Rejected by the Alpha: The Lycan Queen's Rising

CHAPTER 004

CHAPTER 004

SIENNA'S POINT OF VIEW

I sat on the cold stone floor, with my back against the wall. The dungeon was cold, but I was colder than the stone. I tried to keep the anger, to feed myself on the rage that had sustained me for so long. It was hard, so hard, because all I felt was empty.

I should’ve been strong. I should have been the one people looked up to. But now? I was just a disappointment now.

I was from the Darkfire Pack, a legacy, a name that should have been respected. I should’ve been proud. But I wasn’t. I was merely a semblance of my true self. I wasn’t just born an Alpha. No, I had to prove myself. For months I had to suppress my wolf and keep her hidden until I was ready to take on the title and the responsibility. They wanted me to prove I was worthy, to prove I could lead.

And then I met him.

Cassian.

I had been so lost when I found him. After I’d been forced to keep my wolf suppressed, my wolf barely even recognized herself. I was broken. He saw me at my lowest, he found me, and he took me in. He told me I was special. He told me I mattered. I believed him for a while. I thought he could be my mate.

Two years together, and I wasn’t sure anymore. Each word, each touch was distant. I believed that we shared a love, but it was a fantasy that I had concocted in my mind, and it was never experienced by him.

I took a shaky breath, trying to keep the tears that were burning at the back of my eyes from falling. I didn’t even know why I should care anymore. He had told me that he didn’t care about me the way I needed. I felt nothing but exhaustion, as if every part of me was dying. And I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t even know if I wanted to.

I knew immediately who it was; the door to the dungeon creaked open. The first thing I noticed was his scent—the familiar earthy smell of him—the one I used to find comforting. It only reminded me of everything that had gone wrong now.

His eyes were dark with anger, his jaw clenched tight, and Cassian stepped into one of the cells. He spat my name like it was a curse, “Sienna.” “What the hell is going on? Why did you push Laura?”

I didn’t even look up at him. I couldn’t. “I didn’t push her,” I said, my voice shaking but steady. “She tripped. That’s all.”

He yelled, his fists clenching at his sides, “Bullshit!” “I saw you. Since she came here, you’ve been jealous of her! You’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone now. I can’t believe this, Sienna. “You’re better than this,” I thought.

My breath came faster, and my chest tightened. Each word stung him more than the next. He didn’t believe me. He never did. 'I begged,' I whispered, 'Cassian, listen to me, please!'

He already shook his head, and nothing softened in his expression. I don’t want to hear your excuses. You hurt her and you were jealous. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but this is beyond—’”

“I said, *stop*!” I shot to my feet and straight up as tall as I could, amid my legs quaking beneath me. I was done being the victim. I was sick of him accusing me. “You think I’m jealous? You think this is what this is? You don’t know me at all!”

Cassian froze. “What are you talking about?”

I snapped, my voice growing louder. “I’m sick of this.” “I’m exhausted of pretending. We’re exhausted of pretending we’re happy. I’m exhausted of pretending I love you.” I could hear my words in the cold room bouncing off the walls like a weight I could not shake. “I’ve had enough.”

His face flushed with anger, and his eyes widened. “Sienna, what the hell are you saying?”

I didn't back down; I took a step forward. “I want to break the bond. “I don’t want to be your mate anymore,” I said.

I didn’t take them back; no, the words felt like they had been ripped from my throat. I couldn’t take them back. It was the truth. The only truth I could grasp.

He hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to say. He looked at me like he didn’t even know who I was anymore. I didn’t care.

He sounded low and dangerous. “You want to break the bond?” “Everything I’ve done for you?

### Explanation:

After everything I’ve done for you? ‘After everything we’ve been through, you’re just going to throw it away?’”

His words stung, but not nearly as much as what I had been feeling every single day. He had never really seen me. Never really *heard* me. All he saw was what he wanted to see: a broken, displaced omega he could fix.

“I never asked,” I whispered, breaking my voice chilled on the walls. “You never asked me to save you.”

He took a step toward me, his face twisted in frustration, and grabbed my arm roughly. Sienna, why are you making a mistake? “Don’t you dare make this harder than it has to be.”

I pulled away from him, shaking my head. “No, you made it hard.” I didn’t want this. Not like this. Not with you.”

He looked at me for a long time, and for the first time I saw something flicker in his eyes—pain maybe, or regret. Then it disappeared, replaced by a cold hardness. “You want to break the bond? Fine. You’re not going anywhere, but.” He lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper. “You’re staying here. With me. Whether you like it or not.”

I wanted to scream. I wanted to hit him to make him understand what he had done to me. But I didn’t. I just stood there, my heart pounding in my chest, tears threatening to fall. I didn’t know if I could keep fighting. I didn’t know how much more I could handle.

He turned and began walking towards the door, but I saw his fist clench in the corner of my eye. He growled, “I’m not done with you yet.” “You’ll regret this.”

The door slammed shut behind him as he disappeared. I fell back to the cold floor, my body shaking from the weight of it all. I had just broken the most sacred bond in our world. Was I making a mistake? Was I finally freeing myself, or?

Now the dungeon was even colder, and the silence was louder than before.