My Alpha Chose His Mistress Over Our Unborn Pup

The kitchen was steamy and hot, the scent of stewing meat and baking bread filling the air as I scrubbed pots until my hands were raw. Three days had passed since my rejection, and each hour felt like another nail in the coffin of who I used to be. My back ached from bending over the sink, my stomach occasionally lurching with a reminder of the secret I carried—a secret that grew more precious as everything else was stripped away.

The kitchen staff worked around me in uncomfortable silence, their eyes darting away whenever I looked up. I was no longer their future Luna; I was an Omega, a cautionary tale, a living reminder of what happened to those who failed the pack.

'Well, well,' came a voice that made my blood run cold. 'If it isn't our fallen star, scrubbing pots like the common help.' Luna Leslie's heels clicked against the tile floor as she entered the kitchen, her presence immediately commanding the space. 'I needed to see this for myself.'

She circled me like a predator, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against the counter. 'How the mighty have fallen. From Luna-in-training to... this.' She gestured dismissively at the sink. 'I always knew you weren't strong enough for the role.'

I kept my head down, focusing on the pot in my hands. *Don't react*, Luna whispered inside me. *She's baiting us.*

'Look at me when I speak to you,' Luna Leslie snapped, her Alpha mother's tone cutting through the kitchen. I raised my eyes, meeting hers with as much dignity as I could muster while standing in gray Omega clothes.

'You know,' she continued, her voice softening to something worse than anger—pity. 'I feel sorry for you. Nine years of trying, and nothing to show for it. No wonder Jaden found comfort elsewhere.'

My grip tightened on the pot. The kitchen staff froze, pretending not to listen, but I knew every word was being absorbed, every humiliation cataloged.

'Head Omega,' Luna Leslie called, turning to a thin woman who jumped to attention. 'I think our Emberlynn needs more... structure. Double her workload. Perhaps some time in the laundry rooms as well. The physical labor might help her process her... disappointment.'

'Yes, Luna Leslie,' the woman replied, not meeting my eyes.

As Luna Leslie turned to leave, she paused, leaning close enough that only I could hear. 'The pack has already forgotten you. By next moon, no one will even remember your name.'

She swept out, leaving behind a kitchen thick with tension. I returned to my pots, my knuckles white around the brush.

Hours later, as I scrubbed the dining hall floors on my hands and knees, I heard familiar footsteps—quick, purposeful, angry.

'What in the name of the Moon Goddess is this?' Ashlyn's voice cut through the silence like a blade. My best friend, the pack Beta, stood in the doorway, her eyes blazing with fury as she took in the sight of me on the floor.

'Ash,' I whispered, relief and fear mixing in my chest.

She strode toward me, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me up. 'Get off your knees, Em. This is ridiculous. I'm taking you to Jaden right now—'

'No!' I hissed, pulling away from her. 'Please, Ashlyn, just... not yet.'

Her eyes narrowed, searching my face. 'What aren't you telling me?'

I glanced around at the other Omegas, who were suddenly very interested in their work. 'Not here,' I murmured.

Ashlyn's jaw tightened, but she nodded, her protective instincts warring with her respect for my wishes. 'Fine. But this isn't over.'

As she stormed out, I caught a glimpse of her face—determination written in every line. Ashlyn had always been fierce, but this was different. This was the look of a Beta who had just declared war.

Later that night, in the privacy of her Beta quarters, Ashlyn pulled out her tablet, her fingers flying across the screen as she accessed encrypted pack records.

'Something's off,' she muttered, more to herself than to me. 'Jaden's been missing pack runs, morning meetings... and there's a pattern to it.'

I watched as she traced connections, her analytical mind at work. 'Here,' she said finally, pointing to a series of transactions. 'Pack funds, being funneled to a luxury lodge on the northern border. Rented under your mother-in-law's name.'

My heart sank. 'The lodge...'

Ashlyn's eyes met mine, grim and knowing. 'Where do you think Jaden's been spending his nights, Em?'