be the luna of the pack, Alpha Drake’s wife. It didn’t make sense to anyone, not even to me that a rogue slave turned out to be the mighty Alpha’s mate, more shockingly that he had married and made me his luna. 
 I don’t even have a wolf, no rogue slave does, the Black Talon pack makes sure of that. When I was younger, I had been captured by Drake’s father’s men and taken into the torture room where rogue slaves are de-wolfed. I didn’t have my wolf when I was captured, which meant that they couldn’t extract my canines like they did to everyone else or tear out my claws, because I had none of that but after what they did to me, I stood no chance of ever having a wolf. 
A drop of tears rolls down my cheek when I remember the excruciating pain I felt that dreadful night. They had coated a metal rod with liquid silver and heated it up and one of the men placed the hot silver-coated rod on my back, just above my spine to kill my wolf or my chances of ever having one. It was brutal and deadly, but it was effective. 
My heart aches whenever I remember that I will never be able to shift into my wolf, but ever since getting married to Drake, I always try to focus on the future and what could be, but Drake… I scoff bitterly and shake my head in regret. He never treats me like a luna. Why should he? After all he only married me because the mate bond is sacred to him. *** “Mom, you don’t have to drop me off in front of the school gate. Now, everyone will see that I’m still a mummy’s boy.” Halo whines as I switch off the ignition. 
I beam at him and pinch his cheek softly, “Oh, but you still are, my dear Halo. Come on, let me give you a kiss.” I lean in and peck his forehead gently and he pushes me away giggling. A classmate of Halo’s rushes toward us with a smile as we step on the pavement. 
 “Happy birthday, Halo!” The cute little boy exclaims, “I saw it on my ipad, your birthday party was mad lit!” Birthday party? I scrunch my brows in confusion just as another child, a girl, rushes to the scene, “Yeah! You also saw it? I’m quite disappointed you didn’t invite me, Halo. I had to watch everything on social media,” her frown spreads into a smile, “but I like you, so you are forgiven. Did you bring the bracelet?” 
 I am so confused that I can’t even utter a word. Halo frowns, “What bracelet?” 
“Your birthday gift!” the girl stresses, “everyone saw it. Why didn’t you wear it?” 
I swallow as I see the disappointment on Halo’s face. Halo never had a party, nor was any gift received. 
 “Mom, what are they talking about?” Halo asks, his confused, depressed eyes staring up at me. 
The girl’s eyes widen and she points behind us suddenly, “Look! There is the bracelet!” 
I turn around to see the beautiful blonde walking into the school with her son and on her son’s left wrist is a beautiful, limited-edition diamond bracelet. I know who the woman is, and the sight of her sends a chill down my spine. Rosa Davenworth, Drake’s childhood lover who he never stops talking about. She had broken up with him for her mate five years ago and left the pack but they still kept in touch. When did she come back? 
Seeing Rosa’s child with Halo’s dream bracelet could only mean that she was the one that had called Drake last night, she was what had been urgent! And instead of making Halo happy, Drake had decided to go to a child that wasn’t his, even giving him Halo’s birthday gift instead. Each pulse of my heartbeat sends a new wave of agony and disbelief into me, I can’t believe Drake can be so heartless to his own child.
 
 “Luna, you’re here,” Rosa says excitedly, a spurious smile curled across her full, red lips, “goddess, I didn’t think I’d meet you so soon and this charming young man of yours,” she waves at Halo who hides behind me and I cannot hide my displeasure at her presence. “Why do you look so sad? I thought my presence would lighten your mood, especially since we’ll be seeing each other more often very soon,” she smirks at me. 
 I frown at her, “Excuse me?” 
Her perfectly trimmed brows furrow and she leans in and whispers, her voice carrying sarcasm, “Didn’t Drake tell you? I’m divorced now and I will be moving in with him,” she grins mischievously, “I can finally be with the love of my life.”