Rejected by Alpha Mate

The first blow came at the morning staff meeting.

"I'm restructuring some of our pack duties," Colin announced, his eyes deliberately avoiding mine as he addressed the gathered hospital staff. "Raven will be overseeing our outreach program to neighboring packs."

I nearly dropped my clipboard. The outreach program had been my initiative—a way to share our medical knowledge with smaller packs that couldn't afford full-time healers.

"Meanwhile," Colin continued, "Shay will be managing supplies and equipment maintenance."

Maintenance. As in cleaning and inventory.

Raven's smile was razor-sharp. "I'm so honored to take on this important responsibility, Alpha-to-be."

Colin nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Your organizational skills are exactly what we need."

I felt my wolf bristle inside me. Three years as head healer, and now I was being reduced to a janitor?

"Colin," I said quietly after the meeting. "Can we talk about this?"

"There's nothing to discuss." His voice was cool, distant. "The pack needs fresh leadership in key positions."

"And Raven has medical training?" I couldn't keep the edge from my voice.

"She has natural leadership qualities." His eyes finally met mine, challenging. "Unlike some people who have been... complacent."

---

The weekly pack run should have been my sanctuary. Despite everything, running with my wolf always cleared my head.

But tonight, as we gathered at the edge of the forest, I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the evening air.

"Alpha formation!" Marcus called out.

I moved forward automatically, taking my place beside Colin as we had done countless times before. My wolf stretched eagerly, ready to run with her mate.

"Shay." Colin's voice stopped me cold. "You'll be running with the omegas tonight."

The pack fell silent. Even the trees seemed to hold their breath.

"Colin?" I whispered, certain I'd misheard.

"Raven will be joining the Alpha formation." He gestured her forward with a smile that twisted like a knife in my chest.

Raven stepped into my place, her triumphant smirk barely contained. "Thank you for the honor, Alpha-to-be."

I stood frozen as the pack began to shift around me. The omegas—our lowest-ranking members—gathered at the rear of the formation, their eyes averted in embarrassment for me.

"Run with the omegas," Diana hissed urgently, grabbing my arm. "Don't make a scene."

So I ran, my wolf howling in confusion and pain, trailing behind the main pack with the kitchen staff and elderly members who couldn't keep up. Through the mind-link, I felt the pack's collective shock and pity.

---

"Your wolfsbane is contaminated."

I stared at the ruined mixture in my mortar, my hands trembling. "That's impossible. I harvested it myself."

"Check the rest," Elena Vasquez, our former head healer and Killian's mother, advised gently.

She was right. Every jar of healing herb in my cabinet had been tampered with—salt mixed into the dried leaves, vinegar added to the tinctures.

"This wasn't an accident," I murmured.

Elena's eyes narrowed. "No. It wasn't."

Three patients that day received treatments that should have worked. Instead, their conditions worsened. By evening, whispers filled the hospital corridors.

"Maybe she's lost her touch."

"Or never had it to begin with."

And then the mind-link exploded with Raven's latest creation:

"Poor Alpha-to-be Colin. Three years mated and still no pups. The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake."

"Maybe she's barren. Or maybe she's not really his mate at all."

"Everyone knows true mates conceive easily. Look at Alpha Marcus and his Luna—five pups in four years."

My wolf curled into herself, whimpering. We had tried so hard to conceive. The disappointment each month had been devastating enough without Raven turning it into pack gossip.

---

"Jake Morrison needs treatment in room three," Killian said quietly, appearing at my side as I scrubbed equipment in the back room—another of my new "duties."

"I'll be right there," I replied, drying my hands.

But when I entered room three, Jake was already sitting up, his arm cradled against his chest.

"Where's the other healer?" he demanded.

"Other healer?" I repeated.

"Killian." Jake's lip curled. "I asked for him specifically. Don't trust a barren healer to fix what she can't even fix in herself."

The words hit like physical blows. My hands shook as I reached for my supplies.

"I said I want Killian," Jake repeated, louder this time. "Get him in here if you want me to cooperate with treatment."

Behind me, I heard the soft sound of Killian entering the room. His presence was quiet but somehow filled the space.

"I'll take over from here," he said gently.

I turned to leave, my vision blurring with unshed tears.

"Shay," Killian called softly as I reached the door.

I paused, not trusting myself to speak.

"Your hands," he said quietly. "They're still the most skilled in this hospital."

I fled before he could see me break.