Rejected by my mate, Claimed by the Alpha

CHAPTER ONE: XYRA'S POV The heavy scent of pine and candle wax wrapped around me as I stood at the altar. My hands trembled just a little under the lace sleeves of my gown. Sixteen years of empty rooms and cold nights had led to this moment. After the raid stole my parents, I bounced between charity shelters run by distant wolf packs. They gave me food and a bed for short stretches but I never belonged. I was always the outsider. Always temporary. Zeth saw me one rainy evening and pulled me close. Three years of his steady presence turned my lonely world into something warm. This marriage was not just love. It was survival. A true home where no one could push me out again. A place where I finally mattered. Zeth stood beside me tall and steady in his wedding attire. His fingers brushed mine and I smiled up at him. Those warm brown eyes had always made my chest feel lighter. "You look beautiful Xyra" he said quietly. His voice carried that gentle rumble I had come to crave. "I cannot wait to make this official." "I feel the same," I whispered back. The words tasted sweet on my tongue. "After everything. You feel right." The elder spoke the ancient words and we exchanged our vows. I repeated each line with my whole heart. Zeth did the same, his gaze locked on mine. When the ritual cup came he lifted it first for me. "Drink with me love" he said. "Let this wine seal our bond forever." The metal felt cool against my palm as I brought it to my lips and sipped deeply. The liquid tasted warm and spiced at first. Then something strange hit. A faint metallic edge like blood mixed with the grapes. I paused but smiled anyway. I brushed it off as nerves on my big day. Nothing more. The ceremony ended with cheers from the gathering. Zeth took my hand and led me through the hall. We slipped away to our private chambers at the back of the building. The door closed behind us with a solid thud then he turned the key in the lock. I thought it was for privacy. My new husband wanted us alone on our wedding night. I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around his neck. "We did it, Zeth. I am yours now. Truly yours." He held me for a moment then pulled back. His smile stayed in place but his eyes changed. They grew distant. Almost amused in a way that sent a chill across my skin. "Yes, you are mine Xyra. Only for the next few minutes at least." I laughed softly thinking he teased me. "What do you mean? Come here, I wanna feel you." He walked to the small table and poured himself a glass of water. "Three years Xyra. Three years of careful planning. You were easier than I expected. So trusting. So eager for any scrap of attention from someone who pretended to care." *Pretended?* The word landed like stones in my gut. I stared at him searching for the joke. My smile faded. "Zeth stop. This is our wedding night. If this is some game it is not funny." "I am not joking." His tone stayed soft, almost gentle. That scared me more than shouting would have. He set the glass down and faced me fully. "The Consortium," he said, "is worth more than you can imagine. The mines alone." He paused, like he was being patient with someone slow. "Your parents built something extraordinary. It's a shame they were so careful about who could inherit it." The word *parents* hit her somewhere deep. "When your parents died they left a little something for their dearly beloved daughter. The will gives operational control to your husband upon marriage." He straightened his cuffs. "The codicil, the one filed six months ago, states that if you die childless within the first year of marriage, full ownership transfers to the widower." He looked at me. "Permanently." I heard the words and I understood them individually. They didn't assemble into anything that made sense. "Zeth." Her voice cracked on his name. "We just got married." "Yes." He picked up the dagger. "You said I was your shadow." I whispered. Something moved through his expression, there and gone. It wasn’t guilt but something closer to mild inconvenience. "I said a lot of things. They worked, didn't they?" My knees buckled. I caught the edge of the bedpost to keep me from falling. The room started to tilt slowly. "No. You love me. You… you said it everyday.” The metallic taste from earlier flooded back stronger. My tongue felt thick and heavy. I pressed a hand to my stomach as the first wave of dizziness hit. "The wine. You put something in the wine." "Smart girl," he said with a small nod. "Slow enough for us to talk but fast enough so you won't cause real trouble. I wanted you to hear it from my lips. To see your face when everything crumbles." Tears burned my eyes. I wanted to scream at him, to hit him to make this nightmare stop. But my body betrayed me first. My legs shook as I took one step toward him. "Why? I gave you everything Zeth. My heart, my trust , my body. I told you things I never shared with anyone. The nights I woke crying from old memories and you held me. Was any of it real?" He sighed like a parent disappointed in a child. "Some parts were pleasant enough. You are pretty when you smile and you warmed my bed nicely. But business is business Xyra.” The betrayal sliced through me sharper than any blade. I clutched my chest as if I could hold my breaking heart together. All those quiet evenings where he kissed my forehead and promised I would never face the world without him. Lies. Every touch, every whispered word, every plan for children and a shared life. I had built my entire future on sand and now the tide rushed in. "How could you do this to me?" My voice cracked and tears spilled down my cheeks. "I was alone for so long. You knew that. You saw how much I needed someone to stay. I loved you with every piece of me. Does that mean nothing?" Zeth crossed his arms. His face showed no real regret. "Oh poor thing.” I sank to the edge of the bed. My wedding gown pooling around me like a cruel joke and the dizziness grew worse. Black spots danced in front of my eyes. "Please Zeth. If any part of you cared even a little let me go. Do not do this." He stepped closer and tilted my chin up with one finger. His touch felt cold now. "I cannot. Loose ends are dangerous. Sleep Xyra. It will be easier that way." The room spun faster. I tried to push his hand away but my arms felt like lead. "You will regret this," I whispered. My words slurred at the edges. "Someone will see what you are." He laughed softly. "They will see what I want them to see. And by then, you will be gone." The door stayed locked. That sound from earlier echoed in my head now. Final. Unyielding. My eyes grew heavy as the poison pulled me under. The home I thought I had found had never been mine at all. I had walked into my own ending with open arms and a hopeful heart. Betrayal burned hotter than the poison in my veins. As darkness closed in, the last clear thought I had was how completely I had been fooled by the man I called husband.