Bound by the alpha’s contract

Rejected mate

Rebecca's POV

I don't remember how I got to our bedroom, my vision blurred with unshed tears and hot rage pounding through my veins. But suddenly I was there, tearing through William's things with a primal fury l'd never experienced before-almost animal in its intensity.

My hands trembled as they discovered a hidden compartment in his nightstand, revealing intimate photos of him and Olivia.

Their bodies entangled in ways he'd never been with me, along with a platinum bracelet engraved with their initials wrapped in a symbol I recognized from werewolf mating rituals.

My fingers found something else a small velvet box. When I opened it, a diamond. engagement ring sparkled back at me, far more extravagant than the one currently on my finger. Attached was a handwritten card that made my stomach twist into knots: [To my true love. Always yours, W.]

I sank onto the edge of the bed, the ring pinched between my trembling fingers, staring at it in disbelief. Even amidst the devastation, a tiny, foolish part of me wondered if there was some explanation,

some misunderstanding that could salvage the five years we'd spent together. Each photo, each love note burned into my retinas, acid tears finally spilling over my cheeks.

That's when my human ears caught it-the distinctive sound of a key in the front door lock.

My entire body froze, heart hammering so loudly I was certain even a human could hear it, let alone a werewolf with enhanced senses.Voices drifted in from the entryway. William's deep timbre, the voice that had whispered promises of forever, was accompanied by a feminine laugh I instantly recognized. Olivia.

They were here. Together.

...we could have just gone straight to my place," Olivia was saying, her voice playful and intimate in a way l'd never heard when she spoke to me-the tone of a woman confident in her position.

"I want to shower first. I smell like the gym, and you know how sensitive your werewolf nose is," William replied.

The floor seemed to tilt beneath me as they rounded the corner into the bedroom and

stopped dead in their tracks. William's face drained of all color, and Olivia's perfectly manicured hand, which had been possessively resting on his waist, dropped awav in shock."Rebecca?" William's voice cracked, the confident future Delta of the Silver Moon

Pack suddenly sounding like a caught schoolboy. "Aren't you supposed to be at Sofia's?"

I couldn't speak. My vocal cords seemed paralyzed as I sat there, photos and letters clutched in my lap, his family ring on my finger.

Olivia recovered first, a slow, smug smile spreading across her perfectly made-up face, her eyes briefly flashing a predatory gold at the corners. "Well, well. I guess the cat's out of the bag-or should I say the wolf?" She let out a cruel laugh. "Honestly,

I've been tired of hiding for years. Though I didn't expect the big reveal to happen the night before the wedding. Poor little human.""Five years," I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper, each word scraping my throat like broken glass. "We've been together for five years... and you and my bridesmaid..."

William stepped forward, his eyes darting to the evidence scattered across our bed. The

amber of his irises began to bleed gold around the edges-the first sign of his wolf surfacing. "Rebecca, you shouldn't be going through my private things. That's an invasion of privacy."

I backed away instinctively, my human survival instincts screaming danger even as

the hurt in my chest transformed into something hotter, sharper-rage that burned away my tears. "The boy... James. He's your son? How long has this been going on?"

Olivia flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, adjusting her designer handbag with an arrogant flick of her wrist. "He's six.

William and I were together long before you came along, darling. Why do you think he never spends the full moon with you?"

"So these five years have all been lies?" My voice grew stronger, vibrating with the fury building inside me. "You were planning to

marry me, complete your werewolf marking ceremony, and then just continue cheating with her? Use me to secure your precious Delta position?"

William approached me, his movements fluid.

His voice took on the reasonable, patronizing tone he used when explaining things he thought were beyond my human understanding. "Rebecca, you need to understand that this is common in werewolf

society, especially for those of us rising in rank. You're my destined mate, and that bond is sacred to the Pack, but that doesn't exclude other... needs. Once I become Delta

_"

Olivia laughed, her eyes now fully golden, revealing her werewolf nature. "He might need you as his mate to elevate his status with the Alpha and the elders, but he loves me. Our son is his pride and joy—his true heir.

You're just his ticket to becoming a Delta, his political mate. Every powerful wolf needs one."The fire in my chest roared to life, consuming every tender feeling l'd ever had for William.

"What am I to you? Some fool you can use whenever it's convenient? A pawn in your

werewolf political games? A human trophy to parade before the Alpha?"

William grabbed my wrist, his grip painfully tight with inhuman strength. I watched in

horror as his nails thickened and elongated slightly-not a full shift, but enough to remind me of what he truly was. "Listen, the wedding is tomorrow. You cannot refuse the mate bond-it's crucial for my position as Delta.

You know how important my father's relationship with the Alpha is... This marriage will secure generations of status for my bloodline."

I struggled to pull away, but his werewolf strength held me in place. His claws pricked my skin, drawing tiny beads of blood. "You're hurting me!" I gasped, the physical pain. nothing compared to the agony of betrayal tearing through my heart.

I'd been manipulated, lied to, and now they were discussing me as if I were nothing more than a temporary inconvenience, a stepping stone on William's path to power.

"You two deserve each other!" With a sudden burst of strength born from pure rage, I wrenched my arm free from William's grasp, the scratch of his claws leaving thin red lines on my skin.

I yanked the diamond engagement ring from my finger and hurled it straight at William's face, striking him just below his eye. He flinched, more from surprise than pain, his hand flying up to touch the small red mark forming on his cheek.

"Take it!" I shouted, my voice breaking with emotion. "I refuse to be your mate! I refuse to participate in your marking ceremony!"

William's face contorted with anger and disbelief as he stooped to retrieve the ring from where it had fallen.

William's expression darkened. "If you walk out that door, you're rejecting the mate bond.

There's no coming back from that."

"Good." I yanked the door open. "Consider yourself rejected."

I could hear William shouting behind me, threatening the dire consequences of refusing a mate bond, but all I felt was an overwhelming sense of relief mixed with the pain of betrayal and fear of an uncertain future.

I ran until my high heels scraped my heels raw, finding myself downtown, far from the upscale residential area where William's apartment was located. I'd run blindly, with no destination in mind, and now I stood on a busy street corner, surrounded by bars and restaurants still bustling with late night club

Exhausted, thirsty, disillusioned, disappointed, heartbroken, and furious, I stumbled into a high-end establishment called "Moonlight Lounge."

I slid onto a barstool and ordered a double vodka tonic, telling the bartender to "keep them coming."

I took another gulp of my drink, the bitter reality settling in my stomach like lead. I had no fiancé, no home, no job (I'd quit my teaching position at William's insistence), and I was in a city largely controlled by a werewolf pack whose Delta l'd just publicly rejected.

Not to mention I had no idea how l'd help my sick father now.

It was well past midnight when the

atmosphere in the bar shifted. Conversations hushed, and a path cleared through the crowd as a tall figure moved toward the VIP section. The bartender immediately prepared a whiskey neat without being asked, and I found myself studying the man who commanded such deference.

He had high cheekbones, defined lips, a square jaw, and a straight nose. His deep brown hair fell in loose waves, and when he glanced in my direction, I caught a flash of the deepest blue eyes l'd ever seen-like midnight ocean depths holding secrets no human could fathom. On his right pinky finger was a black onyx ring I recognized as the mark of the Sterling family.

Dominic Sterling. Future Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack and CEO of Sterling Enterprises.

Seeing him in person, I could believe it. There was something magnetic about him that made my skin flush with unexpected heat.

I checked my phone and realized it was past midnight. l'd had too much to drink, my bank account was nearly empty, and I had no way to get back to Sofia's-I'd left my wallet and phone charger there, thinking l'd only be gone a few minutes to retrieve a necklace. A ring I would never need now.

I paid my bill with my nearly maxed-out credit card, leaving a modest tip. As I stood, the room swayed slightly, the alcohol hitting me harder than expected. I turned to leave, but in my wobbly state, I collided with a solid wall of muscle clothed in what felt like custom-

tailored silk.

.

A warmth spread from my core outward, making me acutely aware of every inch where our bodies connected. I looked up into deep blue eyes that momentarily flashed gold at the edges, and something electric passed between us—like a current jumping between two live wires.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, unable to look away from Dominic Sterling's face. My lips parted involuntarily as his gaze swept over me with an intensity that seemed to pierce through all my defenses. Something strange flickered in his expression-shock, recognition, something that made his pupils dilate and his breath visibly hitch—and I felt an odd connection, a pull l'd never experienced before.

I steadied myself, still trapped in the magnetic field of those deepest blue eyes.

His hand had instinctively settled on my waist to steady me, and where his fingers pressed against my dress, my skin burned with awareness. But as I stared at

Dominic Sterling, a wicked thought crossed my alcohol-muddled mind.

William Moretti's greatest fear. The man my ex had warned me never to cross paths with.

"You okay?" His deep voice rumbled through me, commanding and authoritative yet somehow intimate, as if he'd whispered it against my ear.

I straightened my spine, meeting his gaze directly. "How do you know I'm not okay, Mr.

Sterling?" | deliberately let my fingers brush against the black onyx ring on his right hand, allowing them to linger a moment too long on his warm skin.

His eyes narrowed slightly, his nostrils flaring as if catching my scent. "You recognize me." A statement, not a question.

I smiled, emboldened by alcohol and heartbreak. "Who in this city doesn't know the future CEO of Sterling Group?" | leaned closer, lowering my voice to a sultry whisper, close enough that my breath would caress his neck. "I also know you're the heir to the Silver Moon Pack."

Dominic glanced around, suddenly alert, his body tensing in a way that only emphasized his power. "Interesting knowledge for a human girl. Who sent you?"

"Nobody." I moved closer, the scent of his cologne making my head swim and heat pool low in my belly. "Tonight, I'm acting entirely for myself." I deliberately lowered my voice, letting my lips nearly brush his ear. "I want to leave this place. Preferably not alone. What

about you, Mr. Sterling?"

His expression remained guarded, but something flickered in those blue depths— hunger, curiosity, and something almost like reverence. His breathing had deepened, and I could see the rapid pulse at his throat.

"Come with me," he said finally, his hand finding the small of my back, fingers splaying possessively as he guided me forward.