Mated to Triplet Alphas After Rejected by One

Chapter 2: Shattered Dreams

The celebration inside the house felt like a mockery of my pain. Laughter and the clink of champagne glasses drifted through the open windows, each sound another dagger in my already shattered heart.

I stood there, frozen, my hand on the doorknob, unable to take that final step inside.

How could I face them? My parents, so lost in their joy for Lilith that they couldn't spare a thought for their other daughter. My sister, reveling in her triumph, her hand resting possessively on her stomach – the very thing that had stolen my future from me.

And Marcus...

A wave of nausea hit me at the thought of seeing him again, of watching him play the doting fiancé to my sister when just hours ago, I'd believed he was my destiny.

No. I couldn't do it. I couldn't walk into that house and pretend everything was fine when my entire world had just imploded.

Before I could second-guess myself, I turned and ran. Away from the house, away from the laughter, away from the life I'd thought was mine.

My feet carried me towards the dense forest that bordered our territory, my vision blurred by unshed tears.

Branches whipped at my face and arms as I plunged deeper into the woods, my once-beautiful dress catching and tearing on thorns and low-hanging limbs. But I barely felt it. The physical pain was nothing compared to the gaping void in my chest where my heart used to be.

I ran until my lungs burned and my legs trembled, driven by a desperate need to put as much distance between myself and the pack house as possible. Finally, I stumbled to a halt, bracing myself against a gnarled old oak tree as I gasped for breath.

As the adrenaline faded, the reality of my situation crashed over me like a tidal wave. I slid down the rough bark of the tree, not caring about the splinters digging into my skin, and buried my face in my hands.

Why? The question echoed in my mind, a torturous loop I couldn't escape. Why didn't they love me? What had I done wrong?

Memories flashed through my mind, a painful slideshow of a lifetime of neglect:

My fifth birthday, watching Lilith unwrap present after present while I sat in the corner with my single, hastily wrapped gift.

My first day of high school, my mother fussing over Lilith's outfit while barely sparing me a glance.

Every achievement, every milestone, overshadowed by my sister's accomplishments. Always second best. Always the afterthought.

And now this – the ultimate betrayal. My sister pregnant with my mate's child, my parents celebrating as if it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to our family.

Maybe it was.

Maybe I really was as worthless as they'd always made me feel.

A sob tore from my throat, raw and primal. Once I started, I couldn't stop. Years of pent-up pain and frustration poured out of me as I wept, my cries echoing through the empty forest.

I don't know how long I sat there, lost in my misery. But eventually, the tears ran dry, leaving behind a hollow emptiness that was almost worse than the pain.

Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings again. The forest had grown dark, the last rays of sunlight filtering weakly through the canopy above. A chill had settled in the air, raising goosebumps on my bare arms.

I needed to move. I couldn't stay here all night, no matter how tempting it was to just curl up and let the forest swallow me whole.

With effort, I pushed myself to my feet, wincing at the stiffness in my limbs. Where could I go? Not back to the pack house – the thought alone made my stomach churn. But I needed somewhere to clear my head, to try and make sense of the chaos my life had become.

The cliff.

My feet carried me there almost on autopilot, navigating the familiar path through the darkening woods. As I walked, fragments of memories flitted through my mind:

The first time I'd found this place, barely twelve years old, fleeing from another of Vanessa's cruel pranks at school. I'd stood at the edge, heart pounding, half-terrified and half-exhilarated by the sheer drop before me.

Countless nights spent here during my teen years, staring out at the endless expanse of sea and sky, dreaming of a future where I'd finally be seen, be valued. Where I'd find my place in the world.

And more recently, the hours I'd whiled away imagining my life with Marcus, planning our future together as Luna and Alpha of the Crimson Moon Pack.

What a fool I'd been.

The trees thinned, and suddenly, I was there. The cliff stretched out before me, a jagged edge between land and sea. Far below, waves crashed against the rocks, their roar a soothing white noise that drowned out the ceaseless chatter of my thoughts.

I approached the edge, feeling the wind whip around me, tugging at my hair and the tatters of my dress. The sea breeze was wild tonight, matching the tumult in my heart. But as I stood there, letting the wind buffet me, I felt the first stirrings of calm.

This place had always been my refuge, my escape from a world that never seemed to have a place for me. Here, I could just... be. No expectations. No disappointments. Just me and the endless horizon.

I sank to the ground, my legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. The rough stone beneath me was cool, grounding me in the present moment. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply of the salt-tinged air.

For a moment – just a moment – I allowed myself to imagine stepping off that edge. Of letting the sea claim me, washing away all the pain and heartache of this cursed day. It would be so easy...

But no. I wasn't ready to give up. Not yet.

I don't know how long I sat there, lost in thought, letting the wildness of the cliff settle into my bones.

But gradually, I became aware of a different kind of discomfort. A stinging sensation, spreading across my skin.

Frowning, I looked down at my arms. In the dim moonlight, I could see dozens of tiny scratches crisscrossing my pale skin – souvenirs from my mad dash through the forest. Some were still oozing blood, tiny crimson beads welling up.

That was... strange. By now, they should have started healing. These cuts should have been nothing more than faint pink lines by now.

A chill that had nothing to do with the night air ran down my spine. With trembling fingers, I probed one of the deeper cuts on my forearm. Pain flared, sharp and immediate.

No. No, this couldn't be happening.

I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding. I needed to shift. My wolf form would heal these injuries in seconds.

I reached for that familiar presence inside me, that wild, untamed part of my soul that was as much a part of me as my own heartbeat.

Nothing.

Where there should have been a eager surge of energy, a flood of strength and vitality, there was only... emptiness. A void where my wolf should have been.

"No," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Please, no."

I tried again, desperately searching for even the faintest flicker of my wolf. But there was nothing. She was gone.

The realization hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled, and I crumpled to the ground, a keening cry tearing from my throat.

My wolf was gone. Truly, irrevocably gone.

I'd known, on some level, that this might happen. Rejection by a mate could have devastating consequences for a wolf. But I'd clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, I'd be spared this final indignity.

But no. The universe wasn't done punishing me yet.

A burning sensation bloomed in my chest, spreading outward like wildfire. The mate bond, what little of it had formed, was disintegrating. I clutched at my chest, gasping for air as wave after wave of agony crashed over me.

This was it. The final severance. The last tie binding me to Marcus, to the life I'd thought was mine, burning away to ash.

Blood filled my mouth, coppery and warm. I turned my head, retching, spitting a mouthful of crimson onto the rocky ground.

The world spun around me, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision. I swayed, teetering dangerously close to the cliff's edge.

Why? The question echoed in my mind as consciousness began to slip away. What did I do to deserve this? Why does everyone hurt me?

As if from a great distance, I heard voices. Shouts of alarm. The pounding of feet against stone.

"Lucian, Keal!" A deep voice called out, urgent and commanding. "That girl is seriously injured!"

I tried to turn towards the sound, but my body wouldn't cooperate. The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was the blurred outlines of three towering figures rushing towards me.

Then, blessed oblivion.