Rejected by the Alpha Marked by Fate

Chapter4

Two of my father’s guards stormed in, their expressions carved from stone. My mother gasped beside me, her hand flying to her mouth.

"The Alpha has summoned you," one of them said, his voice cold, devoid of respect.

I didn't move. Every instinct in me screamed to run, but there was nowhere to go. My father had finally decided to deal with me himself.

The guards didn't wait for a response. One of them grabbed my arm, his grip bruising.

"Let go of her!" My mother stepped forward, her voice sharp with panic.

The other guard blocked her path, his expression impassive.

"Orders, Luna," he said simply.

I struggled, but their hold was iron-tight as they dragged me through the corridors. My heart slammed against my ribs. I didn’t want to see him. Not now.

The house had never felt so suffocating. The grand halls, lined with tapestries of my ancestors, seemed to mock me. Disgraceful. Unworthy. I could hear the whispers of the pack still lingering in the back of my mind.

Then, we reached the war room.

The guards shoved the heavy doors open and threw me inside. I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before I hit the stone floor.

And there he was.

My father sat at the long, polished round table, the firelight casting jagged shadows across his face. His expression was carved from ice, his eyes reflecting nothing but contempt. He didn’t rise. He didn’t even acknowledge my presence at first just stared at me with the kind of disappointment that twisted my stomach into knots.

He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "A whore."

The word hit harder than any slap.

I flinched, my throat tightening. "That’s not true."

His gaze snapped to mine, sharp as a blade. "Then tell me, Thalia, why did your mate reject you on your own wedding day?"

"Because Adrian lied to him," I said, my voice shaking. "I never"

"Lies?" My father’s voice turned deadly soft. "Adrian has always been a loyal son. Why would he lie about something so disgraceful?"

"Because he hates me!" I snapped, my frustration boiling over. "You know it. He’s been trying to destroy me since the day I was born!"

A heavy silence followed.

Then, with chilling calm, my father leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "You are a stain on this pack," he said. "A disgrace to my bloodline. I tolerated your weakness for years, thinking perhaps Valtor would make something of you. But even he has cast you aside like the useless thing you are."

A sharp pain lanced through my chest, but I forced myself to stand taller. "I am not useless," I gritted out.

My father let out a humorless laugh. "And yet, here you are, abandoned by your mate, shaming your family in front of the entire pack. Tell me, Thalia, what use do I have for a daughter who brings nothing but dishonor?"

My hands curled into fists. My nails dug into my palms. "You never cared about me," I whispered. "Not once."

He stood, his chair scraping against the stone floor. "You are no daughter of mine."

I barely had time to process his words before he turned to the guards. "Take her away."

My stomach plummeted.

"What?" My voice came out hoarse.

"You are no longer welcome in this house. In this pack," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Take her to the woods. Leave her there."

The air vanished from my lungs.

"No," my mother’s voice trembled. "You can't she's your daughter!"

My father didn’t even glance at her. "Not anymore."

I shook my head, stepping back. "You can’t do this." My voice cracked. "You’re banishing me?"

He didn’t answer.

The guards seized my arms. I thrashed against them, panic rising like wildfire in my chest. "Father, please!"

But he turned away, as if I was already gone.

"No!" My mother lunged forward, grabbing onto my wrist. "You can’t do this to her! She’s your blood!"

"Let go of her," my father ordered, his voice cold.

The guards yanked me toward the doors, dragging me away from my mother’s grasp.

"No! Thalia!" My mother screamed, clawing at the guards. One of them shoved her back, making her stumble. "Please, don’t do this!"

But my father remained unmoved. He simply watched, his expression void of anything resembling remorse.

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

The last thing I saw before the doors slammed shut was my mother collapsing to her knees, her sobs echoing down the corridor.

Then, the world turned to darkness.

In the Woods

The night air bit into my skin as the guards dragged me through the thick forest, their grips unrelenting. The moon hung high, casting eerie silver light through the skeletal branches. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

"You don’t have to do this," I gritted out. "You know this is wrong."

Neither of them answered.

The deeper we went, the more I realized this wasn’t just an exile. They weren’t leaving me at the border like a rogue. They were going deeper.

The realization sent a jolt of terror through me.

They weren’t just banishing me.

They were leaving me to die.

Finally, they stopped. One of them released my arm, the other shoving me forward. I stumbled, catching myself on my hands and knees. The damp earth pressed into my palms, cold and unforgiving.

"This is as far as we go," one of them said.

I forced myself to my feet, breathing hard. "If I die out here, my blood is on your hands."

The other guard scoffed. "If you die, it’s because you weren’t strong enough to survive. Just like the Alpha said."

Rage burned in my chest, but before I could speak, they turned and vanished into the trees, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence.

The wind howled through the branches, whispering things I didn’t want to hear.

I was alone and Abandoned.

The weight of it crashed down on me, suffocating, unbearable. My father had cast me aside like I was nothing. Valtor had believed the lies. Adrian had won.

I wrapped my arms around myself, the cold seeping into my bones.

Then, in the distance, a low growl rumbled through the trees.

I froze. Something was watching me. Waiting, And I was defenseless.