After My Mate Rejected Me for a Fake Heiress
Chapter 1
The crowd's murmurs faded to silence as Sterling stepped onto the stage. My heart hammered against my ribs, palms sweaty as I stood among the sea of Starlight Pack members and entertainment industry elites. Three years. Three years of hiding my true self, of suppressing my wolf, of loving him despite the whispers about my wolfless state.
Tonight was supposed to be our moment. The claiming ceremony I'd dreamed of since he first said he loved me.
"Thank you all for coming," Sterling's voice boomed across the rooftop venue, the Beverly Hills skyline glittering behind him like a constellation of witnesses. "Tonight is special. Tonight marks a new chapter for Starlight Pack."
I squeezed my hands together, fighting the urge to touch my neck where his claiming mark would soon be. The moon hung full and bright above us, bathing everything in silver light that made my skin prickle with anticipation.
"Some of you may have noticed Skylar Kennedy in our midst," Sterling continued, his gaze sweeping the crowd before landing on me with cold detachment that made my stomach drop.
The spotlight found me instantly, harsh and unforgiving. Hundreds of eyes turned my way, some curious, others pitying.
"For three years, I believed she was my mate." His voice hardened, taking on that Alpha tone that made even Betas flinch. "But I was wrong."
The words hit me like physical blows. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't process what was happening.
"Skylar Kennedy is not my mate," Sterling announced, his Alpha tone vibrating through the air, forcing submission from everyone around us. "She's a wolfless stalker who's been harassing me and dragging down my pack's reputation."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone behind me whispered, "I always knew there was something off about her."
"No!" I tried to shout, but my voice came out strangled and small. "Sterling, please—"
"You're nothing but a weak Omega who can't even find her wolf," he continued, cutting me off with a cruel slash of his hand. "You're delusional if you think you could ever be worthy of an Alpha like me."
My vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall. Three years of love and devotion reduced to this public humiliation.
"But tonight," Sterling's voice softened as he gestured toward the wings of the stage, "I'm correcting that mistake."
A figure emerged from the shadows, and the crowd collectively gasped.
Aura Perez stepped into the spotlight, dripping in diamonds that caught the moonlight like captured stars. Her dark hair cascaded in perfect waves down her back, and her smile was radiant with triumph.
"This," Sterling announced proudly, taking her hand, "is Aura Perez, the true heir to the Kennedy Pack fortune and bloodline."
The crowd erupted in excited whispers. The Kennedy name carried weight in werewolf society—my family's legacy that I'd hidden to pursue my dreams.
"Aura has agreed to be my chosen mate," Sterling continued, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Together, we'll unite our packs and create the most powerful alliance in the entertainment industry."
Aura's gaze found mine in the crowd, her lips curving into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She knew. She knew I was the real Kennedy heir, and she was stealing my identity along with my mate.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Aura's voice dripped with false aristocratic grace as she addressed the crowd. "I'm honored to join forces with such a powerful Alpha."
She descended from the stage like a queen, parting the crowd as she moved directly toward me. My body felt frozen, unable to flee as she approached.
"So you're the little wolfless nobody who thought she could keep an Alpha?" Aura's voice was low enough that only those closest could hear, but her words cut deeper than any knife.
"Aura, please," I whispered, hating how desperate I sounded.
"Please what?" She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Please don't take what's mine? Please don't expose you for the pathetic, wolfless Omega you are?"
Her hand moved so fast I didn't see it coming. The crack of her palm against my cheek echoed in my ears as pain bloomed across my face.
"That's for trying to steal what belongs to a real she-wolf," Aura hissed, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
The crowd around us fell silent, watching the spectacle with morbid fascination. No one intervened. No one defended me.
"You're nothing," Aura continued, her voice rising with each word. "Nothing but a weak, pathetic excuse for a werewolf who couldn't even awaken her inner wolf."
Something inside me cracked—not just my heart, but something deeper, more primal. As Aura's words washed over me and the sting of her slap pulsed across my skin, I felt a stirring in the darkest corner of my soul.
A voice I hadn't heard in three years whispered through my consciousness, faint but growing stronger with each passing second.
*Wake up, Skylar. It's time.*
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