The Alpha's Unwanted Mate

Chapter Three: Fatted Collison

Charlotte adjusted the leather strap of her training armor as she walked through Pack A's sprawling training grounds. The early morning sun cast long shadows across the packed dirt, where other Luna guards were already sparring. Their synchronized movements created a deadly dance of precision and power. The position of Luna guard was coveted, and she'd fought hard to earn her place among their ranks.

She breathed in the crisp morning air, tinged with the scent of leather, steel, and sweat. Then another scent hit her – one that made her wolf rear up inside her, clawing at her consciousness. A scent that spoke of pine forests after rain, of wild herbs and something distinctly male. A scent she'd tried desperately to forget for the past two years.

Her steps faltered. No. Not here. Not now.

"Mate."

The word cut through the morning air like a blade. Charlotte's fingers curled into fists at her sides as she turned slowly, coming face to face with Ryat for the first time since that night at the Silver Moon Bar.

He stood there in training gear that did little to hide his warrior's build – black pants tucked into combat boots, a fitted gray shirt that emphasized broad shoulders. His dark hair was shorter than she remembered, and a fresh scar traced his jawline. But his eyes – those piercing amber eyes – were exactly the same.

"Don't," Charlotte bit out, her voice carrying enough venom to make nearby trainees step back. "You lost the right to call me that two years ago."

The memory rose unbidden, sharp and painful as a fresh wound...

---

*Two Years Ago - Silver Moon Bar*

The bar had been packed that night, the air heavy with the scent of alcohol and too many bodies in too small a space. Charlotte hadn't even wanted to be there – she was supposed to be focusing on her training with the Mountain Ridge Pack. But her temporary packmates had insisted she needed a night off.

That's when she'd first caught his scent.

It had hit her like a physical blow, making her wolf howl in recognition. Mate. Their destined mate. She'd searched the crowd frantically, finally spotting him at the bar. Even from across the room, she could see how handsome he was – tall and powerful, with an air of quiet confidence that made others naturally give him space.

Their eyes had met across the crowded room. She'd seen the recognition flash in his gaze, felt the mate bond spark to life between them like lightning striking earth. Her heart had practically sung with joy.

Then he'd turned away. Simply turned his back on her and walked out of the bar, ignoring the sacred bond as if it meant nothing.

She'd stood there, frozen in disbelief, as her wolf howled in anguish. The rejection had cut deeper than any blade, leaving a wound that festered with anger and hurt for two long years.

---

*Present Day*

"Charlotte, please," Ryat said, taking a step toward her. "Let me explain what happened that night."

"Explain?" She laughed, but there was no humor in it. Around them, other Luna guard trainees had stopped their exercises to watch the confrontation. "Explain how you ran away like a coward? How you rejected our mate bond without a second thought?"

"That's not what happened." His voice was firm, but she could see tension in the set of his shoulders. "I didn't reject anything. I was going through something you don't understand-"

"Oh, I understand perfectly." Charlotte's eyes flashed gold as her wolf pushed forward, responding to the turmoil of emotions. "I understand that the Goddess blessed us with a mate bond, and you treated it like garbage. Do you know what that did to me? To my wolf?"

A muscle ticked in Ryat's jaw. "If you'd let me explain-"

"I don't want your explanations!" The words exploded from her with such force that several nearby warriors took involuntary steps back. "I spent months trying to understand what I'd done wrong, what flaw in me made my own mate turn away. But the problem wasn't me, was it? It was you. You were too weak to face what the Goddess had planned."

"You don't know anything about me or what I was dealing with," Ryat growled, his own eyes beginning to glow with amber fire. The mate bond between them pulsed with shared anger and hurt, much as they both tried to ignore it. "I didn't even know what was happening that night until it was too late."

"Liar!" Charlotte's wolf was dangerously close to the surface now, her canines lengthening as she fought for control. "I saw the recognition in your eyes. You knew exactly what was happening, and you ran."

Their confrontation had drawn quite a crowd. Luna guards and trainees formed a loose circle around them, watching with a mixture of curiosity and concern as the drama unfolded. Charlotte could sense their judgment, their whispered speculation about why a destined mate would reject the bond. It only fueled her anger.

"I didn't run," Ryat insisted, his own control clearly slipping as his wolf responded to her aggression. "I was protecting you!"

"Protecting me?" Charlotte's laugh was bitter enough to burn. "From what? From the blessing of a mate bond? From happiness? Or were you just protecting yourself?"

The tension between them crackled like lightning before a storm. Their wolves pushed at the surface, responding to the volatile mixture of anger, hurt, and the undeniable pull of the mate bond they both fought so hard to ignore. The training ground had gone completely silent, everyone watching to see what would happen next.

Ryat's next words came out in a near growl. "You want to know the truth? Fine. But not here, not like this. Not with an audience."

"No." Charlotte lifted her chin defiantly. "You don't get to make the rules anymore. You lost that right the moment you walked away. Whatever explanation you've spent two years crafting, you can keep it. I'm here to serve as a Luna guard, nothing more."

She turned on her heel, ignoring the way the mate bond screamed at the separation, the way her wolf clawed at her insides, begging her to go back to him. She had a purpose here, a mission that went far beyond some destined mate who hadn't wanted her. Her father had trained her for this, had prepared her for greatness. She wouldn't let anyone – not even her mate – stand in the way of that.

But as she walked away, head held high despite the whispers that followed her, Charlotte couldn't quite silence the small, broken part of her that wondered what Ryat had been about to say. What truth could possibly justify rejecting a mate bond? What had been so terrible that he'd choose to walk away from the Goddess's blessing?

No. It didn't matter. She had a job to do, a position to prove herself worthy of. And Ryat... Ryat was just another obstacle to overcome, another test of her strength and determination.

She refused to let him see how much his presence affected her, how the mate bond still sang between them despite two years of silence. Let him watch her walk away now, as he had done to her. Let him feel what it was like to be the one left behind.

Charlotte straightened her shoulders and headed for the training ring. She had a session with the other Luna guards in ten minutes, and she'd be damned if she let this encounter throw her off balance. She was stronger now than she'd been two years ago. Stronger, harder, more focused.

And if her heart ached with every step she took away from her mate... well, that was nobody's business but her own.

"Ryat." A sharp female voice cut through the tension. "What is the meaning of this?"

Charlotte turned despite herself. A striking woman in her early fifties stood at the edge of the training grounds, her silver-streaked dark hair pulled back in an elegant twist. Her expression was thunderous as she stared at her son. Behind her stood the rest of Ryat's family – his brothers Noah and Logan, their mates Ryatine and Rose, and his father, whose stern features mirrored Ryat's own.

"Mother-" Ryat started, but she cut him off with a raised hand.

"Two years?" His mother's voice could have frozen flame. "You've had a mate for two years and said nothing?"

Noah, the eldest brother, stepped forward. His presence commanded attention, much like Ryat's, but where Ryat was all barely contained power, Noah moved with calculated precision. "Brother, explain yourself. This isn't like you."

"There's nothing to explain," Charlotte spat, even as her wolf whined at the sight of what should have been her family. Ryatine and Rose exchanged concerned glances, while Logan's expression darkened with disapproval. "Your brother made his choice two years ago when he walked away."

"I didn't walk away," Ryat growled, his composure finally cracking. "You're so convinced you know everything, but you don't know anything about me or my reasons!"

"Enough!" Ryat's father's voice boomed across the training grounds. "Both of you are acting like children. Ryat, apologize to your mate. This behavior is unworthy of our family."

Charlotte watched as Ryat's jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath his skin. For a moment, something vulnerable flashed in his eyes – something that made her wolf surge forward, wanting to comfort rather than confront.

But then his expression hardened again. "I won't apologize for protecting her, even if she's too stubborn to understand why."

"Protecting me?" Charlotte laughed, the sound brittle enough to shatter. "I don't need protection from a coward who runs from fate. I'll never accept a mate who lacks the courage to face destiny."

"And I'll never accept a mate too arrogant to see beyond her own assumptions," Ryat shot back, his words landing like physical blows. "You think you know everything, don't you? The perfect Luna guard, so sure of her place in the world. But you don't know anything about sacrifice or duty."

His family's shock was palpable. Rose stepped forward, her gentle nature clearly wanting to smooth things over. "Please, both of you – the mate bond is sacred. Surely we can-"

"No." Charlotte's voice cut through the air like a blade. "The time for reconciliation was two years ago. Now? Now I have more important things to focus on than a mate who didn't want me."

She turned away again, ignoring the distress rolling off Ryat's family in waves, ignoring the way her own heart felt like it was being torn in two. She had a mission here, a purpose that went far beyond mate bonds and family drama.

Let them think her cold. Let them think her arrogant. She'd learned long ago that strength meant standing alone.

Even if standing alone felt like dying inside.